Forbes Announces 2026 CMO Hall of Fame Inductees

Forbes released its 14th-annual World’s Most Influential CMOs list, ranking 50 marketing leaders using 10 billion data points from Sprinklr and LinkedIn. Marian Lee of Netflix topped the list for a third straight year. The accompanying CMO Hall of Fame honors nine executives who have appeared on the list five times, highlighting sustained impact across industries.

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• Asad Ayaz, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer, The Walt Disney Company – oversees a $94.4 billion portfolio, led the Disney100 anniversary and Disney+ launch.

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• Lorenzo Bertelli, Chief Marketing Officer & Head of CSR, Prada Group – guided $6.6 billion revenue, drove the Versace acquisition and fur-free, recycled-nylon initiatives.

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• Cristina Diezhandino, Chief Marketing Officer, Diageo – directs more than 200 spirit and beer brands, spearheaded the FIFA World Cup activation and AI-driven Virtual Content Studio.

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• Ulrich Klenke, Chief Marketing Officer, Deutsche Telekom – steers global brand strategy for Europe’s largest telecom operator.

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• Don McGuire, Executive Vice President & CMO, Qualcomm – positioned Snapdragon as a premier semiconductor brand and championed AI-enabled decision-shaping marketing.

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• Marcel Marcondes, Global CMO, AB InBev – leads a portfolio of 500 + brands, secured eight of the top ten spots on the BrandZ list and expanded low-alcohol offerings.

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• Manuel Arroyo, EVP & Chief Marketing & Customer Commercial Officer, The Coca-Cola Company – transformed a 200-brand portfolio to $48 billion revenue, integrated AI for top-line growth and launched the Open X agency model.

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• Jens Thiemer, Chief Customer Officer, Lidl – drives global brand and sales for the $143 billion retailer, emphasizing deep consumer insight over budget size.

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• Julia White, Chief Marketing Officer, Amazon Web Services – aligns product marketing, developer relations and AI-forward operations for a $128.7 billion business.

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Collectively, the inductees’ organizations generated over $600 billion in 2025 revenue, manage more than 1,200 brands, and have invested heavily in AI, with Coca-Cola directing 90 % of its AI projects toward growth rather than cost reduction.

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The Hall of Fame underscores how modern CMOs blend data, AI, and cultural relevance to shape real-time brand management. Their strategies illustrate a shift from campaign-centric planning to continuous, experience-driven engagement, setting benchmarks for competitors across entertainment, luxury, consumer goods, telecom, and technology sectors.

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Linda Boff, President of the Forbes CMO Network, said the honorees represent “the highest caliber of marketing leadership at a moment when the role has never been more consequential.” Joy Corso, Sprinklr’s Chief Administrative Officer, added that the list “reveals CMOs who aren’t just launching campaigns but driving their businesses and industries forward.” Forbes highlighted its partnership with Sprinklr and LinkedIn as essential to the data-driven methodology.

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• “Fans live simultaneously across streaming, social, sports, physical experiences, culture and community, and they expect brands to meet them seamlessly across all of it.” — Asad Ayaz, The Walt Disney Company

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• “The successful brands of the future will understand people deeply and be able to connect with them meaningfully.” — Cristina Diezhandino, Diageo

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• “Technology is rewriting what’s possible in marketing, but the fundamentals haven’t changed—know who you are, know your audience, and make it relevant,” — Don McGuire, Qualcomm

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• “Embrace everything you can when it comes to technology—cheaper, faster, more effective,” — Marcel Marcondes, AB InBev

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The inductees will be honored at the Forbes World’s Most Influential CMOs Luncheon in Cannes, with Adobe, Salesforce, McKinsey & Company and other sponsors supporting the event. The ceremony will serve as a platform for the next cohort of marketing leaders to be announced later in the year.

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