M&A Signals – Deals Announced Through January 21, 2026
Highlights SPINS acquired MikMak SPINS is a retail and CPG data company known for in-store purchase and shelf data. MikMak is a click-to-buy ad tech and analytics platform that drives ecommerce conversions. In the announcement, SPINS says it wanted to expand into MikMak’s space as an extension of its data offering. MikMak’s CEO cites SPINS’ proprietary data asset as a key reason for combining. Agency lens: The story is end-to-end commerce media, from data to convers… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
Funding Signals – Activity Through January 20, 2026
Highlights Skild AI raised $1.4B (Series C) led by SoftBank Group Skild AI is building a foundation model for robotics. The company said its model is designed to work across different robot types, with training in simulation and real-world data. It also said enterprise tasks come first, with an eventual goal of robotics in consumer homes, and that the new capital will support model training and deployment. Agency lens: As deployments broaden, proof-point stor… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
How Oakland’s First CMCO Is Reframing Enrollment Marketing
An analysis of the executive conversation and our research, surfacing the priorities and opportunity lanes agencies can leverage to win new business. At A Glance Interviewee: Chris Foley Pilsner, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer Company: Oakland University Estimated Revenue: $318 Million Location: Rochester, Michigan Website: https://oakland.edu/ Industry: Public research university; higher education Company Notes: Mid-sized public research institution serving r… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
CMO Moves – Week of January 19, 2026
Alison Wagonfeld named Chief Marketing Officer at NVIDIA NVIDIA named Alison Wagonfeld its first Chief Marketing Officer, bringing marketing and communications under a single top seat. The announcement says she will report to CEO Jensen Huang and that all members of NVIDIA’s marketing and communications team will report to her. Wagonfeld comes from Google Cloud, where she was vice president of marketing and wrote that she helped build the business “from a promising start-up in 2016 to a thriving ($60 billion) run-rate business today.” Agency lens: With marketing + comms centralized, expect more integrated platform storytelling and partner marketing—especially tied to Omniverse-based creative workflows and collaborations with holding companies/agencies. Press release Company website Executive’s LinkedIn Lujean Smith named Chief Marketing Officer at GlobalLogic GlobalLogic appointed LuJean Smith as Chief Marketing Officer, positioning marketing as a “growth engine” to elevate the brand and showcase AI capabilities and collaboration within the Hitachi Group. The announcement says she will spearhead global marketing strategy, lead high-impact multi-channel campaigns, and showcase GlobalLogic VelocityAI (its AI-powered service offerings), aligned to Hitachi’s “Inspire 2027” strategic priorities. Smith brings 30 years of marketing leadership, including senior marketing and communications roles at GE, Siemens, Accenture, and Cognizant. Agency lens: This is set up for brand positioning work, integrated comms, and campaign development around VelocityAI and the GlobalLogic–Hitachi value story—built for enterprise buyers. Press release Company website Executive’s LinkedIn Shannon Scott named Chief Marketing Officer at Hawaiian Bros Island Grill Hawaiian Bros named Shannon Scott Chief Marketing Officer as the chain prepares for rapid national expansion and franchise growth. The announcement says she will oversee national and local marketing, digital engagement, menu storytelling, and market entry strategies after serving in a fractional capacity for the past year. Scott’s background includes chief strategy officer and deputy EVP at the American Academy of Family Physicians, plus more than a decade as a marketing executive at Applebee’s supporting franchise operators. Agency lens: Expect franchise-ready marketing systems—local launch playbooks, digital engagement programs, and creative that scales menu storytelling consistently across new markets. Press release Company website Executive’s LinkedIn All Appointments The following is a complete list of CMO appointments and transitions tracked this week across industries. CMO Moves are tracked weekly based on public announcements, filings, and market intelligence. Not every leadership change results in agency engagement, but historically, these moments often precede strategic reviews and realignment of partners.
Where Agencies Can Help Eightfold Operationalize Its AI Story
An analysis of the executive conversation and our research, surfacing the priorities and opportunity lanes agencies can leverage to win new business. At A Glance Interviewee: Navneet “Nav” Singh, Chief Marketing Officer Company: Eightfold AI Estimated Revenue: $160 Million Location: Silicon Valley, California Website: www.eightfold.ai Industry: AI-powered talent intelligence and HR technology platform for enterprises Company Notes: AI-native talent platform with 100+ enterpr… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
How Nav Singh Blends Technical Depth With Emotional Storytelling
Why It Matters Nav Singh’s path to the CMO seat at Eightfold AI is anything but typical. His story blends engineering, product leadership, and a deep curiosity about how people work and what they need. He’s someone who made bold pivots, embraced uncertainty, and kept following the spark of what interested him. For agencies, his journey matters because it reveals what impresses him, how he thinks about partners, and what truly earns attention in a fast-changing AI world. Their Path, in Short Nav began his career expecting to build a future in consulting. Coming out of his MBA, he imagined himself rising through Deloitte and becoming a tech partner. But when projects dried up early in his career, he had to pivot fast. That shift took him into a startup and eventually into Oracle—where someone pointed out that the work he was doing was actually product management. Until that moment, he didn’t even know what product management was. That discovery kicked off a 15-year run building products, meeting customers, shaping roadmaps, and becoming deeply fluent in how technology works. But another turning point came while he was at a small startup, wearing multiple hats because there wasn’t a marketing team. When he found himself creating emails and updating the website, he noticed something important: he loved connecting with customers emotionally, not just technically. That insight pulled him into marketing. He turned down several product roles to take a marketing position at Palo Alto Networks—an unusual move for someone with his background. But it paid off. Over the next decade, he blended product depth with storytelling to help shape narratives that moved people and drove business impact. Today at Eightfold AI, he’s drawing on everything he learned to sharpen a clear, human-centered story around what the company does and where the world of work is heading. Big Themes From the Conversation A major theme in Nav’s journey is curiosity. He has a habit of stepping toward what he doesn’t know rather than away from it. He chose product without understanding the field. Later, he chose marketing because something about it felt creatively alive. He treats curiosity not as a trait but as a path forward. Another theme is his belief in listening. When he stepped into his CMO role, he didn’t build strategies based on decks, templates, or AI-generated plans. He sat down with about 40 people to understand what customers were saying, what teams had experienced, and what wasn’t written anywhere. For him, the best answers come from people, not algorithms. A third theme is staying grounded in customer truth. Nav has seen how easy it is for teams to fall in love with their own product. He knows what it feels like to get fixated on what you’ve built instead of what customers actually need. He’s committed to making sure storytelling and decisions stay rooted in real customer insight. And running through his leadership philosophy is encouragement. He keeps a simple rule in mind: give far more positive feedback than corrective feedback. In his experience, teams do their best work when they feel seen, supported, and challenged in the right balance. Watch CMO Journeys Interview How They Choose the Right Agency Partners When I asked Nav how he finds great agency partners, his answer showed just how open he is to new ideas—and how practical he is about time. Some agencies come from past experience. At Palo Alto Networks, he had a front-row seat to world-class partners across social, web, and creative. That gives him a baseline of what good looks like. He also taps his network when he needs recommendations. But he doesn’t stop there. Nav actually scans his LinkedIn messages, not because he has time to reply to most of them, but because he doesn’t want to miss someone with a creative spark. What he doesn’t respond to are the “Do you have five minutes?” messages. Those go nowhere. What works is clarity. He wants agencies to tell him what they do, explain the value, and show an idea—preferably in a short video. A two-minute Loom with a clear explanation can get his attention faster than any pitch deck. He wants to see how someone thinks, not just what they claim. At events, he browses booths, watches demos, and talks to people, but he doesn’t go to conferences specifically to shop for agencies. Inspiration happens in conversations or in unexpected moments. And one of the most revealing parts of his philosophy is how he views awards. They don’t move him. Awards look in the rearview mirror, and he’s far more focused on who is thinking about the future. He’s drawn to agencies that bring ideas about where marketing is headed and how teams will work alongside AI—not just what they’ve done before. If you can show new ways to scale content, use technology wisely, or experiment with fresh approaches, you have his attention. What Stood Out One moment that really stood out was when Nav talked about the hero’s journey. He believes the customer—not the company—is the hero. The company is the guide. That mindset echoes through how he listens, how he shapes stories, and how he keeps teams from getting lost in their own product. Another revealing moment was how he keeps his own creativity sharp. He pulls inspiration from solo road trips, conversations with his kids, time in the wilderness, and watching an eclectic mix of YouTube content. He treats creativity as something that needs space, input, and curiosity—not a rigid process. Inside Scoop This article focuses on the journey, the leadership philosophy, and how this CMO works with agency partners. To access the exclusive analysis, including priorities, initiatives, and opportunities, become a Next Big Win Pro member.
Town of Pittsboro Integrated Marketing to Drive Visits, Foot Traffic, and Investment
At a Glance Buyer: Town of Pittsboro, North Carolina Industry: Local Government / Economic Development / Tourism Location/markets: Downtown Pittsboro, North Carolina (residents, visitors, entrepreneurs, investors) Primary scope: Integrated marketing services for Downtown Pittsboro Key deliverables/channels: Weekly social content (reels + photography); event marketing; economic development collateral; wayfinding/signage design manual; exper… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
National Forest Foundation Seeks Growth Marketing Partner For $400K Paid Media + Creative
At a Glance Buyer: National Forest Foundation (NFF) Industry: Nonprofit / Conservation / Public Lands Location/markets: United States (national audiences) Primary scope: Growth marketing and paid media agency support Key deliverables/channels: Social media audit; campaign strategy + creative assets; paid media plan + buys; “always-on” lead gen/email capture; monthly reporting; bi-annual strategic reviews Budget: $400,000 total (agency fees + media placement/ad buyi… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
Oregon Health Authority Hiring AOR-Style Comms Team for Family Connects Oregon With $400K Budget
At a Glance Buyer: Oregon Health Authority (Public Health Division, Family Connects Oregon Program) Industry: Public Health (State Government) Location/markets: Oregon statewide; families with newborns; hospitals/medical providers; local program sites Primary scope: Strategic communications to increase awareness, acceptance, and use of Family Connects Oregon Key deliverables/channels: Brand + campaign strategy; multiplatform media buy; soc… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
State of Michigan Seeks Statewide Marketing and Advertising Vendor Pool With Media Buying
At a Glance Buyer: State of Michigan (DTMB – Procurement) Industry: Government / Public Sector Location/markets: Michigan (statewide; general public) Primary scope: Creative Media Advertising and Digital Media Marketing Services Key deliverables/channels: Campaign planning; creative; paid media planning/buying; production; PR/earned media (as needed); TV/streaming, radio/streaming, social/digital, out-of-home/transit, print, translated mat… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro