CMO Moves – Week of March 2, 2026
Highlights Meghan Mitchell-Marks named Chief Marketing Officer at Axonius Axonius is an asset intelligence platform for unified security operations and exposure management. The company is positioning this hire as part of a unified GTM push to fuel its next phase of growth. It also points to record business momentum and two of its strongest quarters as the backdrop for scaling demand. Agency lens: Expect emphasis on category positioning, brand strategy, product marketing, demand gen, and comms working as one. Press release Executive’s LinkedIn Company website Alison Jarvis-Powell named Global Chief Marketing Officer at RX Global RX is a global events business. This is a newly created role, framed as an investment in stronger global marketing capabilities to drive growth, customer value, and long-term enterprise performance. The remit explicitly includes building scaled digital, data, and AI-enabled marketing capabilities across the company. Agency lens: Likely need for global brand consistency, performance visibility, and integrated digital programs tied to measurable outcomes. Press release Executive’s LinkedIn Company website Dahlia Fisher named Chief Marketing Officer at World ORT World ORT is a philanthropic organization. The mandate is to integrate global marketing and communications so the mission and impact are expressed with clarity and cohesion across markets. The announcement also signals a focus on resonance and consistency in how the organization shows up globally. Agency lens: Strong fit for partners who can unify narrative, comms strategy, and multi-market messaging without losing mission clarity. Press release Executive’s LinkedIn Company website 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.
How Tristan Pineiro Leads With Culture, Not Just Metrics
Executive: Tristan Pineiro, Chief Marketing Officer Company: Grindr Industry: LGBTQ+ social app (freemium, ads + subscriptions) Company Snapshot: A global, location-based app serving millions, operating in 190 countries with a lean team of under 200 people; also an advertising platform and a publicly listed company. Format: CMO Journeys Interview Why It Matters Tristan Pineiro came to marketing through language, culture, and communications—and it shows. As CMO of Grindr, he’s shaping a brand that sits at the intersection of community and culture. For agencies, his viewpoint is simple: surface-level gestures don’t work here. Understanding and trust do. Their Path, in Short Tristan grew up on Menorca, a small Spanish island in the Mediterranean, and lived there with his family until he was 14. His father was a self-made man, a chef, and ran a restaurant. Tristan describes a clear expectation: stay and follow that path. But he didn’t. He says he rebelled against that future. Because his mom is English, he was able to move to the UK and live with family there. At university, he studied linguistics with languages and also studied French drama. He calls it “artsy,” but it trained him to pay attention to how words carry meaning and identity. That led him into communications and then into marketing. He says it’s rare for “comms people to make it to CMO,” and he’s glad the industry is moving toward what he’s believed for a long time: story, engagement, and entertainment belong closer to the center of modern marketing. Outside class, he stayed close to the world he cared about. He talks about promoting underground queer clubs in Manchester while he was at university. It gave him a front-row seat to how communities form. He also tells a story that became a personal lesson in brand. As a teenager, he worked in a fashion store that wasn’t doing well. The store closed for a refurbishment, then reopened with a new look and a new name. The clothes were the same—only the labels changed. Suddenly, there were lines around the block. For Tristan, it proved that perception can change everything. Big Themes From the Conversation As a kid, Tristan was obsessed with TV ads—he memorized them and repeated them. He was learning what sticks: a clear idea, a feeling, and the right delivery. He keeps returning to emotion. Rational arguments are everywhere. The harder work is making people feel something—and doing it in a way that doesn’t talk down to them. He’s also realistic about attention. He says traditional campaigns “don’t get cut through anymore,” because you have seconds to capture people before they scroll by, flip the channel, or tune out. That’s why he keeps pushing one habit: think about your audience constantly. Watch CMO Journeys Interview How They Choose the Right Agency Partners When I asked Tristan about agencies, he didn’t frame them as “support.” He framed them as relationship work. He says working in an agency makes you a better client. Otherwise, he says, client relationships can start with a suspicion that the agency is trying “to get your money for the least possible amount of work.” But from the agency side, he’s seen the opposite: you want to do the best possible work, deliver, and make work your team is proud of. So his partnership philosophy is built around closeness. He talks about “inviting your agency into your brand” so they can see behind the curtain—who’s who, what the goals are, and how the business actually works. Otherwise, agencies get the final output of a long internal process with none of the context. He even calls that internal process the “sausage factory.” If agencies don’t understand how the sausage got made, their work will miss the mark. He’s also clear about what not to do. Agencies can challenge a brief, and sometimes they should—but he’s seen it go wrong when the challenge comes without understanding the journey that led there. The best agencies, in his view, ask smart questions, learn the context, and push in a way that feels aligned. That alignment matters at Grindr because the brand is tied to a real community. Tristan says the internal team knows the audience and community extremely well, and many team members are part of the community or strong allies. The company is lean—under 200 people—so the team stays hands-on. They work with agencies and freelancers, but the internal team remains close to the story. He points to content published on social and inside the app, including Grindr Presents. He mentions a podcast called “Who’s the Asshole,” which faces an honest reality of platforms: bad behavior exists, and moderation isn’t perfect. He also mentions a travel series that reflects how people use the app while traveling—not only to connect, but also to find information like venues and safety. Then there’s the question agencies always want answered: how do you prove you understand queer culture? Tristan’s answer is blunt: people get it wrong all the time. He’s seen proposals loaded with “yass,” sparkles, and rainbows—signals that may be meant as supportive, but land as shallow. His point is: don’t fake fluency. Queer culture is broad and nuanced, and the audience will tell you when you missed it. Finally, he values perspective. Grindr works with agencies around the world. He mentions a Spanish agency, Neurads, that helps produce the travel series. Different voices, different lenses—those inputs make the work stronger. What Stood Out What stood out most was Tristan’s consistency. Whether he’s talking about childhood ad obsession, a relabeled fashion store, or the realities of attention, he keeps returning to the same filter: be interesting, be honest, and respect the audience. Underneath that is a quiet standard for partners: don’t perform understanding—do the work to earn it. 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.
How Nick Eubanks Turned Detours Into Marketing Discipline
Executive: Nick Eubanks Company: DigiStore24 Industry: All-in-one online sales platform and affiliate marketplace Company Snapshot: Built for performance-driven entrepreneurs, combining conversion tools, payments, and back-office automation Format: CMO Journeys Interview Why It Matters Nick Eubanks didn’t follow a straight path into marketing. He zigzagged—finance to real estate to a fintech startup to agency life to larger-company leadership. That matters because his view of agency partnerships comes from experience on both sides of the table. He keeps asking one question: what actually moves the work forward? Their Path, in Short Nick thought real estate was his future. He went to school for finance at “St. Joe’s in Philadelphia,” earned a finance degree, and spent college in real estate internships. Then marketing showed up as a left turn. After graduation, he joined a fintech startup in a marketing role. He realized he didn’t like the product, even though he liked the people. So he left and started an agency. From there, he described his career as “venture after venture,” moving through agency work, software, e-commerce, and other builds. One chapter became Baby Bathwater Institute, a community of entrepreneurs he called “my tribe.” It also shaped how he saw himself, which is why his next move hit hard: he took a job. Nick joined SEMrush in an entrepreneurial role and worked with a CMO he described as forward-thinking. He said the job gave him a bigger checkbook and a bigger team, and let him do bigger projects without taking the same personal risk. Still, he admitted it triggered an identity crisis. He had tied “entrepreneur” to owning the thing, and he had to rethink that definition. Big Themes From the Conversation Nick is drawn to learning that challenges him. He shared advice he credits to Mike Brown: don’t just be open-minded—seek out information that forces you to change your mind. He also talked about luck without pretending it cancels effort. He referenced the line “the harder you work, the luckier you get,” and still insisted that luck is real. Work hard, stay prepared, and don’t assume you control every variable. And he’s practical about how he keeps himself moving. Nick talked about running as a way to clear his head and how ideas appear after a few miles. He said he used to forget half of them once he got home. Now he captures them by opening voice notes and ChatGPT and talking straight into it, so the thought becomes something he can actually use. Watch CMO Journeys Interview How They Choose the Right Agency Partners When I asked Nick how he thinks about agencies at DigiStore24, he started with reality. He said it’s common for CMOs to step into a role and bring in agencies they trust, depending on what needs support right away. The goal is speed. You can’t wait for perfect conditions. His best example was about timing. Someone he met at SEMrush later left and started a PR agency. When she saw Nick had taken the DigiStore24 role, she reached out to catch up. Nick’s response was: “Perfect timing.” As he explained it, there wasn’t a PR function in the U.S., and starting one was on his short list. He also described using agencies to move fast on foundational work. One area was marketing analytics. He said he wasn’t happy with the marketing analytics configuration, so he brought in someone he trusted to do a full audit and lay out how to clean it up. He named GA4, GTM, and reporting. The point was confidence. If measurement is shaky, every strategy conversation turns into guesswork. Content is another place he sees agencies earn their keep, but not as “extra hands.” He said the value is bringing in people who know what works and know how to build the content production workflows that are needed. Put workflows in place. Create sample content so the internal team can learn. Leave templates the team can reuse. Then he named a quieter differentiator: access. Nick said agencies with channel-specific expertise often have relationships a brand can’t get by “going in the front door.” He gave a concrete example: he brought in someone to help with a specific social platform to get paid ads up and running, and that expert could introduce him to the senior brand partner manager and help get set up with a line of credit—something he said wouldn’t have happened if he approached the platform cold. Nick also spoke to how the agency world is shifting. He said he’s vacillated between the specialist and full-service views over his career, and he believes specialists may need to go deeper in what they deliver. He talked about advising agencies to build AI workflows not just for themselves, but for clients, and he highlighted platform partnerships—saying he was a HubSpot partner at his last agency and expects that model to matter even more in the age of AI. What Stood Out The surprising moment wasn’t tactical. It was personal. Nick openly described the identity crisis he felt after taking a job following years of building his own ventures. That kind of honesty is rare, and it explains a lot about how he operates: he keeps learning, keeps moving, and keeps choosing work that feels like building. 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 NextBigWin Pro member.
Netflix Shifts Marketing Toward Faster Fandom-Driven Execution
At a Glance Interviewee: Marian Lee, Chief Marketing Officer Company: Netflix Estimated Revenue: $45B (2025) Location: Los Gatos, CA Website: https://www.netflix.com Industry: Streaming entertainment + advertising platform + live and experiential Company Notes: Global subscription platform now scaling ads, live programming, and in-person fandom experiences Best-Fit Agencies: Experiential and live events, brand partnerships, social-first creative, integrated production, media… 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
Where Grindr’s Communications-Led Marketing Strategy Is Heading Next
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: Tristan Pineiro, Chief Marketing Officer Company: Grindr Location: West Hollywood, CA Website: https://www.grindr.com Industry: LGBTQ+ social and dating app (freemium, ads + subscriptions) Company Notes: Public company operating in 190+ countries with a lean team of under 200 people Best-Fit Agen… 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
M&A Signals – Deals Announced Through February 25, 2026
Highlights ADT acquired Origin AI — Deal value: $170M ADT is a residential security provider that operates at global scale. Origin AI is a company behind proprietary AI sensing technology used in security and adjacent use cases. The acquisition sits alongside a five-year renewable commercial agreement where Verisure will continue to license Origin AI’s sensing technology. It matters because the deal keeps the technology on a path to broader commercialization … 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 February 24, 2026
Highlights Vestwell raised $385M (Series E) led by Blue Owl Capital and Sixth Street Growth Vestwell builds the infrastructure that helps employers, advisors, and institutions run workplace savings programs. The funding will expand distribution across payroll, benefits, and other “where income is earned” channels. It will also accelerate AI-native, data-driven features and more personalized investment options, pushing the platform deeper into everyday savings… 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
Stop Pitching Famous Brands. Start Following the Money.
Most agencies build new business target lists based on familiarity. They go after companies they admire. The brands they use. Logos that look good in a deck. But the most recognizable names are usually the most crowded. Every agency is calling on them. Every agency is pitching them. Meanwhile, a different group of companies is quietly raising serious capital. You may not recognize their names yet. That’s the point. They are earlier in their growth story. They are not household brands. But they are well-funded and under pressure to scale. And most agencies are not paying attention. The Signal The signal is not simply that a company raised money. The signal is meaningful funding combined with a visible go-to-market movement. Series B, C, or private equity growth rounds matter. Angel rounds and small seed checks usually do not. Once a company raises $20M, $40M, or more, expectations change. Investors are no longer betting on potential. They are demanding acceleration. But funding alone is incomplete. Stronger signals include: An external CMO or VP of Marketing hire A wave of marketing job postings Expansion into new regions A move upmarket into enterprise Public statements about aggressive revenue goals That combination tells you the company is building marketing and sales infrastructure. As a live example, we’ve unlocked this week’s funding round data from NextBigWin Pro for all readers. You’ll see the industry, round type, funding amount, investor mix, and which companies issued press releases outlining expansion plans. It’s a real-time snapshot of what scale signals actually look like in the market right now. That’s where outside partners often enter. Why It Matters Once institutional capital enters the picture, timelines compress. Boards want growth. Investors want measurable progress. Revenue targets increase. To hit those targets, companies often need sharper positioning, stronger demand generation, and a more disciplined channel strategy. Category matters here. Consumer SaaS, fintech, health tech, DTC, and marketplaces tend to be marketing-intensive. Customer acquisition is central to survival. These companies are structurally more likely to engage agencies. Deep infrastructure or government-heavy categories may grow without significant brand investment. Funding inside the right category, paired with visible marketing build-out, is a very different signal than funding alone. The Mistake Most Teams Make The bigger mistake is not reacting too aggressively. It’s ignoring the signal altogether. Many teams still build prospect lists based on brand familiarity or personal preference. They pursue the names they already know. That approach feels safe. It also creates crowded inboxes and slow traction. At the same time, high-growth companies you have never heard of are hiring marketing leaders, expanding into new markets, and sitting on fresh capital. They are overlooked because they are not famous yet. But they are often more open to new thinking. The Smarter Move Shift from logo-chasing to signal-reading. When you see a meaningful funding round, study the details. What industry are they in? How much did they raise? What round? Who are the investors? Is there a press release outlining expansion plans? Those data points tell you whether this is exploratory capital or scale capital. We track this closely inside NextBigWin Pro—not just the headline that a company raised money, but the industry, round, funding amount, investor mix, and whether leadership is signaling aggressive growth in public statements. The goal is not to create urgency. It’s to create clarity about where momentum is building. AI can help surface this information faster. It can scan funding databases and hiring patterns in minutes. But it cannot decide what is meaningful. That requires judgment. Funding is not permission to pitch. It is direction on where to pay attention. If you review this week’s unlocked funding list, don’t treat it as a prospecting sheet. Study it. Look at the categories. Notice which rounds are Series B or later. Pay attention to which companies are signaling expansion. The value isn’t the list itself. It’s learning how to interpret momentum before everyone else sees it. How to Use This When a company raises significant capital in a marketing-intensive category, don’t pounce. Follow the CMO. Watch the hiring patterns. Study the language in their press release. Understand the growth thesis. Then show up with relevance. Share research. Offer thoughtful commentary. Stay in orbit. The best opportunities are rarely the loudest ones. They are the companies quietly moving from product-market fit to aggressive scale. If you learn to read that signal early, you stop chasing brands and start aligning with momentum.
Lenovo’s Shift Toward Edge AI and Integrated Workflows
At a Glance Interviewee: Milo Speranzo, North America Chief Marketing Officer Company: Lenovo Estimated Revenue: $69B global revenue Location: Morrisville, North Carolina Website: https://www.lenovo.com Industry: Global technology hardware, infrastructure, and AI solutions Company Notes: Public global tech leader spanning devices, infrastructure, and services across 180 markets Best-Fit Agencies: Integrated creative, B2B demand gen, experiential, AI/data strategy, sports mar… 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
PepsiCo’s Blended Marketing Model and Agency Implications
At a Glance Interviewee: Mark Kirkham, Chief Marketing Officer, PepsiCo Beverages US Company: PepsiCo Beverages North America Estimated Revenue: $28.2B (PBNA segment) Location: Purchase, NY Website: https://www.pepsico.com Industry: Global beverages and convenient foods Company Notes: Leads marketing for a $27B+ U.S. beverages portfolio, including Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, and RTD JVs Best-Fit Agencies: Social-first creative, cultural strategy, sports marketing, innovat… 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
