Chicago

Thursday, May 7, 2026

RUNNING TO THE FIRE

The Marketing Vanguard Summit convenes CMOs, CEOs, and other senior leaders from some of the world’s most innovative and influential brands—alongside cultural icons, emerging leaders, and thinkers from academia—to confront the moments of tension, ambiguity, and change in this industry, collectively shaping the future of the role and practice.

Held at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Gleacher Center on May 7, the Summit challenges marketing leaders to embrace discomfort and build the muscles required to lead at the highest level: forging deeper CEO alignment, owning the metrics that truly matter to the business, and creating brands worthy of sustained attention, trust, and investment. Through candid dialogue, debate, and practical insight, we’ll explore how CMOs are stepping into complexity—across growth, culture, technology, and transformation—to solidify marketing’s position as an indispensable driver of enterprise value.

Provocateurs

More to be announced soon

Jim Lecinski
Jim Lecinski
Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
Clinical Professor of Marketing
Sarah Leinberger
Sarah Leinberger
Yoobi
Head of Marketing
Melissa Levy
Melissa Levy
Sparks
President
Victoria Lozano
Victoria Lozano
Crayola
Former CMO
Heather Malenshek
Heather Malenshek
Land O'Lakes
CMO
Vineet Mehra
Vineet Mehra
Chime
CMO
Lina Polimeni
Lina Polimeni
Eli Lilly and Company
Chief Corporate Brand Officer
Kati Pratt
Kati Pratt
Purdue Global
CMO
Anand Rao
Anand Rao
CDW
CMO
Phyllis Rothschild
Phyllis Rothschild
Pete and Gerry's
CMO
Thomas Ranese
Thomas Ranese
Intuit
CMO
Jenny Rooney
Jenny Rooney
ADWEEK
Chief Brand and Community Officer