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

Gabrielle Wesley
Gabrielle Wesley
Mars Snacking North America
CMO, Confectionery
Eric Wilson
Eric Wilson
CrossCountry Mortgage
CMO
Steven Wolfe Pereira
Steven Wolfe Pereira
Alpha
CEO
Doug Zarkin
Doug Zarkin
Take 5 Oil Change
CMO
Andrea Zaretsky
Andrea Zaretsky
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
CMO