Icons in the Making: Recent Episodes
Lippincott
Icons in the Making is a podcast hosted by Lippincott’s Chief Marketing Officer, Heather Stern. In each episode, you’ll hear from the leaders and change agents at today’s most innovative, purpose-driven and disruptive brands. Tune in for honest and insightful conversations on the brands shaping our world and the people behind them.
Few leaders get the opportunity to reshape a brand as iconic as Nokia—but Stacey Brierley has spent over two decades doing just that. As VP of Brand, she’s helped guide Nokia’s transformation from a handset giant to the invisible force behind global connectivity. In this episode, she joins Lippincott's Louise Cantrill to share why true transformation isn’t about sudden pivots, but long-term, intentional evolution. From redefining a legacy brand for new B2B audiences to aligning teams across cultures, Stacey pulls back the curtain on what it takes to drive change across a global business. She also reflects on the role of curiosity, strategic thinking, and carving out time to step back, showing how asking better questions and rising above the day-to-day noise can turn complexity into clarity.
It’s rare you meet a leader who’s equal parts Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Experience Officer. But Jill Cress has mastered the art of bridging the promise of brand with the reality of the customer's experience, most recently as Chief Marketing & Experience Officer at H&R Block. In this episode, she sits down with Tom Ajello, Lippincott's Global Director of Experience, Innovation & Engineering, to unpack why uniting marketing with customer experience leadership is a strategic advantage and shares candid insights on the biggest marketing challenges today—from navigating AI’s impact to elevating marketing’s role in the C-suite. Drawing on her decades of leadership at MasterCard, PayPal, and National Geographic, she reveals why trust is the ultimate foundation for business success and why mentoring the next generation is critical in the age of AI.
Barbie’s journey from iconic toy to cultural phenomenon has been a master class in marketing. But this branding triumph started well before there was Barbiecore and Kenergy—in fact, it has been a decade in the making. At the center is Lisa McKnight, Chief Brand Officer of Mattel and a 25-year veteran of the brand. In this episode, Lisa shares the genesis of Barbie’s transformation, how the movie came to be and how Barbie stays top of mind with 165 partnerships and counting.
With a career that has spanned 35 years, travel to over 54 countries and iconic projects such as Starbucks, Delta and PBS, Global Creative Director Connie Birdsall has left an indelible mark on the design industry. As a leader, she built Lippincott's design practice to be what is it today: a powerhouse of creativity that touches all facets of brand expression, from digital and social media to video and voice. In this live-recorded conversation on the eve of her retirement, Connie reflects on what has and hasn’t changed in the industry and her lessons for the next generation of designers.
In the saturated world of cannabis brands, Houseplant is in a league of its own. Co-founded by Seth Rogen, this cannabis and lifestyle company has set a new bar by offering design-minded products delivered through an elevated customer experience. In this frank and fun conversation, Chief Consumer Officer Melissa Greenberg talks about Houseplant’s core customer (from the curious to the connoisseur), its commitment to social impact, and why it’s unlike any other celebrity-backed brand out there.
Adrienne Lofton is no stranger to breakthrough storytelling. Armed with accolades that include Adweek’s Brand Genius Award and Ebony Magazine’s most powerful women in business, Nike's former VP, Head of North America Marketing is now shaking things up at Google as Vice President, Global Consumer Marketing. In a candid and powerful conversation, Adrienne unpacks the critical importance of culturally connected content, her experience building a team from the ground up in a tech giant, why she believes companies need a soul, and more.
Icons in the Making is a podcast hosted by Lippincott’s Chief Marketing Officer, Heather Stern. In each episode, you’ll hear from the leaders and change agents at today’s most innovative, purpose-driven, and disruptive brands. Tune in every other week for honest and insightful conversations on the brands shaping our world and the people behind them.
Heritage of Pride, a nonprofit born from the events of the Stonewall Uprising, has cemented itself over the last 30+ years as the foremost LGBTQIA+ Pride organization. In this episode, we talk to NYC Pride Co-Chair André Thomas about the significance of this year’s theme ‘Unapologetically Us,’ their new inclusive brand identity, designed by Lippincott, and how brands can authentically show up in June—and beyond.
Kristen Tomlan, Lippincott alum and founder and CEO of DŌ Cookie Dough Confection, shares how she pivoted from a career in branding to founding a company that quickly went viral. Listeners will be inspired by Kristen’s endless optimism and her mission to spread joy—one sweet bite at a time.
Is hydrogen-powered aviation in our future? According to Jason Chua, co-founder of Universal Hydrogen, carbon-free flight will be a reality sooner than we think. In this episode, Jason talks about how Universal Hydrogen is tackling the issue of hydrogen distribution by doing for clean fuel what Nespresso did for coffee. He also shares his experiences leading agile teams at United Technologies, Airbus, Google and elsewhere.
In this episode, we sit down with Kate Barney—global citizen, entrepreneur, new mom and Head of HR for TikTok’s Global Business Solutions in the United States and EMEA. Hear her perspectives on amplifying corporate culture in a virtual world, combating the Great Resignation and attracting the next generation of talent.
NFTs have exploded in the last year, with sales volume surging to more than 10 billion and brands across the board jumping on the bandwagon. For many of us, this is a landscape that's exciting, daunting and somewhat confusing. We sit down with Maria Shen, a top NFT thought leader and partner at venture-capital firm, Electric Capital where she discusses the growth of the crypto industry, how brands can tackle NFTs and her predictions for the future—which is closer than we think.
Oen Michael Hammonds has conquered design from every angle—graphic, service, information, interactive and environmental design. Today, he brings design thinking to the HR department at IBM, where he focuses on designing impactful employee experiences. In this episode, Oen shares his thoughts on breaking down barriers, creating the conditions for innovation to thrive and building a culture of conscious inclusion.
What was it like being on the inside of Moderna in 2020? Lavina Talukdar, Vice President of Investor Relations at Moderna, talks the race to the COVID-19 vaccine, how she landed her dream role with zero prior investor-relations experience and what the future holds for the biotech firm that is changing the face of medicine.
Archana Sristy is a tech guru, an educator and a passionate diversity proponent. She is also at the forefront of blockchain as the leader of Walmart’s Blockchain Platform, where she and her team leverage cutting-edge technologies to build transparent supply chains. In this episode, Archana will share the practical ways in which Walmart is leveraging blockchain for the benefit of the customer, as well as her experiences bridging the gap between IT and Business teams at Fortune 500 companies.
Lara Mendonça is a designer, educator and ethicist who passionately believes in the power of design to change for the better our relationship to technology. She has been featured as one of Adweek's 2021 Pride Stars and on Fast Company's Queer 50 list and lauded for her work as Bumble’s Head of Product Design in the leadup to the company's blockbuster IPO. In this episode, Lara shares how she’s bringing her philosophy of designing for inclusivity and safety to her new role at Twitter and how her life experiences lend empathy and authenticity to her work.
Ira Rubenstein is a media industry pioneer. While at Sony, he established Movielink, a first-of-its-kind on-demand service. At Marvel, he launched the first comic book app, earning the approval of Steve Jobs himself. And now, as Chief Digital and Marketing Officer at PBS, Rubenstein is leading the heritage brand’s digital revolution. In this episode, he discusses the daunting task of spearheading a brand transformation and the importance of trust and integrity in today’s media and arts landscape.
The metaverse has taken the world by storm in the last year, but that’s nothing new for Roblox. In fact, the company has been at the forefront of the virtual world for more than two decades and, today, is stronger than ever. In this episode, we talk to Christina Wootton, Vice President of Brand Partnerships at Roblox, about the power of community and her advice to brands looking to authentically come onto the platform.
Women’s professional sports are on the rise and, as a result, have created a new generation of iconic athletes. On the heels of the Women’s National Basketball Association’s most historical season yet, we sit down with the league’s first-ever Chief Marketing Officer and 20+ year Nike veteran, Phil Cook. From exponential growth in viewership and social engagement to unique partnerships with Google, Amazon Prime and Coinbase, the WNBA is on fire—yet is only getting started.
A marketing superstar and industry disruptor, Arianna Orpello has been a change agent in financial services for more than a decade and is now breaking new ground at Goldman Sachs as Head of Marketing, Consumer Bank/Marcus by Goldman Sachs. Hear her honest perspectives on being a woman in a male-dominated industry, the future of banking and the secret to owning what makes you different.
Want to go inside the brands that are shaping our world? Introducing Icons in the Making, a new series brought to you by Lippincott, the global creative consultancy that specializes in brand and innovation. Join host and CMO, Heather Stern, as we talk with the innovative leaders and change agents who are working toward building a more exciting, more equitable and more meaningful future.