Telecom giant Verizon hired Leslie Berland, previously the top marketing exec at Peloton and Twitter, as CMO.
Berland will assume the role of executive VP and chief marketing officer at Verizon, effective Jan. 9, 2024. She’ll report directly to Hans Vestberg, Verizon chairman and CEO. Berland takes over the CMO role from Diego Scotti, who exited Verizon earlier this year and now serves as PayPal’s EVP and GM for consumer group and global marketing and communications.
Berland will lead all aspects of Verizon’s global brand and marketing strategy, including marketing activation and creative, marketing effectiveness, consumer insights, media buying and strategic partnerships.
Most recently, Berland was CMO at fitness company Peloton, which she joined in January 2023. Before that, she was chief marketing officer at Twitter from 2016 until November 2022 — exiting after Elon Musk’s takeover of the social network (now called X). During most of her tenure at Twitter, Berland also served in a dual role as the company’s head of HR. Prior to that, she was EVP of global advertising, marketing and digital partnerships at American Express. Berland also served four years as a board member of the Ad Council, a not-for-profit PSA org.
“Leslie has spent her career at the helm of some of the most iconic brands, transforming their marketing efforts to connect more meaningfully with customers and drive impact across channels,” Vestberg said in announcing her hire. “She brings a combination of creativity and business acumen that will help steer and scale our marketing strategy while capitalizing on our next phase of growth.”
Berland, in a statement provided by Verizon, said the company “is at an exciting inflection point as the fundamental need for human connection has never been more critical.”
“I can think of no better story to tell, and I’m thrilled to join a world-class team driving growth for the business, reinvigorating the customer experience and lifting up the communities in which we serve,” Berland said.
