Summer is in full swing and while CMOs are busy juggling all year round, many executives are trying to make time for reading this season. We spoke with numerous CMOs about what is on their summer reading list. Titles ranged from business books to memoirs to detective stories and dystopian science fiction. Are you a CMO with a book on your summer reading list that you’d like to share? Let us know and we will add your recommendations to our list!
- “12 Weeks to a Sharper You: A Guided Program” by Dr. Sanjay Gupta
-Laurie Lam. Chief Brand Officer, e.l.f. Beauty, shared on the Brand Innovators Beach Stage at Cannes.
- “Generation AI” by Matt Brittain. “I love to stay ahead of the curve on AI, and with this book, I’m interested in learning how Gen Alpha will be shaped by the age of AI.”
“All the Colors of the Dark” by Chris Whitakers – “Because every summer needs a really good story that stays with you long after the final page.”
“The Creative Act by Rick Rubin” – “My hope is that this book sparks inspiration for me and helps me recharge my creative energy.”
“This summer, I plan to balance my ambition to lean into hot topics and lean back to enjoy a good summer read.”
-Allison Stransky, CMO, Samsung Electronics
- “Maradona: The Autobiography of Soccer’s Greatest and Most Controversial Star” by Diego Maradona
“I picked the book that has the least to do with my day job. Maradona is the greatest that ever lived and he is quite a character, a real hero.”
–Geoff Seeley, CMO, PayPal
- “Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel)” by Suzanne Collins
“Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris
“The Buddha and the Badass: The Secret Spiritual Art of Succeeding at Work” by Vishen Lakhiani
“I like to keep a diverse mix on my bedside table, depending on where my brain is when I lay my head down at the end of the night.”
–Karen Riley-Grant, CMO, Vuori
- “The Innovation Mindset: Eight Essential Steps to Transform Any Industry” by Lorraine Marchand
“The Guest List” by Lucy Foley
“When I think about summer reading, I have a pretty balanced view on it. I’m a great reader of business and innovation and disruptor-based thinking books. But then equally, I love murder mystery books. Those are the two genres that I prioritize most for my summer reading.”
–Alicia Tillman, CMO, Delta Air Lines
- “Parables: The Mysteries of God’s Kingdom Revealed Through the Stories Jesus Told” by John MacArthur
“I try to read at least one book a month. Parables is kind of spiritually and biblically based. What I love about it is it takes some of those practices and brings them into everyday life and everyday leadership lessons.”
-Vanessa Wallace, CMO, Savage X Fenty
- “CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest” by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra
“I am a nerd. I love business books a lot. Even on a beach, you will find me reading a business book. I recently joined a program called the Marketing Academy and there were some McKinsey partners who came and taught us a lecture on The CEO Excellence by McKinsey partners. While it’s written from a CEO mentality, it’s important for CMOs to understand the basic rules of the S-curve and how as a brand you’re going to continue to drive that next growth curve.”
-Osh Savur, CMO, Maesa
8. “Outlive” by Peter Atiyah
“He’s a doctor scientist that I’m a really big fan of. He has a great podcast. This book just really focuses on similar to CrossFit’s methodology, actually tackling metabolic health through natural means like sleep, exercise, diet, rather than medicine and prescriptions. So I’m really excited about that.”
–Jenna Hauca, CMO, CrossFit
