Wanda Young is a visionary brand marketer and digital transformation expert who thrives at the intersection of brand, digital, technology and data paired with a deep understanding of the consumer mindset. She gained her experience working for the largest brands in retail, sports & entertainment, consumer products and electronics.
She is a successful brand marketer and change agent that organizations seek to drive digital and data transformation – a Chief Experience Officer years before the title was invented.
In her roles managing multiple notable brands including Samsung, Disney, ESPN, Walmart, Alltel and Acxiom, she developed knowledge of the interconnectedness of brand, digital and data, of the importance of customer experience across all touchpoints, the power of data and localization, and the in-the-trenches accountability to drive outcomes.
Now at Ford Pro, the Commercial Division of Ford Motor Company, www.fordpro.com, she is focused on helping grow the newly launched division and brand which only Ford can offer commercial customers – an integrated lineup of vehicles and services designed to meet the needs of all businesses to keep their productivity on pace to drive growth.
As the recent CMO of Samsung Electronics America, she helped localize the brand during the global pandemic and contribute to increasing their #5 ranking on Interbrand’s Best Global Brands List. Listening to consumer feedback and testing the site experience, Young’s team leveraged the stay-at-home consumer behavior to drive an improved consumer journey and site experience leading to double-digital eCommerce sales growth. She has been leading their digital transformation efforts inclusive of a consumer-centric data strategy, a unified tech stack to enable business outcomes and transformed people, process and change management efforts.
Young enjoyed a series of firsts in her career including:
- Launched ESPN+, Disney’s first DTC sports streaming service in 2018
- Developed Walmart’s first social media presence in 2009
- Built 5000 local Walmart Facebook pages which are still live today and continue to scale
- Developed the first weather-triggered ad product with The Weather Company in 2014
- Designed an ad product with Google called Local Inventory Ads in 2012; (still live today)
- Part of team who took Alltel Wireless private in 2007 which later sold to Verizon Wireless
- Launched Acxiom.com website in 2001 on her first Mother’s Day with her daughter on her lap.
Young received a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Advertising from the University of Arkansas.
INDUSTRY MEMBERSHIP AND BOARDS
Board Member, Loop Me, 2019 – present
A leading outcomes-based platform that leverages AI to optimize media delivery in real-time, driving measurable uplift for business outcomes and more effective advertising across online and offline marketing goals
Board member, VidMob, 2021 – present
Creators of The Agile Creative Studio platform that transforms the marketing process and delivers ROI improvement with measurably better creative
Advisory Board, All In Together, 2021 – present
National non-profit organization that encourages, equips, educates, and empowers voting-age women to participate fully in America’s civic and political life
- Global Board, Mobile Marketing Association, July 2018- 2021 and 2013-2016
- ARF, Advertising Research Foundation Board, 2017-2018
- Associate Director, ANA, Alliance for Family Entertainment, January 2015-March 2016
- Governing Board to launch, Bentonville Film Festival, May 2015-March 2016
NOTABLE AWARDS
- CMO Technology Leadership Club Award Club, 2020
- Forbes, The World’s Most Influential CMOs June 2018
- The Most Powerful Women 2017, CableFax, The Magazine’s Annual Power List
- Diversity Journal, Profile in Diversity, Women Worth Watching, June 2017
- AdWeek Top 50, November 2015 and November 2014
- Advertising Women of New York (AWNY) “Changing the Game”, April 2014