Bozoma Saint John is leaving her executive role at Endeavor to start a new position as the chief marketing officer (CMO) at Netflix.
Saint John, a marketing veteran with nearly 20 years of experience, will take over for Jackie Lee-Joe, the former BBC Studios CMO who began working at Netflix in July 2019. Lee-Joe said she is stepping down from her role due to personal reasons.
“Bozoma Saint John is an exceptional marketer who understands how to drive conversations around popular culture better than almost anyone,” said Netflix Content Chief Ted Sarandos in a statement, according to Deadline. “As we bring more great stories to our members around the world, she’ll define and lead our next exciting phase of creativity and connection with consumers.”
Starting in August, Saint John will be responsible for spearheading marketing initiatives for the global entertainment streaming business, which reaches over 180 million subscribers and produces a slate of original films and series, reports Adweek.
“I’m thrilled to join Netflix, especially at a time when storytelling is critical to our global, societal well-being,” said Saint John. “I feel honored to contribute my experience to an already dynamic legacy, and to continue driving engagement in the future.”
For the last two years, the 43-year-old marketing guru served as the CMO of Endeavor, the parent company of leading talent agency WME, which represents A-list stars like Oprah Winfrey and Matt Damon. Prior to Endeavor, Saint John worked for a little under a year as the Chief Brand Officer for Uber, starting in 2017. During her tenure, she took steps to improve Uber’s embattled image, even going as far as to personally work as a driver to better serve customers. Yet, despite her efforts and the shift in company leadership, Uber was riddled with scandals and controversy and made little progress in diversifying its workforce.
Saint John also held top marketing positions at Apple Music and iTunes along with Pepsi-Cola North America. She gained national notoriety after she delivered an impressive presentation at the 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference, making her the first Black woman to present at an Apple event. There, she demonstrated new Apple Music features while playing “Rapper’s Delight” on stage.
While working as Head of Music and Marketing Entertainment for PepsiCo, she was instrumental in curating Beyoncé’s sponsorship deal with Pepsi and her 2013 Super Bowl halftime performance.
Saint John graced the cover of BLACK ENTERPRISE’s Jan./Feb. 2017 Women of Power issue cover and has been a featured speaker at the BLACK ENTERPRISE Women of Power Summit and TechConneXt conference.