Marketing leaders from Citi, Salesforce and BCG share a stage with music legend will.i.am at BI's Cannes Lions breakfast event
The convergence of marketing, media, and technology has made the job of chief marketing officer more complex, and more full of possibilities.
Business Insider zeroes in on this trend in its third-annual CMO Insider Breakfast at this year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on June 17, 2025. BCG is the founding sponsor of the event.
The event — titled "The Age of Convergence: Is Your Brand Built to Win?" — will explore how brands need to be especially bold to stand out in this period of rapid transformation.
Speakers will talk about how brands can be distinctive in this demanding environment where consumers want a seamless experience from virtual to physical worlds, and seek meaningful engagement despite the flood of content coming from various sources.
The invite-only event will convene CMOs from the largest brands in the world to both learn and discuss how these trends are affecting their roles and responsibilities—and how they can better address the ramifications.
The event will feature three sessions featuring the following speakers:
will.i.am, music icon and founder and CEO of fyi.ai, will be interviewed by Business Insider's editor in chief, Jamie Heller, about the intersection of innovation, tech, and culture. The renowned musical artist will provide insights for brands that are looking to leverage storytelling amid this state of convergence.
Jessica Apotheker, BCG's global chief marketing officer, managing director and senior partner, joins Business Insider's Maggie Millanow, chief revenue officer, to share exclusive insights on transformation and innovation from BCG's annual CMO survey.
An industry leadership panel featuring Alex Craddock, CMO and chief content officer at Citi; Ariel Kelman, president and CMO at Salesforce; Kory Marchisotto, CMO, e.l.f. Beauty; and Melody Lee, chief marketing officer at Mercedes-Benz USA. The panel — moderated by Business Insider's editor in chief, Life, Joi-Marie McKenzie — will focus on how marketers are blending AI, storytelling, and cultural relevance to connect with their customers.
Business Insider will publish a detailed recap of the event at a later time.
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