In this episode of CMO Journeys, Christian Banach speaks with Linda Bethea, former Chief Marketing Officer of Danone North America, about what it takes to balance long-term brand building with the short-term business pressures facing modern CMOs. Drawing on leadership roles at PepsiCo, Diageo, and Danone, Linda shares a practical perspective on portfolio strategy, creative risk, consumer insight, and why marketing needs a real seat at the business table.

What the Conversation Covers
• Linda’s path from studying psychology into a marketing career shaped by curiosity about consumer behavior and brand growth
• The leadership lessons she learned across PepsiCo, Diageo, and Danone, including how to move from being a doer to leading through teams
• How to manage a large and complex portfolio by clarifying the role of each brand and aligning resources to long-term strategy
• Why strong brand building can come under pressure in short-term, financially driven environments and how CMOs can defend marketing investment
• How Linda thinks about agency partnerships, bold creative ideas, media fragmentation, AI, and measuring marketing’s impact more effectively

Guest Bio
Linda Bethea is a former Chief Marketing Officer of Danone North America and has held senior marketing leadership roles at companies including PepsiCo and Diageo. Her career has focused on brand building, portfolio strategy, media and marketing effectiveness, and leading teams across some of the world’s most complex consumer organizations.

About the Podcast
CMO Journeys is a podcast from NextBigWin hosted by Christian Banach. The series features conversations with marketing leaders about the path to the C-suite, the challenges they are tackling inside their organizations, and how they evaluate agencies and strategic partners.