Conny Braams named WFA Global Marketer of the Year 2021

Unilever’s Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, Conny Braams, has been named WFA Global Marketer of the Year 2021. Source: https://wfanet.org

Braams was awarded this recognition following a combined vote from an expert jury and the industry at large, including WFA members, with each accounting for half of the final score.

As Unilever’s first-ever chief digital and marketing officer, Braams is responsible for Unilever’s end-to-end digital transformation and marketing worldwide, to maximise opportunities for growth. She was appointed to her current position in January 2020, following a broad international career at Unilever spanning more than three decades, with a track record in driving change at scale.

Under Braam’s leadership, the company has invested heavily in AI and machine learning as well as evolving its ‘Digital Hubs’ to ‘Digital Marketing and Commerce Hubs’ to benefit from the increasing convergence of media, entertainment and commerce. It cemented trusted partnerships and created new ones through a global media agency review to ensure future-fit, best-in-class support in the dynamic media landscape.

Unilever’s digital spend is now more than 40% with parts of the world, such as China, significantly higher as Unilever increases spend in areas such as gaming, influencer marketing, entertainment, new digital business models and digital commerce. Braam is also on a mission to make sustainable choices simple and preferred for consumers and champions the role that marketers can play in driving responsible growth.

Braams said: “It was an honour to be included amongst a line up of heavyweights in the WFA’s Global Marketer of the Year shortlist, and it’s a fantastic acknowledgement to win! Of course, this award is not about me, it recognises the outstanding marketing community at Unilever who grow our brands, powered by purpose, innovation and creativity. Thank you.”

“Conny has made a rapid impact at Unilever in very challenging circumstances. She has demonstrated how marketing, when done with empathy, can help solve consumer challenges, ensure brands are focused on providing not just value but also values, and stand out in culture. She has shown true leadership and is a worthy winner of this award,” said Raja Rajamannar, WFA president and chief marketing and communications officer of Mastercard, who headed up the expert jury.

WFA Global Marketer of the Year 2021, which has been run in partnership with The Drum, is designed to celebrate the role that global and regional marketers play in changing their businesses, the industry and society for the better.

Braams was one of seven global marketers to be shortlisted for the award.

Originally published on wfanet.org