The CMO Show – Details, episodes & analysis

Few industries are tested as relentlessly as travel. From economic uncertainty and sustainability pressures to rapid technological change, travel brands have had to constantly survive disruption.   

Hazel McGuire, CMO of Intrepid Travel's answer has been constant reinvention and it's put them on the road to becoming a the first billion-dollar global travel brand.  

In this episode of The CMO Show, Ms McGuire, shares what it takes to lead through disruption in an industry that is always rebuilding itself, and how she is navigating that complexity.  

Hazel unpacks how the company responded to the post‑COVID reset, as travellers began seeking deeper meaning, stronger social connection and better value from the experiences they choose. She explains why, even amid cost‑of‑living pressures, travel continues to matter,—and how brands must move beyond short‑term transactions to build long‑term resilience.  

You'll also hear how Intrepid's long‑standing B Corp commitment shapes decision‑making behind the scenes, helping the business balance purpose and profit without turning values into a marketing headline. From evolving beyond performance‑heavy marketing to investing in brand‑led storytelling, Hazel explores how Intrepid stays human, credible and trusted in an industry increasingly shaped by automation and AI.

This episode is brought to you by impact advisory, communications and events agency, ImpactInstitute in partnership with Adobe. 

www.impactinstitute.com.au | https://business.adobe.com/au

What would you do if you walked into a fast‑growing global company as its first ever CMO with no marketing playbook and no inherited systems?

That was the challenge and opportunity facing David Levingston, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Aero Healthcare. In this episode of The CMO Show, David shares what it takes to build a marketing function from scratch that is treated not as a bolt-on, but as the connective force across product, data, brand and customer experience.

The conversation explores sequencing intuition behind data and facts in the planning stages, looking for clarity before creativity and rethinking approaches to named vs generic brand strategy.

This episode is brought to you by impact advisory, communications and events agency, ImpactInstitute in partnership with Adobe. 

www.impactinstitute.com.au | https://business.adobe.com/au

IBM saved $3.5 billion in just two years by applying its own AI technologies internally. But according to Billy Seabrook, Global Chief Design Officer at IBM Consulting, the real breakthrough wasn't technological, it was philosophical. 

In this episode of The CMO Show, Billy shared how IBM became its own "client zero," using AI to reimagine how work gets done from HR chatbots to dynamic content creation. The deeper challenge, according to Billy, is designing systems that serve not just efficiency, but humanity. 

As AI reshapes creative roles, customer experience, and organisational culture, marketers must learn to design for intelligent agents and govern the machines they now collaborate with. 

Tune in for a global perspective on the breakdown of traditional specialist roles, rise of the creative generalist, and the growth of democratised content creation. 

The CMO Show is produced by ImpactInstitute, in partnership with Adobe.

www.impactinstitute.com.au | https://business.adobe.com/au

Eva Ross, CMO at Sendle, sits down with host Mark Jones to discuss understanding the multifaceted impact of a business, what it takes to build a sustainable brand, and how marketers can amplify their impact through storytelling.

Resources

• B Corporation Australia & New Zealand 
• B Corp = Better Business - Sendle  
• Sendle creates stickers of Aussie animals wearing gas masks to challenge Australia Post's carbon offset announcement

You might also like…

• Ryan Barlow on brand responsibility at McGrath Foundation 
• Suzana Ristevski on simplifying complexity at NAB 
• Amy Smith on brand purpose at T2 Tea

Renee Amor, General Manager Marketing and Communications at BPAY, sits down with host Mark Jones to discuss the role of trust and loyalty in brand communications, valuing simplicity, and how marketers can communicate a brand's honest truth through storytelling.

Resources

• Drag artist Leasa Mann fronts BPAY's campaign to help people in need 
• BPAY appeals to Australians to help pay the bills of drought-affected farmers 
• BPAY presents Australian drought stories in online art exhibition via BMF 

You might also like…

• Amy Smith on brand purpose at T2 Tea
• Ryan Barlow on brand responsibility at McGrath Foundation 
• Suzana Ristevski on simplifying complexity at NAB

Anastasia Symons, Brand & Marketing Manager at R U OK?, sits down with host Mark Jones to discuss achieving cut through in a crowded market, purpose-driven storytelling and authenticity in marketing. 

Resources

• Lifeline Australia - 13 11 14 
• R U OK?: A conversation could change a life 
• How to help someone who isn't okay 

You might also like…

• Ryan Barlow on brand responsibility at McGrath Foundation 
• Suzana Ristevski on simplifying complexity at NAB 
• Amy Smith on brand purpose at T2 Tea

Suzana Ristevski, Executive General Manager Marketing & CX (CMO) at NAB, sits down with host Mark Jones to discuss simplifying complexity, the relationship between data and brand, and the role of empathy in purpose-driven brand storytelling. 

Resources

• More than Money | How we're helping build a stronger future
• AGSM's The Business Of Leadership Podcast - Ep 10: The Business of Adaptive Leadership  
• NAB asks Australians 'What is money for, if now this?' in latest campaign

You might also like…

• Ryan Barlow on brand responsibility at McGrath Foundation 
• Vanessa Lyons on brand transformation 
• Amy Smith on brand purpose at T2 Tea

Matthew Kwoka, Director of Southern Cross Funeral Directors, sits down with host Mark Jones to discuss marketing in the death industry, and how a brand can use its platform to educate its audience.

Ryan Barlow, Marketing and Revenue Director at McGrath Foundation, sits down with host Mark Jones to discuss brand responsibility, purpose-driven storytelling and empathy in marketing.

Resources

• Help keep the 'Pink' in the Vodafone Pink Test, no matter where you are 
• McGrath Foundation sets the record for the biggest sporting stadium in Australia - Virtually
• Pink Test raises more than $3m for McGrath Foundation 

You might also like…

• Vanessa Lyons on brand transformation 
• Amy Smith on brand purpose at T2 Tea
• Louise Cummins on marketing, innovation & storytelling at H&R Block

On the last episode of The CMO Show for 2020, host Mark Jones explores the topic of making an impact & finding meaning through your work as a brand storyteller.