Fierce and successful Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Bozoma Saint John has a reputation for demanding her worth, leaving an undeniable legacy on each brand she touches and inspiring Black women to carve out their own space and power within corporate America. She’s held four top posts at iconic brands in the last four years, including Uber, Endeavor and Apple Music, making her resume one of the most accomplished in the marketing industry and her skills the most sought-after.
All of these impressive feats under Saint John’s belt made it all the more offensive for her supporters to read a recent article published by AdAge originally titled “The CMO Most Likely To Jump Jobs In 2021”, which many felt was a hit piece masked as a profile.
Outrage on Twitter was swift, with many sharing that they found it to be both an unnecessary and tasteless profile that diminished Saint John’s professional accomplishments and ignored referencing the many obstacles that Black women face in the workplace, like racism and pay equity, while indirectly painting her instead as someone who is career hungry and privileged.
The conversation also sparked rooms and discussions on the now wildly popular new Clubhouse app.
AdAge apologized to Saint John on Twitter and updated the article to better reflect her accomplishments, but for many that was too little too late, urging the outlet to rethink the editorial decision that lead to a piece like this running about a Black woman, when it likely never would have run about a White man who made similar business moves at the C-suite level.
Saint John, who is also part of the ESSENCE Full Circle Festival leadership team, thanked her community today for their support and swift response when it came to defending her work and reputation.