Our list includes an ex-lawyer-turned CEO of a shoe brand that is finding new audiences for “hands-free” footwear. We also honor a marketing leader at a financial brand that is behind meme-worthy marketing, a growth officer at a healthcare company that is bringing creativity to a normally staid category and a co-founder of a soda brand that is successfully taking on giants such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Read about each of the Breakout Brand Leaders here
In addition to sharing their stories, these 25 leaders offer brand, business and life advice. “Everything matters. Nothing we ever do, no person we talk with, no email we write—nothing—is ever too small to make a positive impact now, and in the future,” said one marketing leader of a craft beer brand.
Chosen from nominations, the leaders come from a variety of backgrounds, including one former NBA player who pivoted to found a sportswear brand run by an all-Black staff after his playing career was cut short by injury.