July 13, 2021
During times of uncertainty, creating communities of like-minded executives and thought leaders is more important than ever. In response, CNBC has developed a slate of virtual experiences to keep business leaders – including marketing executives – engaged, informed and connected in these challenging times and beyond.
As the world enters an unprecedented era, consumers are now engaging with companies across new platforms and in ways that businesses have never seen before. So how should marketers reposition their brands in order to remain relevant, responsive and respectful to disruptive moments in history?
CNBC’s CMO Exchange, led by Senior Media & Entertainment Correspondent Julia Boorstin, will provide a forum for a highly curated group of marketers to discuss how marketing and branding are changing – from the message to the medium.
The first of an ongoing series of private, invitation-only discussions for busy CMOs looking to cut through the clutter and make sense of the best strategies and tactics on the path forward in the midst of health, economic, and social crises.
WHO SHOULD JOIN: Senior marketing leaders from iconic national & global brands
Raja Rajamannar is an accomplished global business executive with more than 25 years of experience, the last six of which have been in the role of Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for Mastercard and President of the company’s healthcare business.
In his role as President of Healthcare, Raja has overseen the creation, development and successful scaling of Mastercard’s healthcare business across multiple regions. This is now one of the fastest growing businesses at Mastercard.
Raja joined Mastercard in 2013, bringing with him more than 25 years of experience as a global executive, managing large P&Ls and driving business transformation across multiple industries and geographies. Raja served as Chief Transformation Officer of the health insurance firm Anthem (formerly WellPoint). He helped craft the company’s new business direction and strategy, managed its $11 billion Medicare Advantage business, and led large M&A initiatives for the company. Prior to that, he also served as Chief Innovation & Marketing Officer and Chief Executive of International Operations at Humana.
Raja is consistently recognized globally as a highly innovative and transformational leader with a deep expertise in Marketing, Data, and Digital technologies. Some of his recent accolades include: Global Marketer of the Year award by the World Federation of Advertisers, top 5 “World’s Most Influential CMOs” by Forbes, top 10 “World’s Most Innovative CMOs” by Business Insider, and inductee to The CMO Club Hall of Fame. He has also been recognized as one of AdWeek’s most tech-savvy CMOs. He recently assumed the honorary role of President of the World Federation of Advertisers. Raja has also been recognized by ANA Educational Foundation as the Marketer of the Year in 2019.
At Mastercard, Raja is responsible for successfully leading the company’s marketing transformation, including the integration of the Marketing and Communication functions, the development of its Priceless experiential platforms, and the creation and deployment of cutting edge marketing-led business models into the core of the company. Raja has overseen the successful evolution of Mastercard’s identity for the digital age, pioneering Mastercard’s move to become a symbol brand and launching its breakthrough sonic brand platform. Interbrand has ranked Mastercard as the fastest growing brand across all industries and categories, worldwide.
Earlier in his career, Raja held a number of leadership roles during 15 years with Citigroup including Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Citi Global Cards; Chairman and CEO, Diners Club North America; Regional Cards Director, EMEA; and Marketing & Sales Director, Citi Gulf Markets. Before that, he spent seven years with Unilever in sales and product management roles. He began his career with Asian Paints in India.
Raja received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Indian Institute of Management, in Bangalore, India, and a Bachelor of Technology degree in Chemical Engineering from Osmania University in Hyderabad, India.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of PPL Corporation, a Fortune 500 power generation and distribution company, and Bon Secours Mercy Health, one of the major hospital systems in the US. He serves on the boards of Cintrifuse, a Cincinnati-based public/private startup catalyst organization, the ANA, and the New York City Ballet.
Raja regularly delivers keynote speeches at esteemed marketing, health and business industry events, including the World Economic Forum, Cannes Lions, CES, SXSW, and Advertising Week. The marketing transformation work led by Raja at Mastercard has been developed into case studies at both Harvard Business School and Yale School of Management, and taught in top academic institutions around the world.
Julia Boorstin is CNBC’s Senior Media & Tech Correspondent based at the network’s Los Angeles Bureau. She covers media with a special focus on the intersection of media and technology. Boorstin also plays a key role on CNBC’s bi-coastal tech-focused program “TechCheck” (M-F, 11AM-12PM ET/8AM-9AM PT) delivering reporting, analysis and interviews around streaming, social and the convergence of media and technology. She joined CNBC in May 2006 as a general assignment reporter and in 2007 moved to Los Angeles to cover media.
In 2013, Boorstin created and launched the CNBC Disruptor 50, an annual list she oversees, highlighting the private companies transforming the economy and challenging companies in established industries. Additionally, she reported a documentary on the future of television for the network, “Stay Tuned…The Future of TV.” She also helped launch CNBC’s ‘Closing the Gap’ initiative covering the people and companies closing gender gaps, and leads CNBC’s coverage of studies on this topic. She is currently writing a book called, “WHEN WOMEN LEAD: What they achieve, Why they succeed, and How we can learn from them,” about female founders that Simon & Schuster’s Avid Reader imprint is publishing in October 2022.
Boorstin joined CNBC from Fortune magazine where she was a business writer and reporter since 2000. During that time, she was also a contributor to “Street Life,” a live market wrap-up segment on CNN Headline News.
In 2003, 2004 and 2006, The Journalist and Financial Reporting newsletter named Boorstin to the “TJFR 30 under 30” list of the most promising business journalists under 30 years old. She has also worked for the State Department’s delegation to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and for Vice President Gore’s domestic policy office.
She graduated with honors from Princeton University with a B.A. in history. She was also an editor of The Daily Princetonian.
To learn more and join the CNBC CMO Marketing Leadership Exchange, email CNBC Events.