Bozoma Saint John
Bozoma Saint John is a marketing executive, former CMO at Netflix, and a trailblazer known for her work in cultural inclusivity, brand authenticity, and transformational leadership.
Background & Expertise
Bozoma Saint John has established herself as one of the most influential voices on brand authenticity, cultural inclusivity, and transformational leadership through her groundbreaking work at iconic companies including Netflix, Uber, Apple Music, and PepsiCo. Known to many simply as “Boz,” her career trajectory from immigrant beginnings to C-suite leadership at global enterprises provides a powerful narrative on diversity as a competitive advantage in business.
Saint John’s expertise in diversity and inclusion stems from both personal experience and professional accomplishment. Born in Ghana before moving to the United States, she navigated cultural transitions while building an extraordinary marketing career defined by authentic self-expression and cultural innovation. Her work bringing brands into meaningful dialogue with diverse communities—particularly at the intersection of technology, entertainment, and consumer engagement—gives her unique perspective on inclusion as a driver of business success rather than merely a compliance initiative.
Signature Concepts & Methodologies
Authenticity as Competitive Advantage
Saint John’s framework for leveraging genuine cultural understanding and personal authenticity to build resonant brand connections.
The Cultural Quotient (CQ)
Her methodology for measuring and developing organizational capacity to engage effectively with diverse communities and markets.
Badass Brand Building
Saint John’s approach to creating fearlessly authentic brand expressions that embrace difference rather than retreating to safe neutrality.
Inclusive Innovation Model
Her system for developing products, services, and experiences that address previously overlooked customer segments and needs.
Disruptive Representation
Saint John’s principle that meaningful diversity requires placing underrepresented voices in positions of genuine influence and decision-making authority.
Books & Thought Leadership
- The Urgent Life: My Story of Love, Loss and Survival - Her memoir exploring personal resilience and professional determination.
- The Badass Workshop - Her upcoming book on authentic leadership and brand building.
- Former Chief Marketing Officer at Netflix and previous executive roles at Uber, Apple Music, and PepsiCo.
- Featured on Forbes’ “World’s Most Influential CMOs” and Fortune’s “Most Influential Women in Business” lists.
- Regular contributor to publications on leadership, marketing, and organizational culture.
Speaking Style & Audience Experience
Saint John delivers presentations with magnetic charisma, emotional intelligence, and polished professionalism that immediately captivates audiences. Her speaking style blends powerful storytelling from her personal and professional journey with actionable insights, creating sessions that are simultaneously inspiring and practical. She excels at making concepts around diversity and inclusion accessible and compelling for mainstream business audiences, translating cultural understanding into competitive advantage.
What distinguishes Saint John’s keynotes is her ability to make diversity and inclusion strategic rather than merely aspirational—demonstrating tangible business returns from authentic cultural engagement. She creates memorable moments through candid personal revelations and behind-the-scenes stories from her work with global brands and entertainment icons. Attendees consistently report gaining fresh perspective on how diversity drives innovation, with many organizations implementing her frameworks for more authentic brand positioning.
Ideal Audiences & Event Types
- Marketing and brand strategy conferences
- Corporate leadership teams and executive retreats
- Technology and media industry events
- Women in business conferences
- Diversity and inclusion initiatives in major enterprises
- Consumer insights and customer experience summits
Recent Focus Areas
- Building authentic leadership presence across cultural contexts
- Developing inclusive marketing approaches for evolving consumer demographics
- Creating organizational cultures that leverage difference as competitive advantage
- Implementing strategic diversity initiatives that drive measurable business results
- Transforming brand narratives to connect with increasingly diverse audiences
