“If we can truly be wholly ourselves we’ll probably find the most success and the most happiness in being that” – Bozoma Saint John
Saint John started her career working at the advertising agencies Arnold Worldwide and Spike Lee’s Spike DDB. She was also vice president of marketing at the fashion brand Ashley Stewart.
With many years of experience that spans multiple industries including digital music and entertainment, fashion, sports and automotive, Bozoma is a leader known for her strategic and trailblazing ideas. Prior to her role at Netflix and Endeavor, she served as the Chief Brand Officer at Uber, PepsiCo as a senior marketing manager, Beats Music in 2014, when Jimmy Iovine of Beats recruited Saint John based on her experience in music marketing and as the Head of Global Consumer Marketing for Apple Music and iTunes, where she built and launched Apple Music, as well as spearheaded campaigns geared towards growing consumer brand recognition, loyalty, and equity around the world.
In May 2020, Saint John launched a limited-series iHeart Media podcast “Back to Biz with Katie and Boz” with the focus of how small and large businesses across the country began to reopen throughout the coronavirus pandemic, but later expanded to focus also on systemic racism and criminal justice reform.
Saint John is a leader heralded for her sharp thinking and revolutionary and trailblazing ideas. She is currently writing a memoir titled The Urgent Life, in which she describes her work as a marketing executive as well as losing her husband and becoming a single parent during that time. It will be published in 2022 by Viking Press.
The Leading Ladies Lady Spotlight Series is a weekly series that focuses on women of African descent, and showcases their experiences across all socio-economic sectors, highlights their personal and professional achievements and offers useful advice on how to make life more satisfying for women.
Do you know any woman of African descent doing phenomenal things? Send an email to lead@leadingladiesafrica.org and we just might feature her.
