Laureen Ellison, Global Brand & Marketing Executive at Johnnie Walker, Diageo, Uber, eBay
October 1, 2026
Laureen Ellison, Global Brand & Marketing Executive at Johnnie Walker, Diageo, Uber, eBay
Topic
If you could attribute one other person or life event to your success, who or what would it be and why?
A snap decision to join the local club rowing team my sophomore year of high school really changed the whole trajectory of my life. I was then recruited by Ohio State and rowed there all four years, and I coached after graduation.
Rowing broadened my horizons: it exposed me to people, ideas and cultures I never would’ve experienced, it expanded my definition of success, and it continuously challenged me to grow beyond my comfort zone.
What is the number one quality you look for in talent?
I’ll try to keep the motivational rowing clichés to a minimum but the lessons I learned on the water then inform my style of leadership, coaching and teamwork today.
We don’t get better, faster, stronger by ourselves; a single superstar can’t win a team championship alone.
So, my approach to team building is to cultivate a diversity of strengths and purposely manage for differing perspectives. In individuals I look for bravery, a test & learn mindset, and—above all, consistency: Do you do the work, not just work the room? Do you do what you say you’re going to do? Do you show up for your team?
What is something the industry isn’t paying attention to that they should?
I just listened to a wonderful “Uncensored CMO” podcast episode featuring Dr. Margaret Heffernan called “Why Uncertainty Creates Better Marketing & What AI will Never Replace.” It should be required listening for marketers.
The conversation exposes the fantasy of certainty and shows how our obsession with controlling outcomes through forecasting, predictive analytics, micro-management, the flattening of marketing assets to “win the algorithm” actually stifles our creativity, innovation and organic growth.
Uncertainty, curiosity and attention are gifts, and—especially with the rapid adoption of AI—we need to tune into them rather than tune them out.
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