The Executive Behind Forbes’ CMO Network

A sit down with Forbes CMO Network's Managing Director, Seth Matlins

Author

Carlo Palomino
May 23, 2025

Welcome back to The Friday Fortune! Half the world is OOO in beach chairs, the other half is pretending to be productive while quietly mapping out their next big trip. Memorial Day weekend has that effect — emails slow down, grills heat up, and marketing plans suddenly involve “just circling back next week.”

Wherever you fall, we’ve got your weekly dose of sharp insights, brand moves worth stealing, and a few reminders that great marketing doesn't take a holiday.

Each week, we spotlight CMOs, brand leaders, and creative minds who know how to cut through the noise, whether it’s with smart strategy, bold storytelling, or simply knowing when to stop talking and start shipping.

Here’s what’s on deck this week:

  • A sit down with Forbes CMO Network's Managing Director, Seth Matlins

  • OpenAI x Jony Ive

  • How fortune cookie ads crush TV commercials

📈 Marketer of the Week

If there’s anyone reframing what it means to lead marketing in 2025, it’s Seth Matlins, Managing Director of the Forbes CMO Network. With decades of experience advising global brands and a résumé that bridges entertainment, cause marketing, and executive strategy, Seth has built his career on a belief that marketing is a force for both profit and progress.

Raised by two marketers, Seth absorbed brand lessons early, and sometimes quite literally. When packing boxes as a kid, he once scribbled “FRAGILE” in oversized letters. His father, with a quiet correction, simply rewrote it smaller and said, “Sometimes whispering is more effective than shouting.” That moment stuck, and so did the understanding that subtlety often speaks louder than spectacle.

Seth’s career has spanned agency life, political movements, and cultural strategy. One of his earliest meetings was with Carol Cone, the pioneer of cause marketing, and the encounter helped shape his lifelong focus on impact-driven work. At CAA, he launched a group called Branded Impact, designed to align marketing ROI with meaningful outcomes. Seth had already shown that with initiatives like Rock the Vote, where he used brand muscle to power civic engagement.

When Forbes recruited him to reimagine their CMO Network, Seth saw an opportunity to turn what was once a traditional media asset into a true community. Instead of packed ballrooms and sponsor-fueled panels, he pushed for programming that felt intimate, real, and peer-to-peer. “We stopped star-f*cking and started building real substance,” he noted in the episode. Events now prioritize depth over dazzle, with every session designed to help marketers leave better equipped to do better work.

He’s blunt about what modern CMOs are up against. Between macroeconomic instability, short-sighted internal politics, and rapid shifts in tech and consumer behavior, marketers today are operating in a storm of uncertainty. And yet, they’re still expected to drive sustainable growth—often with limited support from CEOs or CFOs who’ve never worked in marketing. That gap inspired him to launch The CEO’s Guide to Marketing, a Forbes podcast that helps bridge the language and expectations between marketers and business leaders.

He also believes many marketers are still chasing vanity metrics or relying on outdated frameworks. He emphasized that attribution still too often tells us what happened, not why. And in a world where marketers can’t afford to miss, there's one distinction that matters more than most: Missing the mark is inevitable. Missing the point is inexcusable.

Seth is especially passionate about helping CMOs learn to say no. Whether it’s to distracting opportunities, trend-chasing, or bloated timelines, focus is the name of the game. Even the most resourced teams still face constraints on time, capital, and energy, so allocation matters more than ever.

Looking ahead, Seth and the Forbes CMO Network are focused on celebrating those marketers willing to challenge the norm, like the recently announced Entrepreneurial CMO 50 list. With Cannes on the horizon, they’ll soon unveil this year’s World’s Most Influential CMOs and induct a new class into the Forbes CMO Hall of Fame.

Seth’s Takeaway

“One of the biggest jobs of today’s CMO is to say no.” In a world full of noise and urgency, Seth believes the only way to win is through focus, discernment, and a relentless pursuit of what actually works.

To hear more about how Seth is reshaping the modern marketing playbook, and helping CMOs earn more influence across the boardroom, listen to the full episode of CMO Weekly.

Crack open a handful of the week’s best marketing links—because good fortune favors the curious.

That’s a wrap for this week’s Friday fortune.

If you enjoyed the read, pass it along to your favorite marketer who could use a little extra inspo in their inbox.

Until next time, may your marketing be memorable and your cookies always be fortunate!

— The OpenFortune team