Eric Leininger

Eric Leininger brings a unique perspective to his coaching and consulting assignments, drawing on his experiences as a global business executive and his previous role as a faculty member of the Kellogg School of Management. Eric combines a relentless focus on results with an encouraging and sincere personal style. He particularly enjoys assignments that combine coaching, mentoring and consulting.

As Executive Director of the Kellogg CMO Program, Eric’s role provided him with a broad fi eld of view on CMO roles and the eff ectiveness of marketing organizations. He conducted in depth interviews with over 200 program participants (new CMOs or aspiring CMOs) to understand their career aspirations and aid in their career development. During the program, Eric shared a discussion framework, “CMO Roles: What is the Right Fit for You?.” a class that participants valued highly and could apply immediately. This by-invitation-only program attracted attendees from leading organizations including Cisco, Colgate-Palmolive, Discover, General Motors, IBM, Intel, John Deere, McDonald’s, Motorola Solutions, NetApp and SAP. Eric also played a key role in numerous Kellogg programs, including Leading with Big Data & Analytics, The Customer Focused Organization, and Kellogg on Branding.

Eric’s practical experience and academic interests are refl ected in a popular Kellogg Insight case, “Global Brand Management: Best Practices and Learning, “ coauthored with Professor Julie Hennessy in 2016.

Prior to joining Kellogg, Eric was Corporate Senior Vice President at McDonald’s (2004-2010) and a member of the McDonald’s Senior Leadership Team, comprised of the business unit and global function leaders. Eric joined McDonald’s
from Kraft Foods North America, where he held a variety of marketing services and information positions (1993-2004) including SVP Marketing Services. Prior to Kraft , Eric held positions of increasing responsibility at ACNielsen (1990-1993) and Quaker Oats (1981-1990.)

In 2018, Eric joined ECC’s C-Suite mentoring program, providing senior marketing leaders with mentoring, advising and coaching services.

Eric has been called on by numerous companies to help design CMO roles and provide counsel on marketing, insights, and analytics organizations. Previous consulting and coaching assignments include ABInBev, John Deere, Mattel, Sense360, Ulta Beauty, and Verizon.

Certification

• Korn Ferry 360°

Key Positions

• Executive Director, Kellogg Chief Marketing Officer Program, Northwestern University
• Corporate SVP, Global Consumer & Business Insights and Marketing Planning, McDonald’s Corp.
• SVP, Marketing Services, Kraft Foods North America

Board Positions

• Association of National Advertisers (Finance Chair)
• Ad Council
• National 4-H Council (Vice-Chair)

Key Industries

• Consumer Food and Beverage
• Marketing Services
• Restaurants
• Retail

Core Strengths

• Executive Development for Marketing Talent
• Global Branding
• Global Consumer and Business Insights
• Marketing Services
• Marketing Strategy and Planning
• Organization Design and Effectiveness for Marketing, Insights, and Analytics

Education

• Master of Business Administration, University of Michigan, Elected to Beta Gamma Sigma
• Master of Arts, University of Virginia
• Bachelor of Arts, University of Pennsylvania, cum laude

Practice Areas

• Executive Coaching
• Executive Education
• Global Branding, Marketing, and Insights
• Leadership Development
• Marketing Strategy
• Organization Design & Effectiveness: Marketing, Insights, & Analytics Teams