Twitter Head of Marketing and People - Leslie Berland - a podcast by Rana Nawas

My guest on today’s show has one of the most fast-paced jobs on the planet.

Leslie Berland is both the Chief Marketing Officer and the Head of People at Twitter, known affectionately in the company as "tweeps". She joined the company in 2016 amid a huge drive to sustain existing followers and attract new ones.

Prior to joining Twitter, Leslie was Executive Vice President of Global Advertising, Marketing & Digital Partnerships at American Express. Having joined American Express in 2005, Leslie led a team responsible for creating marketplace demand and customer experiences globally.

Our conversation teased out several similarities and differences – between the work environment of American Express vs Twitter, between leading the marketing function vs the people function, between working at a high strategic level vs a detailed operational level. I was surprised to learn the size of Twitter, given its impact on the world and reach of 300 million daily users. 

I asked Leslie how she could manage two demanding full-time corporate jobs and why she took them on in the first place! We talked about the resurgence of Twitter over the past few years and what has been behind it. Do you know that Twitter is booming in Japan?

We explored mentorship and how Leslie looks at it differently. We closed with the value of gratitude and how it is an intentional practice at Twitter - a strong practical tip for listeners.

Leslie's book recommendation was "Always Looking Up" by Michael J Fox. 

Unsurprisingly you can find Leslie on Twitter!