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March 24, 2025

Hi Reader,

We’re entering a new era of executive leadership.

Unilever’s new CEO, Fernando Fernandez, just dropped a post in his first week on the job—and I can’t stop thinking about this line:
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🎤 “I will be a frontline CEO – all over brand plans and in market execution.”

This is not corporate-as-usual.
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This is a Fortune 500 CEO committing—in public—to being visible. Not just internally, not just behind closed doors, but online. Engaged. Forward-facing.

He also said he's shifting their social media budget to 50% of marketing spend because he understands that authentic customer relationships drive growth, and social media is where those relationships are being built.
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We’ve seen the research. Trust in institutions is declining. But trust in leaders? That’s still up for grabs.
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In an age where people are skeptical of brands but hungry for authenticity, the leaders who are willing to show up—on LinkedIn, in the comments, in their brand’s story—are the ones who will build it.
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This is a wake-up call to executives everywhere:
✅ People want to hear from you, not just your org.
✅ People want to see you, not just a logo.
✅ People want to trust you, and that trust translates into revenue.
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I talk with executive leaders every day who feel uncomfortable with this idea. They don’t want to be “the face.” They want to talk about their org, their mission, their team—not themselves.
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But here’s the thing: Being visible doesn’t mean being self-promotional. It means being human.
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And if the CEO of a $150B company like Unilever is prioritizing frontline visibility as a growth strategy… it’s probably time to start paying attention.
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Welcome to the new playbook. 👏

Brynne

p.s. When you're ready, here are 3 ways you can work with me:

1. Review and optimize your CEO's LinkedIn account.
2. Build a comprehensive thought leadership strategy for your organization.
3. Hire our content team so you can show up intentionally and consistently.

Reply to this email, and I'll send you more info to get started!

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