March 7, 2022

Bozoma Saint John Departs As Netflix Chief Marketing Officer

After less than two years as Netflix’s chief marketing officer, Bozoma Saint John is leaving the streaming giant. Variety was the first outlet to break the exclusive story and according to their report, Saint John’s departure from the company was “mutual and amicable.”

The company, which also confirmed the moves on Thursday, did not elaborate on why Bozoma is departing. But in a statement, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said he “loved working with Boz and have been inspired by her creativity and energy” and that she’s “attracted world-class marketers to the company and encouraged them to be innovative leaders,” reported Forbes.

He described Lee as “a strategic marketer with deep experience not just in entertainment but also more broadly having worked at fashion and media brands.” 

Saint John, who joined the company in June 2020, will be replaced by Marian Lee, vice president of marketing for Netflix in the U.S. and Canada. Before joining Netflix in July, Lee spent nearly a decade at Spotify and also previously held marketing roles at Condé Nast and J. Crew.

“I came to Netflix with a surplus of enthusiasm and creative energy and am immensely proud of the campaigns we inspired that sparked global conversations,” Bozoma Saint John said in a statement to Variety. “It’s been a transformative two-year experience for which I will always be grateful.”

Having lived in four countries by the age of 12 and growing up the only Ghanaian family in a predominantly white town in Colorado, Bozoma Saint John had an expansive worldview at a young age.

In a View From The Top interview conducted by Jessica Lawson, MBA ’21, the chief marketing officer of Netflix discussed the importance of not comparing yourself to others and how content can spark curiosity and connection.

“I think that entertainment has a very, very, very big role in changing societal norms,” Saint John said, adding, “If we are able to use entertainment as a way to normalize experiences across the board, then we have a much better shot at being just better human beings.”

She added: Really understanding what your own worth is, and being honest about that will help you to be a much better negotiator. First of all, you’ll have your number, and if anyone tries to offer you less you know that that’s not what you want. There’s a difference between getting into a job with a certain salary or negotiating a certain comp and then feeling as if they got the deal.

“That’s a terrible place to be. So as long as you are getting what you think you deserve, don’t worry about what anybody else is doing, that’s … that’s it.”

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Abbianca Makoni

Abbianca Makoni is a content executive and writer at POCIT! She has years of experience reporting on critical issues affecting diverse communities around the globe.