Verizon Adds Former Peloton CMO Leslie Berland to Leadership Team 

Verizon Communications has appointed former Peloton Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Berland as executive vice president and chief marketing officer. 

Effective Jan. 9, Berland will oversee Verizon’s global marketing strategy, join the company’s executive leadership team and report directly to Verizon Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg, the communication technology company said in a Wednesday (Dec. 6) press release. 

“As we design and develop a more connected world, we need a marketing leader with the foresight and vision to usher in a new chapter for the Verizon brand that reflects how we are growing as a company,” Vestberg said in the release. “Leslie has spent her career at the helm of some of the most iconic brands, transforming their marketing efforts to connect more meaningfully with customers and drive impact across channels.” 

Berland brings more than two decades of marketing expertise to Verizon, according to the press release. 

At Peloton, she launched a new brand identity to grow and galvanize its member community, the release said. 

When announcing that new identity in May, Berland said Peloton was rebranding to focus on exercise, not hardware, and “shifting perceptions from in-home to everywhere, fitness enthusiasts to people at all levels, exclusivity to inclusivity across all Peloton Members present and future.” 

Before that, as chief marketing officer at X, formerly Twitter, Berland defined and deepened the social media platform’s global influence, per the release. Earlier, as executive vice president of global advertising, marketing and digital partnerships at American Express, she played a key role in that company’s digital transformation. 

In her new role, Berland will lead all aspects of the global brand and marketing strategy at Verizon, according to the release. Her role will encompass marketing activation and creative, marketing effectiveness, consumer insights, media and strategic partnerships. 

Berland joins Verizon at a time when the brand is at “an exciting inflection point,” she said in the release. 

“What we offer today and what we’re building for the future is rooted in Verizon’s commitment to bring people closer together and enable them to thrive,” Berland said. “I can think of no better story to tell, and I’m thrilled to join a world-class team driving growth for the business, reinvigorating the customer experience and lifting up the communities in which we serve.”