CMO Spotlight | Ana Villegas - Affinipay

The CMO Spotlight is a chance to get an inside look into the minds and journeys of high-performing marketing leaders. 

Setup CEO, Joe Koufman, virtually sat down with Ana Villegas, the Chief Marketing Officer and EVP for Affinipay, to discuss the importance of investing in your career and prioritizing Diversity and Inclusion, the magic of Disney, and more.

WATCH + READ THE RECAP BELOW

(SCROLL TO THE END FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW)

Q1 | What advice would you like to share?

“You have to invest in your career. No one is going to come fly over to you and say, ‘Oh! Now you get this promotion. Now you get this. Now you get this.’ No. You have to invest.”

Villegas emphasized the importance of being the driver of your career. She advises people to take charge of their personal brand and career advancement. 

“Seek mentors. You have to network not only inside of your organization, but outside your organization. You have to know what your brand is. Who are you? What are the differentiators that make you a strong candidate to be part of a marketing organization? Where do you want to be five, ten years from now? Even if it's nothing specific, what are you passionate about? You have to work for it.”

Q2 | What is your superpower?

As a marketing leader, Diversity and Inclusion is very important to Villegas. Creating an environment for her colleagues to feel comfortable at work while also experiencing differences in thoughts and beliefs is crucial for a great culture. “It’s very important to bring different people, include people, and include diversity because that's what makes a good team. That's what makes people enjoy what they're doing versus always trying to figure out whether they really belong and not [feeling free] to speak up.”

Q3 | What values are important to you?

“Care, dare, and share.”

Villegas beautifully broke down why she values these three values: 

1. Care: “You have to put people first. As a leader, that's very important. You want to do things, but if you are not bringing the people along, if you're not making sure they really are passionate and enjoying what they are doing along the way, then that's not a good culture and that's not going to be sustainable.” 

2. Dare: “You have to take challenges and, as a leader, take the challenge and do things differently.”

3. Share: “Sharing is centered around communication and having vulnerability to open up to have your team give their opinion and feedback.”

Q4 | Tell us about an impactful campaign.

During her time working for National Instruments (NI), her team was working hard on their rebrand. They were getting ready to work on the final touches of their campaign when Covid hit, resulting in ending all in person activities and creative. The original campaign set to premiere in front of thousands of people had to be scrapped. Instead of going back to the drawing board and coming up with a completely new idea, Villegas and her team started looking within and asking questions. This led them to the idea that their campaign should be centered around hope. The ability to pivot led them to have a successful rebrand with a campaign that resonated with their audience.

Q5 | Where do you find inspiration?

Villegas is naturally artistic, so she draws inspiration from other forms of art like museums, fashion, and books. She does this to stay up to date on the latest trends and continue to inspire her team with fresh ideas and perspectives. “I'm always trying to keep up with people and connect to hear other points of view or things that are happening in the industry. I feel that my brain has to continually get other things and ideas so I can continue to inspire my team and bring the energy back to them.”

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For more marketing leadership advice and a view into the mindset of marketing executives in various industries, be sure to watch the full interview with Ana Villegas, and keep an eye out for more thought leadership from our CMO Spotlights.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW TO THE RIGHT.