Magnum Ice Cream's CMO on Unilever spin-off, Minecraft ice cream and achieving cultural relevance

In this episode of the WFA #BetterMarketingPod with David Wheldon, Leyal Eskin Yilmaz, CMO of Europe, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand for the Magnum Ice Cream Company (‪@magnum‬) shares insights on building a new marketing organisation as the business separates from Unilever.

00:10 Welcome to the Magnum Ice Cream Company
03:18 The Turkish Marketing Journey
06:50 Building a New Marketing Organisation
12:10 Managing Global and Local Brands
15:42 Purpose, Inclusion and AI Integration
22:13 Marketing Agility in Turbulent Times
29:09 Top Priorities for Modern CMOs

Key points covered:

Creating a new company while running the business is like "building a new house while living in it".
Each geographic market shaped Leyal's leadership approach differently - Turkey (agility), US (scale), UAE (cultural nuance), Netherlands (systems thinking).
Turkish marketers excel globally because Turkey provides a "real-time MBA" with fast-changing markets and intense competition.
The new company balances global brands (setting ambition) with local jewels (providing cultural relevance).
Purpose remains central to the business strategy, with Ben & Jerry's setting industry standards.
Cultural relevance requires long-term partnerships, demonstrated by their Minecraft collaboration.
Inclusion and diversity initiatives focus on representation plus active sponsorship of diverse talent.
AI is transforming marketing more than any other business function, triggering creativity when used properly.
Modern CMOs need to embrace AI capabilities, actively shape culture, and position marketing as the business growth engine.

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