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AI innovation is transforming technology marketing by creating new product categories and revolutionizing how global brands approach customer engagement and internal operations.
In this episode of Marketing Vanguard, host Jenny Rooney sits down with Emily Ketchen, CMO of Lenovo, to explore her journey from international relations student to global technology marketing leader.
Discover how Lenovo is pioneering the AI PC category, implementing comprehensive AI governance across marketing operations, and driving innovation through products like solar-powered laptops and rollable screens.
Whether you’re navigating AI integration in your organization or seeking insights on global marketing leadership, this conversation offers valuable perspectives on embracing change and creating technology categories that don’t yet exist.
“I took a lot of opportunities without being 100% ready for them,” she says on the podcast. “That’s so important, and it’s such an important message for women to take a little bit of that risk, dive in, and you’ll figure it out a little bit along the way.”
As CMO of Lenovo, Emily Ketchen leads global marketing for the world’s largest PC provider, operating in over 180 markets. With experience across profit, nonprofit, and government sectors, plus diverse industries from airlines to technology, she brings a unique multicultural perspective to marketing leadership.
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Key takeaways:
[00:51] Third Culture Background and Embracing Change — Emily explains her unique upbringing: “I’m a kid from what we call the third culture. So American father, Scottish mother, but was born in South America, raised in Europe, and I’ve lived in eight different countries around the world. And so when you’re growing up in a frame like that, change is the constant.” This background shaped her comfort with the ever-changing nature of technology marketing.
[03:32] Educational Journey and Career Philosophy — Describing her unconventional path to marketing: she explains how she customized her degree based on five different fields of study, “which I think was a little bit of a harbinger for how I’ve approached my career.”
[08:44] AI as Category Creation Opportunity — Emily positions AI as a transformative moment: “The advent of AI has been incredibly exciting for us. It’s a once in a 30-year career opportunity to create a category. And for us at Lenovo, that’s all about category creation and AIPC.” She describes making AI tangible through practical applications like meeting summarization and text-to-image generation.
[12:05] AI Governance and Internal Implementation — Detailing Lenovo’s comprehensive approach: “We immediately established an AI governance council inside the organization, and we stood that up from a marketing perspective. But quickly, folks from security layered in, legal layered in, HR layered in.” The organization created an 11-module education program covering hundreds of marketing team members and developed a prompt library.
[16:20] CMO Responsibility in AI Era — On customer ownership and AI deployment: “The CMO owns the customer. I believe it’s our role to make sure that in the deployment of AI, in the way that we’re thinking about it, in the way that we’re using it, it is customer-friendly, customer-safe, privacy-centric, all of those things.”
[18:06] Innovation and Product Leadership — Highlighting Lenovo’s breakthrough innovations: “At Mobile World Congress, we unveiled the world’s first solar-powered PC.” She also describes their rollable PC that expands screen size by more than 50%.
