Michael Willeke

With over 20 years of leadership experience at The Coca-Cola Company and PUMA, and a background partnering with global icons such as Nike, ASICS and Ferrero on the agency side, my focus remains at the intersection of consumer-centric strategy and digital transformation. I have a keen interest in learning and adopting AI to amplify the human expertise required to build and grow these brands. Through executive education at Oxford, Cambridge and INSEAD, I have explored how to scale human creativity through technology to drive measurable P&L growth. I believe the most impactful brands do more than sell products; they become a part of culture. Inspired by Douglas Holt’s ‘How Brands Become Icons’, I am interested in how brands move beyond functional benefits to resolve cultural tensions and build deep, lasting relevance. Viewing marketing as a growth engine rather than a service function, I operate with a general-manager mindset. I am motivated by the challenge of designing modern operating models and building diverse teams that keep brands at the heart of the consumer story in an evolving digital landscape.