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Bozoma Saint John

Bozoma Afiba Mamekyi Saint John (née Arthur; born January 21, 1977) is a Ghanaian-American businessperson and marketing executive who was the chief marketing officer (CMO) at Netflix from August 2020 to March 2022. Previously, she served as chief brand officer (CBO) at Uber from 2017 to 2018, and CMO at Endeavor from 2018 to 2020. Saint John was also a marketing executive at Apple Music until June 2017, after joining the company in its acquisition of Beats Music. From 2005 until 2014, she worked at PepsiCo, eventually serving as the head of music and entertainment marketing. In May 2021, she was named among the Top 50 Most Influential Female Leaders in Africa within the corporate and business sphere by Leading Ladies Africa.[3]

Early life

Saint John was born to Rev. Dr. Appianda Arthur and Aba Arthur (née Enim) in Middletown, Connecticut, in the United States. Her father was a clarinet player and member of the Ghana Army before emigrating to the United States to attend graduate school. When she was six months old, the family moved to Ghana,[4][5] though, throughout her early childhood, her family lived between Nairobi, Kenya, and Washington, D.C.[4] They settled in Colorado Springs, Colorado, when she was 12. Saint John cites her father as her "biggest inspiration".[6]

In 1999, Saint John graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in English and in African-American studies.[7] Her father had received a PhD in ethnomusicology in 1977, also from Wesleyan.[8][9][10]

Her sister Alua Arthur is a lawyer and death doula.[11][12]

Career

Marketing

After college, Saint John worked at the advertising agencies Arnold Worldwide and Spike Lee's Spike DDB. She also worked at the fashion brand Ashley Stewart, where she was vice president of marketing.[13]

Saint John joined PepsiCo as a senior marketing manager in 2005.[14] She later led PepsiCo's foray into music festival-based marketing as head of music and entertainment marketing.[13] She remained with the company for almost a decade before joining Beats Music in 2014, when Jimmy Iovine of Beats recruited Saint John based on her experience in music marketing.[15] Saint John moved from New York to Los Angeles to lead marketing for the company.[16]

Beats was purchased shortly thereafter by Apple,[13] and Saint John became the head of global consumer marketing for iTunes and Apple Music, commuting between Los Angeles and Apple's Cupertino headquarters several times a week.[6] Journalists described Saint John's presentation of the redesigned Apple Music onstage during the 2016 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference as her breakthrough moment, with a captivating "passion" and persona that captivated both local and online audiences.[6][17][18][19] Biz Carson of Business Insider said that her appearance helped to emphasize Apple's complete rebuild of its Apple Music software.[6] BuzzFeed wrote that she was the "coolest" person to ever take the stage at an Apple keynote.[6][20]

On June 6, 2017, Saint John became chief brand officer at Uber.[13]

In June 2018, Saint John left Uber to join Endeavor as chief marketing officer.[21][22][23] She said of her choice to leave: "When I got to Uber, I was honest in my desire to go and change essentially what I thought was a challenging environment, especially for women and for people of colour... What I discovered was a lot of people who had a desire to do better, honestly, but couldn't get out of their own way... At some point, it became too overwhelming for me... It became a good lesson for all of us: You don't need to be the savior, you can save yourself too."[24] While at Endeavor, Saint John helped lead a "crisis" branding project for Papa John's Pizza after the company's founder, John Schnatter, used racist language in a conference call.[25][26]

Netflix named Saint John its new chief marketing officer on June 30, 2020, making her the third CMO for the company in 2019–2020. She was the first Black C-level executive at Netflix.[27] Saint John replaced Jackie Lee-Joe, who left the company for personal reasons. Saint John started the new role in August 2020[28] and departed in March 2022.[29]

Writing and podcasting

In May 2020, Saint John launched a limited-series iHeart Media podcast alongside journalist Katie Couric, Back to Biz with Katie and Boz. The podcast began with the focus of how small and large businesses across the country began to reopen throughout the coronavirus pandemic, but after the murder of George Floyd expanded to focus also on systemic racism and criminal justice reform.[30]

Saint John wrote a memoir titled The Urgent Life, in which she describes her work as a marketing executive, losing her husband, and becoming a single parent. The book's publication date was February 21, 2023, by Viking Press.[31][32]

Other work

In January 2021, Saint John taught a short intensive program for MBA candidates at Harvard Business School called "Anatomy of a Badass".[33]

In May 2024, it was announced that Saint John would be joining the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a full-time cast member for the fourteenth season.[34]

Activism, advising, and philanthropy

Saint John launched the #ShareTheMicNow Instagram initiative alongside Luvvie Ajayi, Glennon Doyle, and Stacey Bendet. On June 10, 2020, 52 Black women took over the Instagram feeds of 52 White women with large platforms to draw attention to the work they're doing to catalyze change. Saint John took over the Instagram account of prominent Black women including Elaine Welteroth, Angelica Ross, Christine Michel Carter, and Gia Peppers took over the accounts of White women including Julia Roberts, Elizabeth Warren, and Diane von Fürstenberg.[35][36][37][38]

Saint John's philanthropic efforts include representing Pencils of Promise as a Global Ambassador to Ghana and serving on the boards of Girls Who Code and Vital Voices.[39][40][41] Saint John has been a member of the President's Advisory Council for Wesleyan University, her alma mater.[4] She is also a member of the Black Advisory Board for Impact, an initiative by the Council of Fashion Designers of America to address systematic exclusion of Black people in the fashion industry.[42]

In May 2022, Saint John was inducted into the American Marketing Association Marketing Hall of Fame.[43]

Personal life

Saint John was married to Peter Saint John from 2003 until his death in 2013.[44] They have a daughter named Lael.[18][45]

Saint John lost her home in the Pacific Palisades fire in January 2025. She discovered this while on holiday in Zambia.[46]

Saint John became engaged to boyfriend Keely Watson on August 29, 2025.[47]

Awards and honors

  • 2015: Billboard, Top Women in Music[48]
  • 2016: Billboard, Female Executive of the Year[49]
  • 2016: Fortune, 40 Under 40[50]
  • 2017: Henry Crown Fellow in the Aspen Institute[7][51]
  • Ad Age, 50 Most Creative People, Innovators & Stars 40 Under 40 feature[52]
  • Adweek, Most Exciting Personalities in Advertising[10]
  • Ebony, 100 Powerful Executives[53]
  • Fast Company, 100 Most Creative People[53]
  • Fortune, Disruptors[54]
  • Top 100 Most Inspirational Women of the Year by Glitz Africa Magazine[55]

External links

References

  1. https://www.instagram.com/p/BOG0RXtliP0/^
  2. Mike Jr. Fleming. Bozoma Saint John Named Netflix Chief Marketing Officer; Leaves Endeavor Deadline, June 30, 2020, retrieved February 23, 2021^
  3. Vodafone CEO, Director of Digital Transformation make list of 50 most influential corporate women in Africa - MyJoyOnline.com www.myjoyonline.com, May 18, 2021, retrieved 2021-05-20^
  4. Bozoma Saint John Computer History Museum, retrieved 2021-02-23^
  5. Ghana news: Bentsifi's Tattle, A guy about town Daily Graphic, June 17, 2016, retrieved June 9, 2017^
  6. Biz Carson. Meet Bozoma Saint John, the Apple executive who stole the show at WWDC Yahoo! Finance, June 13, 2016, retrieved January 15, 2017^
  7. Bozoma Saint John Netflix Investors, retrieved February 23, 2021^
  8. Olivia Drake. Class of 2020 Explores Wesleyan during 3-Day WesFest Celebration News @ Wesleyan, Wesleyan University, April 18, 2016^
  9. Cynthia Rockwell. Apple Music's Saint John '99 Recalls Formative Wes Moments in WesFest Keynote News @ Wesleyan, Wesleyan University, April 25, 2016, retrieved June 9, 2017^
  10. Olivia Harrison. Who Is The Woman Who Rocked Apple's Keynote? Refinery29, June 13, 2016^
  11. Glennon Doyle. We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle May 24, 2022, retrieved June 2, 2022^
  12. Julia Naftalin. A lawyer quit her corporate job to become a self-taught 'death doula' who helps people die Business Insider, February 8, 2022^
  13. Jem Aswad. Bozoma Saint John Talks About Her New Role at Uber: 'I Consider Myself a Change Agent' Variety, June 6, 2017, retrieved December 14, 2017^
  14. Emmet McGonagle. Netflix appoints Bozoma Saint John as CMO Campaign Asia, July 1, 2020, retrieved February 23, 2021^
  15. Roy Trakin. Former Pepsi Exec Bozoma Saint John Named Beats Music Global Marketing Head The Hollywood Reporter, April 2, 2014, retrieved June 9, 2017^
  16. Kiah McBride. Bozoma Saint John: Why This Apple Music Exec Is A Badass Boss xoNecole, March 5, 2017^
  17. Ashlee Clark Thompson. Breakout star of Apple's WWDC 2016 Bozoma "Boz" Saint John calls out developers for lack of rhythm CNET, June 13, 2016^
  18. Ashley Weatherford. A Black Woman Spoke at Apple's Tech Conference and Twitter Went Wild New York The Cut, June 13, 2016, retrieved June 9, 2017^
  19. Kwame Opam. Apple's Bozoma Saint John is my hero The Verge, June 13, 2016, retrieved June 9, 2017^
  20. Jessica Misener. Bozoma St. John Is The Coolest Person To Ever Go Onstage At An Apple Event BuzzFeed, June 13, 2016^
  21. Bozoma Saint John is leaving Uber for Endeavor Recode, retrieved December 1, 2018^
  22. Stephanie Mehta. He told Bozoma Saint John to work for Uber. "Of course, I hung up on him." Fast Company, November 14, 2018, retrieved November 29, 2018^
  23. Chloe Aiello. Turnaround executive Bozoma Saint John leaves Uber for Endeavor CNBC, June 11, 2018, retrieved June 15, 2018^
  24. Jeff Miller. Bozoma Saint John Explains Why She Left Uber Variety, March 13, 2019, retrieved June 6, 2020^
  25. Jordan Valinsky. Papa John's to pizza-eaters: We're listening CNNMoney, 2018-08-02, retrieved 2021-02-23^
  26. Jeff Beer. Netflix is missing one big thing. It just added it with its new superstar hire Fast Company, 2020-07-07, retrieved 2021-02-23^
  27. Courtney Connley. 23 Black leaders who are shaping history today CNBC, February 1, 2021, retrieved February 23, 2021^
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  29. Bozoma Saint John Departs As Netflix Chief Marketing Officer forbes.com, March 3, 2022, retrieved March 24, 2022^
  30. Cynthia Littleton. Katie Couric, Bozoma Saint John Team for 'Uncomfortable' Conversations on 'Back to Biz' Podcast Variety, June 25, 2020, retrieved February 23, 2021^
  31. Lisa Lockwood. Bozoma Saint John's Memoir, 'The Urgent Life,' to Be Published by Viking WWD, December 11, 2020, retrieved February 23, 2021^
  32. Bozoma Saint John. The Urgent Life Viking, February 21, 2023^
  33. Stephanie Mehta. Professor Badass? Bozoma Saint John to lead a Harvard B-School workshop on authenticity Fast Company, 2020-11-12, retrieved 2021-02-23^
  34. Dave Quinn. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 14: Bozoma 'Boz' Saint John Joins the Cast Alongside 'Friend' Jennifer Tilly People, May 22, 2024, retrieved May 22, 2024^
  35. Nandi Howard. Bozoma Saint John And Luvvie Ajayi Jones Detail The #ShareTheMicNow Initiative Essence, June 17, 2020, retrieved February 23, 2021^
  36. McKenna Moore. Why black women are taking over white women's Instagram accounts today Fortune, June 10, 2020, retrieved February 23, 2021^
  37. Savannah Walsh. Why Black Activists & Celebrities Are Taking Over White Influencers' Instagram Handles Elle, June 9, 2020, retrieved February 23, 2021^
  38. Ellise Shafer. Celebrities Hand Over Instagram Accounts to Women of Color for #ShareTheMicNow Campaign Variety, June 9, 2020, retrieved February 23, 2021^
  39. Jeff Beer. Why Endeavor CMO Bozoma Saint John is joining Pencils of Promise as its Ghana ambassador Fast Company, December 3, 2019, retrieved February 23, 2021^
  40. Shannon Liao. Uber partners with Girls Who Code to fight for greater diversity in tech The Verge, August 24, 2017, retrieved February 23, 2021^
  41. Bozoma Saint John Vital Voices, retrieved June 23, 2020^
  42. Darcey Sergison. CFDA Announces New Initiative to Nurture Black and Brown Talent The Business of Fashion, February 22, 2021, retrieved February 23, 2021^
  43. Julian Zeng. AMA New York Announces 2022 Marketing Hall of Fame Inductees American Marketing Association, April 18, 2022^
  44. Peter Saint John Burkitt's Lymphoma Society, 23 October – 12 December 2013^
  45. In Memory of Peter Saint John – Obituary Walter B. Cooke Funeral Home, December 11, 2013, retrieved June 9, 2017^
  46. Zoe G. Phillips. 'RHOBH' Star Bozoma Saint John Lost Malibu House in Palisades Fire: "I Felt So Helpless" The Hollywood Reporter, 2025-01-23, retrieved 2025-09-20^
  47. Ashlyn Robinette. RHOBH's Bozoma Saint John Is Engaged to Keely Watson! Inside the Surprise Proposal with Over 100 Roses (Exclusive) People, September 3, 2025, retrieved September 3, 2025^
  48. Women In Music 2015: The 50 Most Powerful Executives in the Industry Billboard, December 3, 2016, retrieved June 9, 2017^
  49. Shirley Halperin. Women In Music 2016: Bozoma Saint John Named Executive of the Year Billboard, December 5, 2016, retrieved June 8, 2017^
  50. 14: Bozoma Saint John, 39 Fortune, September 22, 2016, retrieved June 9, 2017^
  51. Aspen Institute Mobilizes New Generation of Leaders The Aspen Institute, 2017-03-01, retrieved February 23, 2021^
  52. Bozoma Saint John leaves Uber after less than a year, named CMO of Endeavor adage.com, June 11, 2018, retrieved February 3, 2020^
  53. Davey Alba. Bozoma Saint John Was Badass Long Before Apple Wired, June 13, 2016, retrieved June 8, 2017^
  54. Rebecca Sun. Bozoma Saint John Exits Uber for Marketing Post at Endeavor The Hollywood Reporter, June 11, 2018, retrieved February 23, 2021^
  55. Glitz top 100 inspirational women Glitz Africa Magazine, 2019-07-16, retrieved May 28, 2022^