Hyundai’s Angela Zepeda on shattering the glass ceiling

Hyundai CMO Angela Zepeda shattered the proverbial glass ceiling when she became the first woman to join the C-suite at the carmaker in 2019.

On The Current Podcast, Zepeda reflects on her journey to the executive ranks, noting how earning an MBA after spending most of her career at an ad agency was a turning point in her career development. She realized there was a need to mix her business and creative perspectives.

“That was one of the biggest ‘aha’ moments for me in my own career,” Zepeda says. “This was a big hallmark for agencies to change their mindset. We just couldn’t come up with great creative ideas. They really had to start solving business problems.”

In this episode, Zepeda also discusses how to win the Super Bowl without actually having an ad in the Big Game; marketing electric cars; and the correct way to pronounce “Hyundai.”