Rocket Companies snaps up ex-Airbnb marketing head as CMO

Mildenhall’s career spans over three decades, during which he has built and promoted large, brand-focused companies. He co-founded TwentyFirstCenturyBrand, a leading branding and marketing consultancy, in 2018. Under his leadership, the company has significantly influenced the branding strategies of global corporations, including Pinterest, LinkedIn, Zalando, PepsiCo, NextDoor, and Walmart. Mildenhall will continue to serve as chairman of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand.

Prior to his entrepreneurial venture, Mildenhall was the first CMO at Airbnb, where he steered the company through a period of remarkable growth. His marketing strategies were instrumental in transforming Airbnb from a platform hosting 400,000 homes to over 4.5 million residences across 191 countries, it was stated in a Press release. During his tenure, Airbnb debuted its first Super Bowl commercial and established multiple co-marketing partnerships.

Before Airbnb, Mildenhall led Coca-Cola’s marketing as the vice president of global advertising strategy and content excellence. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Mildenhall serves as a board member of GoFundMe and Fanatics and has been recognized on Forbes’ list of the World’s Most Influential CMOs and Business Insider’s list of the Most Innovative CMOs, along with winning Adweek’s Brand Genius award.

“I am honored to be given the opportunity to work with this talented team, led by Varun, to tell stories that will inspire and motivate,” Mildenhall said in a news release. “It will be our mission to create integrated marketing campaigns that live up to the extraordinary social impact that Rocket makes every day.”