Marian Salzman

Marian Salzman joined PMI as Senior Vice President, Global Communications in 2018. In 2024, she returned to the United States as SVP & Chief Corporate Citizenship Officer before being named to her current post in September. As SVP, Special Projects, she spearheads the commercial launch of IQOS in the U.S., leading a 90-person cross-functional team in cities and states where legal-age nicotine users will Be The First to experience PMI’s leading heated tobacco product. In this position, she liaises with the Senior Executive Team on youth access responsibility and with the company’s Board of Directors.

Prior to joining PMI, Marian headed Havas PR North America for nearly a decade. After serving as President, she became Chief Executive Officer in 2011, in which position she co-created and chaired the Havas PR Global Collective across several continents.

She was Chief Marketing Officer at PR firm Porter Novelli from 2008 to 2009, CMO at JWT Worldwide from 2005 to 2008, and Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Euro RSCG Worldwide (now Havas) from 2001 to 2004. In the early 1990s, she co-founded American Dialogue (aka Cyberdialogue), where she pioneered the use of online focus groups for social research.

A global thought leader, trendspotter, and communications pro, Marian has built her career on helping companies and brands anticipate the future ahead of the competition and find their sweet spot. Over three decades, she has existed at the cusp of emerging cultural shifts, including introducing the world to “metrosexuality” in 2003 and serving as a driving force behind #GivingTuesday, an annual event that has spread to 60 countries and raised tens of billions of dollars for community programs. She is the author or co-author of 18 books—including Buzz, Agile PR, and, most recently, The New Megatrends: Seeing Clearly in the Age of Disruption (Penguin Random House, 2022).

Among other commendations, Marian has been inducted into Ragan Communications and PR Daily’s Top Women in Communications Hall of Fame (2024), was honored as PRWeek’s PR Professional of the Year (U.S. and Global) and featured in its Global Power Book, and won a Gold Stevie for Thought Leader of the Year. She holds a degree in sociology and graduated with honors from Brown University.