Empowering Marketing Teams With Claudine Patel, CMO of Sanofi

Welcome to another special episode of the Marketing Vanguard podcast. Today, ADWEEK chief experience officer Jenny Rooney welcomes Claudine Patel, Sanofi’s chief marketing officer for consumer healthcare North America. Sanofi is the world’s sixth-largest pharmaceutical and healthcare company and is headquartered in Paris.

They discuss how Sanofi’s brands, which include Allegra, Dulcolax, and Gold Bond, simplify science to make healthier living accessible. Patel reflects on her career journey across consumer products and healthcare, highlighting the transferable skills between industries. 

The conversation touches on the importance of cultural relevance, resilience, collaboration in marketing, and the need for open discussions about failure. Patel shares her leadership insights and highlights the value of empowering teams to take calculated risks.

“As a leader, it’s important to support and enable your teams to think differently. Encourage them to take calculated risks and be innovative. That’s how we’re going to drive real change and success,” Patel says on the podcast.

At Sanofi, Patel is passionate about leading through creative disruption. Her career is a testament to the power of mobilizing organizations and executing growth strategies that not only scale businesses but also foster talent development and cultivate high-performing teams.

With over 25 years of experience in consumer goods and healthcare, her journey has been about creating impact. She thrives on crafting insightful strategies, driving business transformation, managing diverse portfolios, and spearheading digital and creative innovations. Her career spans leadership roles at global enterprises like Kellogg, Reckitt, and Kraft Foods, to name a few. 

Key takeaways:

03:44 Keys to Success in Dynamic Industries — Patel explains that success in dynamic industries requires resilience, a growth-oriented mindset, and effective teamwork. Leaders must inspire resilience within their teams, fostering a culture of bravery, respectful openness, and continuous improvement. Growth demands innovative tools like social listening, influencer capabilities, and the ability to deliver content at scale. Crucially, this agenda must be embraced across the entire organization, integrating efforts from marketing, sales, and supply chain teams to ensure success through cross-functional collaboration.

09:21 Driving Engagement with Strategic Partnerships and Iconic Collaborations — Sanofi is gaining traction by leveraging a multifaceted marketing approach, focusing on making science accessible and appealing to consumers. The campaign has achieved strong engagement by integrating content creation with strategic partnerships and collaborating with iconic figures and brands, such as Christie Brinkley and Sports Illustrated. This holistic approach goes beyond traditional sponsorship, aiming to build long-term consumer connections while maintaining core values. 

14:45 Fostering Innovation in Marketing Teams — Patel emphasizes the importance of fostering an environment that encourages experimentation, resilience, and learning from mistakes in the marketing world. She reflects on the challenges of her journey, highlighting the need to create safe spaces for teams to take calculated risks. Future leaders can be developed by enabling bravery and learning, allowing for innovation and growth.

17:31 How Strong Leadership Drives Team Innovation — Patel discusses the crucial role of leadership in boosting team confidence and fostering innovation. She explains that in challenging situations, a leader’s presence becomes even more vital to prevent team members from losing confidence and second-guessing themselves. She underscores the importance of empowering teams to discover new opportunities, leading to creative projects like an unexpected collaboration between an OTC brand and Live Nation. Patel credits her team for driving these innovative ideas and market successes.