restaurants

National Restaurant Association Appoints Leslie Nagao CMO

The oldest restaurant trade association in the country has a new marketing leader.

Earlier this week the 106-year-old National Restaurant Association announced the appointment of Leslie Nagao as CMO.

Nagao has a varied marketing background. Most recently, she was global CMO of the Urban Land Institute, network of cross-disciplinary real estate and land use experts, where she spent more than three years.

Previously, Nagao spent almost eight years at ExxonMobil, serving as director of strategic partnerships and business development. Earlier in her career she served as the director of brand & integrated marketing for AARP and worked in marketing for Time Warner Cable.

At the National Restaurant Association, Nagao is charged with bringing together internal teams and external partners to strengthen the message of the restaurant industry, driving association membership, and product, program and service expansions to support restaurant operators, per the announcement.

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Association President and CEO Michelle Korsmo praised Nagao’s “extensive expertise in brand strategy, member engagement, product marketing, events and communications and public relations,” along with “proven success delivering growth and impact across diverse industries.”

In her role as CMO, Nagao “will unify and elevate our marketing and communications strategy, ensuring a cohesive, coordinated brand experience that amplifies our presence and deepens engagement with our members, industry partners and other key constituencies,” Korsmo added in a release.

Founded in 1919 in Kansas City, The National Restaurant Association is comprised of over one million restaurant and foodservice outlets and more than 15.7 million employees in the U.S.

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