IRI Digital Transformation Community Thought Leader Interview – Mike Adams and Lauren Beckstedt, Brunswick

Lauren Beckstedt is the Chief Marketing Officer for Brunswick Corporation, a $+5B global leader in recreational marine products and the industry’s most recognized brands like Mercury Marine, Boston Whaler, Sea Ray and Lund.   With experience in B2B, B2C, and dual-distribution models, Ms. Beckstedt is recognized most notably for her leadership in digital transformation across a portfolio of 50+ brands. She also contemporized the Company’s marketing operating model and organizational structure to establish new capabilities in consumer insights, digital product management, marketing analytics, and deliver stronger brand discipline. Ms. Beckstedt joined the Company through former Brunswick division Life Fitness in 2010, where she served in several roles of increasing responsibility, including Director of Marketing and Strategy. She has also held Company roles in Talent Management & Employment Brand, before moving into Chief Marketing Officer roles across Brunswick’s consumer brands and Enterprise Services, prior to her recent appointment as Enterprise CMO.   Ms. Beckstedt has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Iowa and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. In 2021, she was named a Boating Industry Magazine “Top 40 Under 40” award winner and also earned the publication’s “Women Making Waves” award.

Mike Adams was named Vice President – Chief Information Officer in October 2020 and is responsible for leading and overseeing the vision, strategy and operations of Brunswick’s IT organization. In addition, he will provide strategic leadership and direction for Brunswick and its business units while delivering technology solutions that will continue to drive innovation and operational excellence throughout the organization. Adams held various leadership roles since joining the company, including Chief Architect, interim Chief Information Security Officer, Vice President of Infrastructure, Cloud, and Operations and most recently, Divisional CIO for Business Acceleration. In addition, he is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt who will continue to transform Brunswick’s digital capability globally. Prior to joining Brunswick, Adams spent 15 years at DuPont in various leadership roles in Global Infrastructure and Data Transformation. Adams earned his BBA & Bachelor of Science from William & Mary and his MBA in International Business and Global Management from Drexel University.