Scratch: CMO Interviews

How Barclays Adopts a Challenger Mindset to Innovate a 300-Year-Old Brand

Episode Summary

Barclays is more than 330 years old, but its US business is adopting a challenger brand mindset. In this episode, Lili Tomovich, Chief Marketing & Experience Officer of Barclays US Consumer Bank, shares how she brought lessons from the hospitality and entertainment industry into financial services. As the former Chief Experience Officer at MGM Resorts, she reveals why every Tuesday her executive team at Barclays listens to real customer calls. She explains how her “make it better” mantra, which focuses on improving customer experience regardless of the department, became an internal rallying cry, and why balancing AI efficiency with human connection is critical for the future of banking. For anyone interested in customer experience, marketing transformation, or leadership in legacy organizations, this is a must-listen.

Episode Notes

In this episode of Scratch, Eric chats with Lili, the Chief Marketing & Experience Officer of Barclays US Consumer Bank, about how she brought a challenger mindset from the hospitality and entertainment industry into one of the biggest banking players in the world. Lili shares how her experience at MGM shaped her approach to customer experience, and how she’s transformed Barclays to be more customer-centric, putting real people at the heart of every journey. Innovation at Barclays doesn’t start with technology; it starts with people: Lili introduced live client call listening for executives and designed accountable customer journeys to keep the brand ahead in a fast-changing industry

The conversation also explores the delicate balance between digital efficiency and maintaining the human touch, why curiosity is now an essential skill for marketers, and the ways CMOs can leverage insights from outside their own category. Packed with practical advice and real-world examples, this episode is a must-watch for anyone looking to drive customer-focused growth and bring humanity back into marketing.

Watch the video version of this podcast on Youtube ▶️:  https://youtu.be/MgNhEchujRY

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Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Scratch is hosted by Eric Fulwiler, and he’s joined by Lili Tomovich, the Chief Marketing & Experience Officer of Barclays US, in this episode.

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