Susie Hamlin

Susie Hamlin

Director, Global Strategy and Advocacy

Cisco

Susie Hamlin has always had an International outlook.  While others with Global titles can struggle with grasping the potential complexity (and opportunity) of a truly international approach, Susie effortlessly understands that a brand needs to act globally while retaining in-depth understanding of, sensitivity to and empathy for the needs to local marketers.  She plays a critical role in helping to empower Cisco’s diverse global marketing organization with consistent execution that resonates in each locality.

As Cisco’s Director of Global Strategy & Advocacy, her background experience includes global brand strategy, advertising and localization. The Global Strategy & Advocacy team is responsible for gathering global insights, driving strategy and customizing execution to improve relevance and ensure ‘one voice’ messaging of advertising, brand and digital efforts across the globe. 

Cisco, founded in 1984, is a worldwide leader in networking with a mission to transform how people connect, communicate and collaborate through the networking equipment they design, manufacture and market.  Aptly known as the “Human Network” from a six-year advertising initiative that ended in 2012, their new global marketing efforts focus on the coming decade with campaigns entitled "TOMORROW starts here" and "Internet of Everything."

Susie understands that marketing on a global level takes a combination of left brain and right brain activities.  She calls this Picasso Meets Galileo: The Art and Science of Global
Brand Execution, and has shared her thoughts in a number of lectures. She addresses how to gather the insights necessary to be locally relevant, while also ensuring global consistency in the development and execution process so that it allows for local customization.  For many, this is the Holy Grail of global marketing.  For Susie, it is the magic of art and science which includes models for execution based upon country prioritization, aligned with a global enablement model that aims to identify the right services, resources and human capabilities in each market for the “brand” effort to be a success.

Prior to her current role, Susie was the Director of Worldwide Advertising at Cisco with overall responsibility for development and delivery of the global brand campaign. Susie joined Cisco in 1998 and established the Translation & Localization department, defining tools and strategy for localization management across the company.