Adobe Fills CMO Post, Hires Former Intuit CMO Lara Balazs

Adobe has appointed former Intuit CMO Lara Balazs as chief marketing officer (CMO) and evp of global marketing, filling a post that has been vacant since February 2023.

Balazs spent six years at Intuit, most recently as CMO and evp, general manager of the strategic partner group, where she helped reimagine the brand’s marketing approach to support its AI-powered fintech platform. She will report to Shantanu Narayen, chair and chief executive officer at Adobe.

Last week, ADWEEK broke the news that former Chobani CMO Thomas Ranese will succeed Balazs at Intuit.

At Adobe, Balazs fills a position that has been open since Ann Lewnes retired in February 2023 after 16 years with the company. During her tenure, Lewnes adopted a customer-first approach and helped shift Adobe’s media investment into digital.

“Lara’s unique experience across B2C and B2B industries and deep insights as an Adobe customer will help us engage our growing universe of users more effectively while expanding Adobe’s brand reach and impact,” said Narayen.

Balazs’ marketing career spans leadership roles at brands like Amazon and Visa, where she drove growth for Amazon Prime and helped lead Visa to launch mobile-first, digital payment systems like Visa Checkout and Apple Pay.

Adobe’s creative review

In September, Adobe hired Dentsu and Stagwell to handle its creative needs. 

Run by MediaLink, the software giant selected Dentsu Creative to handle its digital media unit, which includes its popular software products like Photoshop, Acrobat, Firefly, and Illustrator. Adobe also hired Stagwell for creative strategic support of the Adobe brand. 

It currently splits its media account between Wavemaker and Publicis Media.

Adobe recently collaborated with multi-talented artist, actor, and author Benny Blanco to launch a collection of custom templates for small businesses in Adobe Express. Users could also post their creations on social media for a chance to win $10,000 for their favorite small business.