Ad Age magazine has named Rocket Co.’s chief marketing officer, Jonathan Mildenhall, as its 2026 CMO of the Year.
Mildenhall is the only CMO recognized this year and the only honoree leading a Detroit-based company, alongside major brands like The New York Times, IKEA, and L’Oréal Paris.
A full list of this year’s winners can be found here.
A native of the U.K., Mildenhall is Rocket’s first CMO, a position he has held since January 2024. He is responsible for creating a unified voice for all businesses under the Rocket Cos. umbrella, with all marketing and communications teams for the Rocket brands reporting to him.
He is a co-founder of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand, a consumer brand strategy and marketing consultancy firm, and has served as the company’s executive chairman since 2018.
Mildenhall has more than 30 years of experience building and promoting large, brand-focused companies. Prior to co-founding TwentyFirstCenturyBrand, he was the first CMO of Airbnb, serving from 2014 to 2018. Before Airbnb, he led Coca-Cola’s marketing initiatives as senior vice president of integrated marketing communication and design excellence from 2013 to 2014 and as senior vice president of global advertising strategy and content excellence from 2007 to 2013.
Earlier in his career, Mildenhall served in various management positions in marketing and advertising at The Mother Group, TBWA UK Group Limited, DLKW Lowe, and Bartle Bogle Hegarty Inc.
