San Francisco: LinkedIn has appointed Heather Hopkins Freeland as its first-ever Chief Brand Officer, with responsibility for Brand and Consumer Marketing, marking a new chapter in the platform’s evolution as it continues to scale globally.
In her announcement on LinkedIn, Freeland expressed enthusiasm for leading the brand she has long admired and personally benefited from. “Fun fact: I actually got my job at Lyft from replying to a job listing on LinkedIn,” she noted. Freeland emphasized her belief in the power of storytelling and authentic connections to build memorable brands.
Freeland brings over two decades of marketing leadership across some of the world’s most influential companies. Most recently, she served as Chief Brand Officer at Adobe (2022–2025), where she helped sharpen the company’s global positioning and consumer engagement. Prior to Adobe, she was VP of Marketing at Lyft (2019–2022), overseeing brand, growth, product, and partner marketing across multiple business verticals.
Her earlier career includes a significant tenure at Meta (2011–2019) as Head of Global Marketing Communications, and leadership roles at Gilt City and MTV Networks Digital, where she specialized in marketing and sales development.
Freeland is also a long-standing member of the Spotify CMO Advisory Council (Soundboard), a select group of senior marketers from top global brands.
At LinkedIn, she will focus on elevating the brand’s bold vision to “create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.” She will also reunite with Jessica Jensen, LinkedIn’s Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, with whom she has collaborated previously.
Freeland’s appointment underscores LinkedIn’s growing emphasis on brand differentiation and consumer connection at a time when the platform has surpassed one billion members worldwide.
