DallasCMO ORBIE Awards Leadership Award recipient: AT&T’s Kellyn Smith Kenny on creating clarity in complexity
By The Content Studio at the Dallas Business Journal
Kellyn Smith Kenny makes it her business to understand what customers truly value.
She began her career as a technology consultant. While she took pride in solving complex problems, she realized she wanted to be closer to the customer. “That led me to business school, product management and, ultimately, marketing, a field that brings together analytical rigor, creativity, technology and human insight,” said Kellyn, now AT&T’s Chief Marketing and Growth Officer.
In recognition of her achievements, Kellyn will be presented with the 2026 Leadership Award at the DallasCMO ORBIE Awards. The program honors chief marketing officers who have demonstrated excellence in marketing leadership.
The evolution of the CMO role
In her current role, which she has held since 2020, Kellyn oversees AT&T's brand, marketing, digital, advertising, media, customer intelligence, strategic partnerships and growth-focused go-to-market strategy.
Prior to AT&T, Kellyn was the Global Chief Marketing Officer for Hilton Worldwide and held senior positions with Uber Technologies, Capital One Financial and Microsoft Corp.
During her career, she’s seen the evolution of the CMO position, especially when it comes to the job’s core responsibilities.
“The CMO role has expanded dramatically. A decade ago, marketing was often viewed as just advertising or communications,” Kellyn said. “Today, the best CMOs are enterprise growth leaders who impact the core economics of the business, and deeply understand the points of leverage across customer experience, data, technology, product, finance and operations to drive measurable results. The biggest challenges are keeping the organization deeply connected to the customer in a fast-changing world, responsibly navigating AI and data, and marshalling resources across the C-suite to maximize multi-year returns.”
What makes a successful leader
Regardless of function, Kellyn believes the most effective leaders pair business acumen with a deep understanding of people. “They create clarity in complexity, raise the bar with empathy and build teams capable of doing the best work of their careers.”
That philosophy extends beyond formal titles. Kellyn believes in “leadership from every seat,” the idea that anyone in an organization can lead by “asking better questions, creating momentum and helping the room get smarter.”
For Kellyn, the Leadership Award reflects the impact of that collective approach. She views the recognition not as an individual achievement, but as a testament to the transformative work her team is driving to better serve AT&T customers and help the company evolve for its next era. “I see this less as an individual achievement and more as encouragement to keep raising the bar for our customers, employees and communities,” she said.
Career accomplishments
In addition to this award, Kellyn is among a select class of leaders named to the Aspen Institute’s Henry Crown Fellowship class of 2023. Henry Crown Fellows are established, values-based leaders who are committed to using their skills and talents to address the world’s toughest problems.
Kellyn has also been recognized for marketing innovation, effectiveness and leadership by organizations and publications including Forbes, Fortune and Adweek. Her marketing and advertising campaigns have earned multiple EFFIE Awards, CLIO Awards, Cannes Lions and SHORTY Awards. She previously served as board chair of the Marketing + Media Alliance (MMA) and is a board member of the Ad Council and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA).
While her career includes industry recognition, board leadership and award-winning achievements, Kellyn said she's most proud of building teams and organizations that deliver sustained impact. "At AT&T, that means helping redefine marketing as a growth engine and helping a nearly 150-year-old company keep evolving for the future," she said. "I'm proud of the progress we're making to strengthen the brand, improve the customer experience, modernize our capabilities and build a more market-based, customer-first culture."
Advice for future CMOs
Kellyn advises future leaders to approach every endeavor with curiosity. “The most valuable lesson I’ve learned is to diagnose before you transform,” she said. “Listen carefully. Understand how the business works, what customers value and where the gaps are. Then create shared clarity and build trust before asking people to move faster or differently. Transformation takes courage, but it also takes patience, discipline and humility.”
She also encourages emerging leaders to stay ahead of technology trends without losing sight of the human element. “Build fluency in data and technology, especially as AI reshapes work. But don’t lose the human side of marketing. The future will require leaders who marry worldclass analytics and AI-enabled capabilities, with creativity, EQ and a deep understanding of what truly resonates with people.”