# Cenk Bulbul

> Cenk Bulbul is Chief Marketing Officer for Santander Bank in the US and Openbank globally, where he leads brand and growth marketing for a bank serving millions of customers. A marketer with a PhD in the science of how emotions shape buying decisions, he spent two decades moving between strategy consulting, advertising, and Big Tech - McKinsey, Ogilvy & Mather, and nearly a decade at Google building YouTube's ads and shopping marketing - before crossing into financial services. He is a vocal advocate for using generative AI to make marketers faster and more human at the same time.

- **Role:** Chief Marketing Officer at Santander Bank US and Openbank Global
- **Organizations:** Santander US, Openbank, Google, YouTube, Walmart Connect, Ogilvy & Mather, McKinsey & Company, Telecom Italia Mobile, Umbrex
- **Education:** PhD in Marketing (research on emotional influences on consumer behavior), New York University, MBA in Finance, Carnegie Mellon University
- **Known for:** Oversaw 2x+ revenue growth as Global Head of YouTube Ads Marketing, Built the marketing function for YouTube Shopping from the ground up, 20+ years of global marketing leadership across consulting, advertising, and Big Tech

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Built the marketing development and offers departments for Telecom Italia Mobile's new business in Turkey
- **—** — Marketing strategist at McKinsey & Company in New York, working on digital transformation for top brands
- **—** — Marketing strategist at Ogilvy & Mather in New York, leading brand strategy for Fortune 100 brands
- **—** — Joined Google, holding senior YouTube marketing roles including Global Head of Strategy, Insights and Analytics
- **—** — Global Head of YouTube Ads Marketing, overseeing 2x+ revenue growth
- **—** — Head of Marketing for YouTube Shopping, building the marketing function from the ground up
- **—** — Senior Director of Brand & Enterprise Marketing at Walmart Connect
- **2024** — Joined Umbrex network of independent management consultants (July 2024)
- **—** — Appointed Chief Marketing Officer of Santander Bank US and Openbank Global
- **2025** — Fireside chat on AI in banking marketing at MoneyLIVE North America 2025 in Chicago (September)

## Achievements

- Oversaw 2x+ revenue growth as Global Head of YouTube Ads Marketing
- Built the marketing function for YouTube Shopping from the ground up
- 20+ years of global marketing leadership across consulting, advertising, and Big Tech
- Earned a PhD in Marketing from NYU studying how emotions influence consumer decisions
- Leads marketing for Santander Bank in the US and Openbank globally

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — Spoke in a fireside chat on AI in banking marketing at MoneyLIVE North America 2025 in Chicago.
- **2024-07** — Joined Umbrex, a network of independent management consultants.

## Links

- Website: https://santanderus.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cenkbulbul/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/SantanderUSA
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/SantanderConsumerUSA

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/cenk-bulbul
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-11