Under Armour CMO gives talk at Questrom

Under Armour Chief Marketing Officer and Boston University alumnus Andy Donkin discussed brand-building and innovation in the global economy before a crowd of about 200 people on Tuesday evening in the Questrom School of Business auditorium.

The talk was part of the Questrom Dean’s Speaker Series, created by Questrom Dean Kenneth Freeman five years ago. Previous speakers have included executives from Amtrak, HP and Macy’s, Freeman said before the talk.

The dean organized the series so members of the BU community could learn about different areas of interest to students from successful individuals.

“I felt it was really important,” Freeman said, “for us to bring leaders from various fields, whether in business or other professions, to come and engage in conversation with our students, our faculty and our staff in timely topics that are going on in the world.”

Tuesday’s installment of the Speaker Series was co-hosted by the BU Sports Business Association, the BU Fashion and Retail Association, the BU Marketing Club, the Graduate Marketing Club and the Guerrilla Marketing Society.

Before the talk, the hosts said they brought Donkin in to share his well-rounded and valuable expertise.

Guerrilla Marketing Society President and Questrom senior Esther Tu said the various business clubs hosted the event in an effort to work toward the common goal of educating business students beyond the classroom.

“We are all co-sponsoring this event because we want all of our members to be exposed to the world of marketing beyond the walls of Questrom,” Tu wrote in a Facebook message, “and give them the opportunity to learn from an alum who is an expert in this industry.”

BU Fashion and Retail Association social media specialist Liz Min, a junior in Questrom, said she thinks hearing from industry professionals is inspirational for aspiring businesspeople.

“The Speaker Series,” Min wrote in a Facebook message, “is a great way for students to get insight in an industry they are very passionate about.”

BU Marketing Club President Miriam Lelah, a senior in Questrom, said Donkin’s success at companies like Under Armour and Amazon makes him a valued speaker on the subject of marketing.

“Not only is Andy Donkin a BU alum, but he is the Chief Marketing Officer for one of the most well-known brands in the world,” Lelah said. “His experiences and knowledge in the field of marketing are invaluable.”

BU Sports Business Association President Amy Leard said she thinks the fact that Donkin is a BU alumnus makes his insight more valuable to current BU students.

“As a Questrom alum, Donkin will bring a unique, yet familiar perspective to students,” Leard, a Questrom sophomore, said, “and will be able to share his years of knowledge in the world of marketing with us all.”

Donkin started off his discussion by talking about what motivates him in his work.

“Curiosity is one of the things that drives me,” Donkin said. “For me, it’s really about taking on the challenge of solving a problem that there is no roadmap for.”

He spent much of the talk examining the recent transition from traditional to digital marketing.

“The content I create, whether it be for Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, BuzzFeed [or] Facebook, has to be relevant to that particular format, has to be interesting to me and has to be a little unexpected in terms of what it delivers,” Donkin said, “because there are so many different ways for me to get information.”

He ended the discussion by advising students to try new things during their time at BU and to build up their experiences.

“Your experiences are unique and individual, so pursue those things that you think might be interesting to you, even if they’re not what you might call traditional,” Donkin said, “because that will create a set of experiences that only you have.”

Several students who listened to Donkin’s talk expressed their appreciation for the chance to hear from such a successful marketing executive.

Akbar Maliki, a Questrom junior, said the discussion provided him some valuable insight into the marketing industry.

“To gain exposure in what working professionals are doing in their day-to-day life and how they’ve gotten to those top management positions is something that I value,” Maliki said.

Sebastian Grigore, a freshman in Questrom, said he attended the discussion because he thought it would provide an interesting perspective into his fields of interest.

“I was interested in it because I’m focusing on finance and entrepreneurship and interested in marketing,” Grigore said.

Brittany Keegan, a first-year graduate student in Questrom, said she admired Donkin’s dedication to maintaining brand authenticity.

“I thought he was really consistent in what he had to say about how Under Armour really sticks to its purpose and doesn’t branch out from that just for the purpose of getting more customers,” Keegan said, “and I thought that was incredibly valuable.”

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article switched the quotes for Miriam Lelah and Amy Leard. The current version reflects this change.