The air cover advocate: Eva Barrett on the reality of global marketing leadership
Maven x Maven: A spotlight on Eva Barrett
Each issue, we bring you a real-talk interview with a senior marketing leader who’s navigating the complexities of the modern marketing landscape. No generic advice, just honest reflections on strategy, leadership and the challenges that keep them sharp.
This time, we’re talking to Eva Barrett, General Manager of Marketing, Brand and Customer Experience at Honda. With over 25 years of experience across the globe - from Amsterdam to New York, Seoul to Sydney - Eva has led transformations for some of the world’s most iconic brands.
We sat down to talk about the weight of global stakeholder management, the "noise" of modern martech, and why the most important job of a leader is often just providing enough air cover for the team to shine.
What's a defining moment, win or failure that made you the leader you are today?
I think for me, it was moving overseas and moving into a global role. In global roles, you have a much bigger scope, bigger teams and many more levels of stakeholder management.
From a leadership point of view, it taught me two things: how to grow and develop a team so they're clear on strategy, but also how to provide the "air cover" so they can do their best work. There’s a massive demand for marketing; everyone wants us to do everything. My job is to keep the team focused on what actually moves the dial while I handle the pressure from above.
What is something about being a marketing leader that nobody warned you about?
The sheer scope of how much it has changed. I’ve been doing this for over 25 years. When I started, it was: make the campaign, get it ready and launch it.
Now, we're much more than just "marketing". We’re driving growth and profitability, managing complex tech stacks, and obsessing over first-party data. We’re essentially Chief Customer Officers. We represent the customer at the highest level, and while the technology evolves daily, you still have to anchor yourself in the fundamentals.
Can you tell us about a time you got it wrong and what it taught you?
When I was in a global role at Philips, I worked on a business that was struggling for survival. It wasn't profitable, and the supply chain had been sold off.
My team was focused on growth and customer journeys, but looking back, we should’ve been more pragmatic. We needed to work closer with the business to prove its viability. It taught me that you can’t have departments running in one direction while the business is heading in another. You have to be deeply, personally connected to the business imperatives.
Is there a core belief or approach you’ve had to "unlearn"?
It’s not so much unlearning as it is filtering. There is so much noise now - noise around martech solutions, digital platforms and "must-have" tools.
I’ve had to learn to stay on top of the change without losing focus on what matters. The four P's, consumer segmentation, and integrated briefing are still absolutely valid. The pace is faster, but the principles shouldn't be discarded for the sake of the newest shiny object.
What keeps you up at night?
In the automotive industry, we’re going through a once-in-a-century transformation. Australia is actually the most competitive automotive market in the world. We have 80 brands for a population of 26 or 27 million. Compare that to the US, which has about 40 brands for 350 million people.
What keeps me awake is: how do we drive relevance and sustainable, profitable growth in such a crowded space? Especially now, with inflation rising and consumer sentiment at an all-time low. It’s volatile, but that’s also what makes it fascinating.
What would you tell your younger self?
A career is not a linear path. Stay open and say "yes" to things. I’d tell myself to get experience in large, global organisations early on because it widens your perspective. Australia is a small market - I’d say travel, work in bigger markets and enjoy it. We stay in this career because we’re close to the consumer and it’s fun.
Are there conversations marketing leaders should be having more openly?
Absolutely. I’m part of the Marketing Academy, and being able to chat with peers in a safe environment is invaluable. We all have the same headaches: the adoption of AI, which tech platforms we actually need (and which we don't), and how to get the operating model right across a fragmented system.
We also need to talk more about how we grow the next generation of leaders. Having a cohort to bounce ideas off makes the "lonely at the top" feeling disappear.
What we love about Eva
Eva’s journey reminds us that while the "what" of marketing (data, AI, tech) is shifting, the "how" of leadership remains constant. It’s about alignment with business goals, protecting your team from the noise, and never stopping the learning journey.
