Leah Smith

About Leah Smith

A visionary Chief Marketing Officer with 20 years of strategic leadership, Leah partners with CEOs to translate organizational vision into compelling brand narratives, drive digital transformation, and build high-performing marketing teams. Expert in multi-property portfolio marketing, she creates integrated strategies that elevate guest experience, deepen loyalty, and accelerate revenue growth—whether launching new concepts, repositioning legacy brands, or building a digital ecosystem. Known for hands-on leadership, creative excellence, and a sharp commercial instinct, Leah delivers measurable growth at every stage of a brand’s journey.

How Leah has Helped Businesses Grow

• At MINA Group, spearheaded the design and development of three new upscale restaurant concepts while repositioning legacy brands. Directed opening marketing campaigns for six new locations across major U.S. markets in partnership with luxury hospitality brands.
• Drove 42% top-line sales growth over three years at Veggie Grill with a 39% surge in average unit volumes, scaling the marketing function from VP to CMO while leading digital transformation and loyalty initiatives across 35 locations.
• Achieved a 17% conversion rate among lapsing guests and 8% average social media engagement across major platforms while building a complete digital ecosystem from inception.
• Realized a 531% surge in web sessions and 636% increase in pageviews while driving brand transformation at Exer Urgent Care. Doubled email click-through rates and achieved a 19% conversion rate in paid social.

How Leah Leverages AI for Business Impact

• Uses Claude and other AI tools to synthesize real estate data, demographic and psychographic profiles, and guest/customer data — helping identify the strongest new markets and store locations before capital is committed.
• Applies AI to accelerate consumer and market research, quickly surfacing patterns across category, competitive, and guest data to sharpen positioning and inform strategic recommendations.
• Leverages AI to pressure-test growth strategies and go-to-market plans, expanding the range of scenarios considered before finalizing recommendation.
• Integrates AI into content and campaign development, moving ideas from concept to execution faster while protecting brand voice and creative quality.
• Champions practical AI adoption within client organizations, helping teams build AI into everyday marketing and strategic workflows.

Executive Experience

• Chief Marketing Officer, Mina Group
• Chief Brand Officer, Exer Urgent Care
• Chief Marketing Officer, Veggie Grill
• Vice President of Marketing, West Coast, Patina Restaurant Group
• Regional Director of Marketing, Joie de Vivre Hospitality
• Global Brand Marketing Manager, Waldorf Astoria, Hilton Hotels Corp

Education

• BS, Marketing Communciations, Marketing, Virginia Tech - Pamplin College of Business