With nearly two decades of experience building brand, marketing and communications strategies for leading organizations worldwide, Dani Peroni’s client partnerships have spanned industries, ranging from healthcare to technology, financial services to security, and academia to the arts. She specializes in accelerating pivotal market transformations, reaching new customer segments, driving growth and helping employees understand and embrace new business models and strategies.
As CXO’s first Managing Director, Dani will play an instrumental role in advancing the firm’s vision, growth strategy and enriching CXO’s culture. Read on to learn more about Dani and her goals for CXO!
Who inspires you?
I’m inspired by people who choose to see the good in others. These are the people who seem to have a natural magnetism and ability to bring people along with them. Plus, they just feel great to be around. It’s the type of person I want to be. I’m nowhere near perfect, but it’s a choice I keep making. And it’s a practice not that different from what you do when you are positioning a brand. You’re looking for those things that make a product, company or organization special, unique and valuable – and you shine a light on them. If you’re good at doing that with people, it translates into your professional life as a brand strategist as well.
Name three things you consider yourself to be really good at.
Laughing at myself. I used to take myself really seriously. I’m over that.
Raising the energy in a room. I like to leave a room a little more joyful than when I entered it. This includes virtual rooms and meetings.
Saying “yes.” I’d like to consider myself a “yes” person. My kids might disagree…
How do you stay motivated in the face of challenges?
One step at a time. Whatever you are going through, it won’t last forever.
What was your first job? How did it prepare you for what you do now?
I had a lot of jobs growing up — cutting lawns, babysitting, packing peanuts for a neighbor down the street. But one of my first “paycheck jobs” was working as a waitress. I firmly fall into the camp of people who believe that everyone should wait tables at some point in their life.
Waiting tables taught me about time management, preparation, customer service and the value of building strong relationships with your colleagues. Any server will have war stories of being in the weeds. It’s not the highlight of your job, but I think it’s the moment you stand to learn the most. In my case, I learned to look up and see where the issues were, make a plan, ask for help and, above all, keep calm. No one wants to see their waitress (or project manager, or brand strategist, or co-worker or boss) freaking out! Every diner was there to have a good time and enjoy a great meal; my job was to be the steward of a fabulous experience. I’ve felt that same sense of responsibility about every job since.
What do you believe are the most important skills for success in the brand and communications industry?
Curiosity! We have to be curious about our clients’ businesses — where they are now, how they got there and the opportunities that lie ahead. We have to be curious about the needs and pain points of their customers. We have to be curious about their landscape and about those in adjacent categories we can learn from. We have to be curious about our clients as people and professionals — what makes them tick, what keeps them up at night, and how we can help them to be successful.
Of course, there’s a lot more to success than that, but if you don’t start with curiosity, it’s an uphill battle.
What goal do you have for CXO?
I have many goals for CXO, but a particular passion right now is building CXO’s culture. We’ve got so much going for us — a group of really smart (and lovely) people, awesome projects to work on, clients we genuinely respect and like. So, right now, I want to turn some energy inwards and spend a bit of time focusing on CXO itself. As a fully virtual firm, our culture can’t depend on in-person experiences. But it’s clear that over the past few years, where we’ve all been traveling and seeing one another (off of Zoom) less, that the CXO culture really did gel in those moments when we were together. I’m excited about working with the rest of our team to bring some new approaches forward.
What are three things on your bucket list?
My bucket list is full of places I want to travel and things I want to eat in those places! Luckily, I have a husband and two girls who share the same passion for food and adventure. We travel a lot for youth sports (gymnastics and ice hockey), but it doesn’t tend to be the destinations that are on the top of my list. So, once a year, my goal is to pick a destination where we can see, eat and experience something we couldn’t do at home. We’ve got a long list of contenders, now we just have to pick one and book our next trip!
What’s your proudest professional achievement to date?
I’m fortunate to have a lot of moments in my career that make me proud. I’d go as far as to say, there’s a point in almost every project that makes me feel this way and it’s all about impact.
It could be…
When a repositioned brand gets acquired.
When a sales team has a story that helps them convert prospects to customers.
When a brand strategy captures the essence of an organization’s spirit and the attention of other brands in their space.
When a key business strategy is understood, adopted and embraced by internal audiences.
When a client gets recognized.
These are the moments that spark the most pride, knowing that my work made a difference to the success of a person, business or brand.
What do you love most about CXO?
I still get to be a part of doing the work. At some organizations, the more senior you are, the more removed you are from the work. That’s simply not the case here. What drew me to brand strategy, and what I get to do today, are still closely linked. And, I’m surrounded by colleagues who feel the same way that I do. That shared sense of purpose and love of the work connects us as CXprOs and translates to great things for our clients. It’s a win-win.
What trends are you seeing in your work with CXO’s clients?
I’m seeing a broader recognition and need for strategy support outside of brand strategy. Positioning and brand strategy continue to be a core part of our business, but more and more we are hearing from leaders who are seeking support in articulating, communicating, building engagement and propagating other strategies that are core to their business agenda.
I’m also seeing trust getting elevated to a C-Suite priority. Brands have always been about trust — the trust that customers or clients have in the promise that a brand makes to them. But in an increasingly uncertain world, trust is even more greatly desired and valued. Given this, it’s essential that leaders — and their brands — are seen as trustworthy. We see executives in all types of organizations and industries expressing a desire to be trusted and to show (rather than tell) what they have done to earn that trust.
Now that you’ve had a chance to get to know a bit more about Dani from Dani herself, check out the quotes below to see what her colleagues and clients have to say!
From Clients
"Collaborating with Dani on two unique projects has been a privilege. The way that Dani can blend big picture and detail-oriented thinking whilst energising and empowering a broad and diverse group of stakeholders is truly a unique skillset. The passion she brings for really understanding the client’s needs to bring the best value and impact is truly appreciated. Mostly I am inspired by Dani's passion to impart her expertise while also continuing to build her own expertise, which was something she demonstrated consistently across these two globally focused inclusion projects we collaborated on. Dani is a leader who truly empowers, inspires and evolves the thinking of those with whom she collaborates."
– Aoife Flood, Global Inclusion & Diversity Strategy, Upskilling and Awareness Lead
“Dani led the brand messaging work and helped build the brand platform for our new organization at CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. She demonstrated her amazing ability to take overall direction — laced with countless caveats — and combine it with stakeholder interviews that offered different (and sometimes conflicting!) perspectives. She somehow managed to boil it all down to uncover concise yet unique messaging that was natural and so very accurate! She was equally talented at carrying out the messaging on websites, in presentations, and in other collateral material.”
– Molly Fubel, Vice President of Marketing
“I could always count on Dani to bring a thoughtful, innovative, and bold solution to the table. Dani is part of a very short list of consultants I go to time and again because I trust her judgement and ability to do the right thing for her clients. I always know Dani is looking out for my best interests. And……..she sure is fun to work with! I adore Dani as a professional and a friend.”
– Linda Mann, Chief Product Officer
“Dani was such a pleasure to work with and a huge asset to us better understanding our brand and developing a path forward for how to grow it. She was always so enthusiastic, encouraging, insightful and patient at every step of the way. We’ve reaped a lot of rewards as a company since the brand work we did with CXO and Dani played a big part in contributing to that.”
– Will Milano, Chief Marketing Officer
“I’ve had the privilege of working with Dani in different roles over the years. In fact, I’m going to take credit for introducing her to CXO: After experiencing her work from my vantage point as a client, I was so impressed that I helped bring her along as a colleague during my time at CXO. After making a leap into the biotech world, I immediately knew who I wanted as my partner for some important messaging and branding work: Dani and team CXO! They helped me start-off on the right foot and impressed my new colleagues. From client, to colleague, and back to client, I’ve come to respect Dani for her intelligence, humor, and tremendous passion for what she does. A HUGE congratulations on this well-deserved honor!”
– Stacy Nobles, Head of Internal Communications and Employee Experience
“I have had the privilege of working with Dani for 3+ years as her client across a number of branding and messaging projects during critical times of evolution for my company, including a change in our core business focus and a CEO transition. In each situation, she has been an outstanding strategic thought partner, a creative and incisive wordsmith, and an extension of our internal team. She actively listens, provides thoughtful guidance, exhibits grace under pressure, and never fails to help us reach a solution that addresses the needs of all stakeholders. I would like to heartily congratulate Dani on this well-deserved promotion!”
– Jesse Rennekamp, Senior Director, Corporate Communications
“Dani is a unique talent – she is the perfect combination of strategic thinker, influential communicator and messaging mastermind. We have valued her leadership and partnership – I couldn’t be more thrilled about her promotion to Managing Director. Congratulations Dani!”
– Erin Sheehy, Executive Director of Communications
“Congratulations on this wonderful accomplishment, Dani! Among the high points of every day on our project a few years ago was working with you and the rest of the team from CXO Communication. Your insights, ability to challenge conventional thinking, and creative spirit were so valuable and important. Coupled with your wonderful sense of humor -- likely a result of living in Flatbush at the time -- you were a formidable force who helped change forever how we engage with freelance professionals.”
– Brian J. Snarzyk, Principal
From CXO Colleagues
“I trust Dani to care for our firm, team and our clients with unwavering integrity, exceptional quality and deep kindness. She lifts people up when they need motivation, celebrates them with they deserve recognition and pushes client ambitions forward with determination and imagination, no matter what. I am so grateful to have found someone I can imagine an exciting future with and have a blast making it a reality.”
– Kathleen Bowden
“Dani is the best of the best. She wows clients. She supports colleagues. She’s a leader you want to work for, and a leader you want to be. No one is more deserving of this moment.”
– Joanna Clark
“Dani is inventive, creative – and just try to escape her infectious spirit!”
– Megan McDonnell
“Dani’s leadership and exceptional talents have a multiplier effect on our team—driving everyone to do and be their best. No matter how complex the project or late the hour, her enthusiasm has a way of rubbing off on everyone. She’s genuine, laugh-out-loud funny and, most important, she cares deeply about people. I’m thrilled to celebrate Dani and this next chapter for CXO.”
– Jill Queenan
“I’ve worked at plenty of agencies who claim their people are smart and nice. I don’t think I’ve ever worked with anyone who exemplifies that paradigm quite as much as Dani.”
– Andreas Ruggie
“Dani is a true unicorn. She checks all the boxes. She shows kindness to her colleagues, dedication to her clients and is willing to wear multiple hats. Plus, her work speaks for itself!”
– Liz Stanford
