Hyundai Motor America has named Angela Zepeda, sr. VP and managing director at its agency of record INNOCEAN USA, as its new chief marketing officer. Zepeda will be responsible for all of Hyundai’s marketing and advertising activities in the U.S., including the strategic direction, brand development, national and regional advertising, experiential marketing, digital and social media, brand partnerships, and lead generation, among other responsibilities. She will report to Hyundai Motor America COO Brian Smith.
At INNOCEAN USA, Zepeda handled all operations for the Hyundai business including creative, planning and media operations. She was initially hired by the agency to head up business development.
“In the three years Angela has been at INNOCEAN USA, we have seen the positive results of her leadership as the agency has grown both internally and externally,” said Steve Jun, CEO and President, INNOCEAN USA. “We are excited that we will continue working with Angela in her new role at Hyundai, as we know the experience she brings as a leader will certainly bolster all of their marketing efforts.”
Zepeda is a seasoned marketing executive with more than 25 years of experience. She has built a career on consumer-centric campaigns that build brands and drive business results, and is an expert in online and digital marketing.
“It’s a great honor to be going in-house at Hyundai and I’m excited by the challenge of leading the marketing team during this transitional time for the automotive industry,” said Zepeda. “Hyundai is a brand on an upward trajectory with sales growth that outpaces the industry, a revamped product lineup, and a laser focus on the customer experience. I’m looking forward to getting started and building upon the marketing department’s recent successes and accomplishments.”
Hyundai’s Smith said, “Angela is a dynamic and accomplished marketer with an impressive depth of experience across the entire marketing spectrum and will be an outstanding addition to our leadership team. Angela was already a member of our extended family and we’ve seen firsthand her creativity, business acumen and talent in building our brand and leading teams. She is well-respected by the entire organization and our dealers, and will be able to seamlessly transition to leading the marketing function here at Hyundai.”
Previous to Innocean, Zepeda was CEO of Quigley-Simpson in Los Angeles, where she oversaw all aspects of the agency—from brand leadership to new business development to operational efficiencies. Before that, Zepeda was CMO of Campbell Ewald Los Angeles, where she played a key role in growing the agency’s business. Zepeda has also worked at some of Los Angeles’ best-known agencies, including TBWAChiatDay, Team One, Rapp, Doner, and FCB, providing counsel to clients in the automotive, healthcare, financial services and packaged goods industries.
Zepeda is also an expert in marketing to women, with a keen understanding of the emotional triggers involved in women’s retail habits. She has spoken on the topic at various conferences, including the ISSM CONVERGE Conference, the WLN Conference, the M2W Conference in Chicago, and the Marketing to Women Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Zepeda holds an MBA from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Advertising from California State University, Fullerton. She is a member of thinkLA, the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the American Advertising Federation and held board positions with the Susan G. Komen organization and the LA Grant Foundation.
Zepeda replaces Dean Evans as CMO, who after four successful years has decided to depart Hyundai to pursue other career opportunities. Sean Gilpin, VP of media planning at INNOCEAN USA will be the interim team lead while a search is conducted for a permanent replacement for Zepeda.
