ON Partners Recruits Chief Marketing Officer for NVIDIA
January 20, 2026 – ON Partners recently assisted in the recruitment of Alison Wagonfeld as chief marketing officer of NVIDIA. “We placed Alison Wagonfeld as the chief marketing officer of NVIDIA, one of the most selective CMO mandates in global technology,” Bryan Buck said in a LinkedIn post. “In reality, there were only a handful of leaders globally who had built, scaled, and operated marketing at the level NVIDIA needs next. That kind of scarcity is becoming more common. Not because talent is disappearing, but because the bar keeps moving.”
“When CEOs and boards add a senior executive to their ranks, they’re not just filling a seat,” Mr. Buck continued. “They’re adding a capability the organization needs for what’s coming next. Sometimes that capability strengthens what already exists. Oftentimes, it’s to build a muscle the company doesn’t yet have. Right now, the two competencies I see CEOs and boards prioritizing most are perspective and adaptability. Perspective comes from leaders who’ve already navigated real inflection points: taking a company through scale, or steering a fundamental shift in the business model.”
“Adaptability matters because disruption isn’t slowing down,” Mr. Buck added. “Going back to the old playbook isn’t a strategy. It’s a massive risk. That’s why today’s decision makers are looking for leaders who have pattern recognition — people who’ve been through multiple cycles, learned where things break, and know how to build when the path changes.”
Ms. Wagonfeld is vice president of marketing at Google Cloud. Currently, she leads marketing for the Google Cloud Platform, Google Workspace, Google Maps and Google for Education. Ms. Wagonfeld has played a key role in the growth of Google Cloud, which she discussed on LinkedIn, saying: “Nearly 10 years of building Google Cloud from a promising startup in 2016 to a thriving US$60bn rate-run business today.”
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the NVIDIA’s high-level marketing responsibilities have previously been shared by multiple executives within the business. Ms. Wagonfeld’s appointment means they will now be consolidated into one role. “I’m excited to be joining Jensen’s leadership team in a new role heading up marketing and communications as NVIDIA embarks on its next phase of growth,” she said.
All members of Nvidia’s marketing and communications team will report to Ms. Wagonfeld once she begins in February. Nvidia has grown rapidly over the past three years thanks to its position as a key provider of computer chips for the advanced artificial intelligence tools and services that have proliferated since OpenAI released its ChatGPT chatbot in 2022.
Serving Clients Since 2006
With a primary focus on technology, consumer, industrial, and the life science sectors, ON Partners recruits C-level and board talent for public and private companies, as well as venture capital and private equity firms. Founded in 2006, the firm’s consultants work from offices in Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Cleveland; Dallas; Menlo Park, CA; Minneapolis, MN; San Francisco; and New York. ON Partners was named one of the fastest growing search firms this year by Hunt Scanlon Media. The firm is now ranked as one of the 20 largest search firms in the nation.
Related: ON Partners Assists Unison Software in Chief Technology Officer Search
Mr. Buck specializes in enterprise technology, consumer products and services, and automotive technology sectors. He serves public corporations as well as the portfolio companies of leading PE and VC firms.
ON Partners also recently recruited David Axler as the new CEO of Occupier, a commercial lease management and accounting software platform based in New York City. The announcement comes alongside strategic leadership moves that position the company for its next phase of growth, with co-founders Matt Giffune and Andrew Flint transitioning to chief product officer and chief strategy officer, respectively.
“Matt and Andrew have built a platform that customers genuinely love – one rooted in deep industry knowledge that addresses critical customer needs,” said Shane Skiffington, Partner at Unbundled Capital, which led Occupier’s $16 million growth investment last year. “David brings the operational excellence and scaling expertise that enable companies to evolve from strong customer traction to sustainable market leadership. As the de facto standard for modern lease management, Occupier is uniquely positioned to lead the next wave of innovation in the industry. With David’s leadership, we will continue to set the bar for innovation across the industry to deliver exceptional customer outcomes.”
Related: ON Partners Recruits Chief Revenue Officer for StarCompliance
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
