Ask a Marketing Executive: Leslie Nagao of the National Restaurant Association

In our latest issue of Ask a Marketing Executive, we spoke with Leslie Nagao, Chief Marketing Officer of the National Restaurant Association, about her first few months in her new role and how she’s balancing business growth with team transformation.

You recently joined the National Restaurant Association as the CMO. What do you see as the most important priorities for your role?

When I joined the organization, my first priority was making sure I was aligned with our CEO and executive team on what mattered most for the business. I knew that having the right team in place – and making sure they understood where we were headed – was key. Early on, I focused on building a culture of trust, accountability, and alignment, which helped us deliver some quick wins right out of the gate. I told the CEO from day one: “I’ll only be successful if my team is successful.” That’s always been a core part of how I lead.

One of the Associations’ strategic imperatives is to empower a future-ready workforce. How do you make sure your members are seen as employers of choice?

The restaurant industry is the second-largest private employer in the U.S., which means a significant number of people begin their careers here – myself included. It’s a powerful entry point that enables individuals to acquire critical skills that serve them throughout their careers.

The real challenge is retention. The industry offers countless pathways to meaningful, long-term careers, and it’s essential that our members – whether large chains or small independent operators – understand how to keep their talent engaged. Our research shows that today’s workforce has different expectations. Helping our members navigate these shifts is key to building a stronger, more resilient industry.

Does the National Restaurant Association get involved in your members’ employee recruiting strategies?

While we don’t directly shape our members’ recruiting strategies, we play a vital role in equipping them with the data, insights, and solutions they need to make informed decisions. We do this through proprietary research, convening with subject matter experts, programmatic and product solutions, and by creating opportunities for members to share best practices with one another.

We contribute meaningfully to recruiting conversations by bringing timely research and insights to the table. A recent example is our Workforce Technology Report which explores how emerging technologies – especially AI – can enhance recruiting productivity and streamline operations. This kind of research helps to frame the conversation and guide strategic thinking.

Beyond research, we also support members through programmatic education and career preparation initiatives that help strengthen the broader talent pipeline. These efforts are designed to complement recruiting strategies by preparing individuals for workforce readiness and long-term success.

Switching to your organization, what’s the one skill you want every person on your team to have?

Curiosity, which tends to manifest as critical thinking – being curious about why we’re doing the things we’re doing and challenging ourselves to see if we should be doing them differently. I would also say being an active listener. If you have these two traits, it’s a force multiplier.

What’s your go-to question when you’re interviewing candidates for your team?

My go-to question is asking the candidate to tell me about a time that they didn’t do something well, or where a project failed, and explain to me what happened and how they would do it differently. It allows us to acknowledge that there will always be failures and to recognize that you can learn so much more from your failures than you can from success.

What interesting things is your team doing with AI?

Marketing is such an interesting domain where AI can play a positive role. The technology doesn’t replace individuals, but it certainly complements their work and drives productivity. As I think about what a marketing team will look like in the future, I ask what are the enabling tools and resources that can create efficiencies and strategic prioritization?

We produce a significant amount of thought-leadership content. Developing a robust SEO tagging strategy for each piece of content is time-intensive, especially as search algorithms and functionalities rapidly evolve. There are now AI-powered tools that help apply SEO strategies holistically, ensuring content is optimized not just for traditional search engines like Google and Bing, but also for emerging AI-driven, non-click search experiences. That shift is a game-changer. By equipping web, content, and communications teams with these tools, we can dramatically reduce the time it takes to publish content while accelerating organic traffic growth.

Looking back, what advice would you give your younger self, knowing what you know today?

There are two things. One is that relationships are essential. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my network and the relationships I’ve built. It’s really important early on to prioritize that, especially in marketing.

Second is knowing you don’t always have to be right. When you’re early in your career, you tend to believe you always have to show up and have all the answers. Often being more authentic and asking questions will benefit you in the long term.