We are so excited to welcome Kofi Amoo-Gottfried as our new Vice President of Marketing!
Kofi is a dynamic marketing leader with extensive experience developing and redefining household brands, using cultural relevance to drive business impact. Most recently, Kofi was VP of Brand & Consumer Marketing at Facebook, having previously served as the company’s Head of Consumer Marketing for internet.org.
Before Facebook, Kofi was Chief Strategy Officer at FCB New York. He joined FCB from Bacardi Global Brands, where he was the Global Communications Director for the Rum category and architected the reinvention of the Bacardi brand. He was also Founder and Managing Director of Publicis West Africa, the Senior Strategic Planner on Nike at Wieden+Kennedy, and began his career at Leo Burnett Chicago & Leo Burnett London.
At the heart of Kofi’s amazing career is the fundamental belief that brands and businesses matter only insofar as they solve problems for people. Kofi has a proven track record of developing compelling narratives and holistic experiences that build a connection between what people need and what brands provide. DoorDash’s mission is to deliver good by connecting people and possibility, and under Kofi’s leadership, we’re excited to elevate that message and bring that ethos to everything we do.
To get to know him better, here are five questions with Kofi:
Why DoorDash?
I’m drawn to mission-driven companies, and the opportunity at DoorDash is incredible: to empower local commerce by connecting people to the best of their neighborhoods — the best gigs for people looking for part-time work; the best way for local restaurants and merchants to expand their businesses; and the best selection of restaurants for people looking for their next meal. DoorDash creates access — and as an immigrant who’s had the benefit of incredible opportunities because I’ve had access (to a scholarship that brought me from Ghana to St. Paul and paid for my college education at Macalester, to a minority job fair that paved my way into advertising and marketing, and to incredible mentors throughout my career), I’m thrilled to be here and to be a small part of creating access for others.
Most pivotal moment of your career?
I’d have to say it was the time when I made the completely bonkers decision to leave my dream job leading strategy for Nike at Wieden+Kennedy and head back to Ghana to build an agency from the ground up for Publicis. All roads lead to Africa for me, so while this looked like career suicide on paper, I couldn’t say no to going back home, to being an entrepreneur, and to playing a small part in the story of Ghana’s development. It ended up being the hardest and most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done. We built a world-class agency in sub-Saharan Africa, and I learned a ton about leadership, about resilience, about fighting for what’s right, and about managing ambiguity and uncertainty. It was a 15 year-education crammed into 3 years!
What got you into marketing originally?
Leo Burnett — the founder of the eponymous agency where I started my career — liked to say: “I am often asked how I got into the business. I didn’t. The business got into me.” That’s true for me as well. I majored in Economics & International Studies at Macalester and thought I’d end up in Investment Banking, Management Consulting, or at the World Bank. I had no idea that Marketing/Advertising was a “thing” until my junior year in college when I bumped into Leo Burnett’s college recruiter (the wonderful Corey Flournoy) at a diversity job fair. I spent that summer interning at Leo Burnett and fell in love with the business of creativity, of understanding people, and of helping brands meet people’s needs. And it’s all I’ve done since.
What are you reading right now?
“Shoe Dog,” Phil Knight’s memoir that chronicles the origins and evolution of Nike. It’s an extraordinary story of how one of the world’s most beloved brands came to be — not fully formed and indomitable all at once, but in fits and starts, plagued by doubt and missteps, and buoyed by fortune and fortitude. It’s an amazing read and great reminder that greatness takes time, courage, creativity and commitment.
A quote you live by?
I have three:
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.”
“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it,” by Lena Horne, to remind me that while I may not control circumstances, I can control how I respond.
“Time is undefeated,” by Rocky Balboa, as a touchstone to spend my time with people I care about doing things that matter.
You inspire us, Kofi, and we’re thrilled to welcome you to DoorDash!
5 Questions With DoorDash’s New Vice President of Marketing, Kofi Amoo-Gottfried was originally published in DoorDash on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.