293. NHL Senior Exec VP & Chief Marketing Officer Heidi Browning

This episode is the fourth in a series of podcasts highlighting women in the sports industry and celebrating Women’s History Month. Heidi Browning is a Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer for the National Hockey League.

Browning leads the National Hockey League’s growth marketing strategy with a focus on digital, innovation, and social media. She has more than 25 years of marketing experience, including success with major brands in Silicon Valley.

In the episode, she talks about her belief that digital is the best way to connect with fans, and how engaged NHL fans are. She also talked about her amazing career path to reach this position in hockey.

Under Browning’s leadership, the NHL has experienced a 33% growth in followers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. She spearheaded the introduction of eight new Twitter accounts, including six international languages, @StanleyCup; @NHLGIFs; NHL Europe on Instagram; and TikTok, Weibo, and WeChat accounts. As a result of a focused strategy on video content, video streams have increased 111% across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Since Browning’s arrival at the NHL, the League’s Instagram engagement has increased by 58%, while followers on that account increased 46%.