Inspiring a new era of leadership where purpose, data, and AI converge to create lasting impact.
Leadership in today’s world demands more than steady management — it calls for transformation, vision, and the courage to challenge conventions. Few leaders embody this more fully than Jacqueline Woods. Over the course of her career, she has reimagined brands, guided organizations through disruption, and helped Fortune 100 companies like Oracle, GE, and IBM — as well as mid-cap innovators such as NIQ and Teradata — find their voice in competitive, rapidly shifting markets.
Early in her career, Jacqueline Woods learned an essential truth about marketing technology: you need to make people feel something about an inanimate object. “Technology doesn’t have a heartbeat,” she laughs, “so it’s our job to make people care.” Whether it was helping consumers appreciate the value of a dial tone in the days of landlines or now building emotional connection to AI, data and other SaaS solutions, Woods has spent her career translating complexity into clarity — and emotion.
“Everyone knows what a cookie smells like or tastes like,” she says, “but can I spark a feeling or emotion when I’m talking about vector databases or agentic AI?” In other words, make someone pay attention to what you’re speaking about. The answer, invariably, is yes. Under her leadership, working with Director Gretl Clagett, one of her marketing teams produced an award-winning cinematic brand film that explores the human side of AI through the deeply emotional story of a family’s race to reunite during a time of crisis. Powered by the theme of Trusted AI, the film reveals how data and technology quietly transform lives in moments that matter most — from fraud prevention to personalized healthcare.
The project earned two Telly Awards — a Bronze for Branded Content and a Silver for Directing — competing against multimillion-dollar campaigns featuring celebrity talent. Woods and Clagett achieved these recognitions on a tight budget, proving that ingenuity, purpose, and storytelling craft can rival scale and star power.
→ The Journey Home
Today, Woods is extending her influence beyond the C-suite. She is shaping strategy in the boardroom and advising CEOs on how to amplify brand resonance by telling stories that connect strategy to humanity.
“Jacqueline’s perspective is multifaceted,” says Hakeem James, CEO of CustomerX.i. “She’s helping us move beyond features and platforms to communicate what our products mean to the broader Food Economy — and it’s driving tangible ROI and revenue growth, while expanding and converting opportunities with major global brands.”
At OpenWorX, Jacqueline Woods helped reorient the company’s positioning to focus on the core needs of CFOs and other C-suite leaders.
Sean Cogdell, CEO of The Panther Group, which owns OpenWorX.ai, noted, “Her energy and insight brought clarity to how we frame the business opportunity — not just in data terms, but in value terms that resonate across our customers’ decision-makers.”
In addition to these projects, Woods is preparing to release her upcoming book, Unstoppable: A Strategy to Speak Up, Show Up, and Rise with Purpose, published by Intrepid Literary Group. Across every endeavor — corporate leadership, board service, authorship, and advisory work — her mission remains the same: to inspire people and organizations to lead with intention, authenticity, and impact.
From Fortune 100 to Founder: A Career Built on Reinvention
Woods’ career reflects a consistent theme — reinvention. She has built a reputation for helping organizations evolve from the inside out, blending creativity, data, and courage to drive progress and growth.
Her foundation in finance and accounting gave her a deep understanding of how businesses create value. But her curiosity and drive led her to marketing, where she discovered the power of connecting business strategy to human insight.
At Oracle, Jacqueline Woods played a pivotal role during one of the company’s most volatile periods — the dot-com collapse. As venture-backed startups disappeared almost overnight, Oracle’s leadership made a bold choice: to protect its people and preserve its intellectual capital. “We froze raises and bonuses,” she recalls, “but we didn’t lay anyone off. It was a defining moment — a reminder that leadership is about the long game.” Woods was part of the team that helped stabilize the business, repositioning Oracle for sustained growth through strategic pricing, licensing, and acquisitions.
She later joined GE, where she led customer segmentation strategy across its $178 billion portfolio during one of the company’s most complex periods of evolution. The experience sharpened her ability to balance data with empathy — understanding markets not just through numbers, but through human behavior.
At IBM, she rose to senior leadership roles, including Chief Marketing Officer for Global Financing and Ecosystems, where she led marketing and engagement across a partner network of more than 156,000 partners and global revenue streams exceeding $12 billion. There, she deepened her expertise in ecosystem marketing — building alignment across partnerships, technology, and customer outcomes at scale.
“Every time I’ve taken on a new challenge, it’s been about shifting perception — about taking what exists and reimagining what it could be,” Jacqueline Woods says. “That’s the work I love most.”
That philosophy guided her into her next major transformation — helping NIQ (formerly NielsenIQ) evolve from a legacy division into a modern, independent global brand.
Building NIQ: From Legacy to Independence
One of Woods’ most significant accomplishments was leading the purposeful rebranding of Nielsen’s consumer measurement business into NielsenIQ, now known as NIQ.
When Nielsen split into two separate companies, the challenge was clear: how to preserve the legacy of one of the world’s most trusted names in measurement while creating a bold, independent identity. Woods designed the brand strategy that gave NIQ its own distinct voice and positioned it for long-term independence.
This effort began at the height of the global pandemic — a time when nearly every aspect of the company’s operations relied on in-person collaboration, especially outside the U.S. “The transaction was moving forward no matter what,” Woods recalls. “We were changing the brand tire while the car was moving.”
The stakes were high. Consumer goods companies around the world were relying on Nielsen’s data to make real-time supply chain decisions as shelves emptied and demand surged. Jacqueline Woods and her team had to find new ways to capture, process, and deliver critical market data to clients across industries — and do it faster than ever before.
“The goal was always to move away from Nielsen, known predominantly for television and media, and stand on its own,” she explains. “We needed to create an identity that honored the past — and its founder, A.C. Nielsen — but had the confidence and credibility to define the future.”
The result was NIQ: a brand grounded in legacy but designed for innovation, agility, and independence. The transformation not only redefined how the company engaged clients but also laid the foundation for its successful IPO in July 2025.
Woods and her team garnered wide acclaim for the effort, with industry peers recognizing the brand’s clarity of purpose and its ability to navigate massive organizational change in one of the most disruptive moments in modern business history.
Reinventing a Legacy Brand
During her time at Teradata leading marketing and communications, Woods once again demonstrated her ability to redefine perception and accelerate evolution. The organization had long been viewed as a legacy data warehouse provider. To change that narrative, she and her team repositioned it as “The Trusted AI Company,” restoring relevance and distinction in an increasingly cloud-driven marketplace.
At the time, conversations around Responsible AI were already well established. Woods, however, reframed the dialogue by emphasizing that people — not technology — are ultimately responsible for trust. “When responsible people build and guide systems, we create trusted data, trusted platforms, and trusted outcomes,” she explains. “That’s when innovation truly benefits humanity.”
That pivot preceded a broader industry shift. Soon after, companies such as Microsoft began adopting similar human-centered frameworks, validating the approach. By anticipating the conversation and leading with authenticity, her team significantly grew the company’s share of voice and reignited interest in a brand once perceived as trailing its peers.
Beyond perception, Jacqueline Woods’ leadership translated directly into business value. She led the strategic sponsorship transactions with both the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Clippers, aligning Teradata’s AI and data innovation with high-profile partnerships designed to drive fan engagement, brand visibility, and enterprise growth. These collaborations elevated the company’s market presence while delivering measurable commercial impact, strengthening strategic relationships and supporting revenue performance commitments.
Boardroom Leadership: Shaping Strategy and Governance
While her executive roles have shaped industries, Woods sees her board service as equally vital to her mission. She serves on influential boards where governance, innovation, and diversity intersect — and where the decisions made today help define how industries will evolve tomorrow.
“As a board member, you have the privilege — and responsibility — to influence the direction of entire industries,” Woods says. “It’s where strategy meets stewardship, and where the choices you make today determine whether organizations thrive tomorrow.”
She emphasizes that the strength of a board comes not only from expertise but from shared values. As chair of the Compensation and Human Resources Committee and a member of both the Technology Committee, Woods brings a thoughtful, independent perspective to every discussion. “Serving with people who hold the same values is key,” she notes. “It allows for accountability, trust, and truly constructive debate.”
She currently serves on the board of Avaya, a global leader in enterprise communications and collaboration technology, where she helps guide strategy through innovation, inclusion, and governance excellence.
Her peers echo that sentiment. One fellow board member remarked that “Jacqueline Woods has the courage to ask the tough questions — and the grace to do it in a way that invites alignment rather than defensiveness.”
Her work in the boardroom underscores a consistent theme throughout her career: that effective leadership extends beyond company walls, shaping the broader ecosystems in which businesses operate. Through her governance roles, she continues to advocate for inclusion, ethical growth, and responsible innovation — principles that define not only her leadership, but the legacy she continues to build.
Strategic Advisory and the Power of Forward Movement
Alongside her corporate and board leadership, Woods established Tykenwood, a strategic advisory practice focused on helping organizations evolve their market presence for growth acceleration. Drawing on her deep experience with Fortune 100 companies and mid-cap innovators, she advises CEOs and executive teams on how to elevate their positioning, and strengthen engagement across customers, investors, and partners.
Her advisory work builds on decades of experience leading global technology organizations, cross-industry P&Ls, and integrated marketing and communications teams. It enables her to stay close to innovation — shaping how companies express purpose and create measurable business impact.
“The most effective leaders never stop learning — or building,” Woods says. “Through my advisory work, I help companies think forward, adapt faster, and connect their purpose to meaningful outcomes.”
Blending the discipline of enterprise leadership with the agility of a consultancy, Woods continues to help organizations and their executives challenge assumptions, evolve with intent, and earn lasting trust in an ever-changing marketplace.
Amplifying Voice for Change
In the fall of 2026, Jacqueline Woods will release her forthcoming book, Unstoppable: A Strategy to Speak Up, Show Up, and Rise with Purpose, a leadership guide rooted in decades of experience navigating the intersections of business performance, advocacy, and resilience. Both a memoir and a practical playbook, it captures decades of lessons in leadership, advocacy, and resilience — offering a guide for the next generation of leaders, particularly women of color navigating unique challenges in today’s workplace.
At the heart of the book is the M.O.M.E.N.T. Method™, a framework built around ten simple tools designed to help readers amplify their voices, influence outcomes, and lead with intention. The approach blends actionable strategy with self-awareness — helping individuals navigate complex environments, communicate with confidence, and drive meaningful progress.
From the opening chapter, “Unspoken,” to the closing, “Unstoppable,” Woods invites readers to reflect on their own journeys and to define success on their own terms.
“This book is about equipping people not only to survive in complex environments, but to thrive and make their mark,” she explains. “It’s a call to action for anyone ready to step into their purpose and lead with courage.”
Those Who Invested in the Journey
Woods is quick to acknowledge that no leader rises alone. Throughout her career, she has been guided, challenged, and championed by mentors who saw her potential and invested in her growth.
“Every step of my journey has been shaped by people who believed in me — who opened doors, gave honest feedback, and reminded me that courage and curiosity go hand in hand,” she says.
Among those individuals are Safra Catz, former CEO and now Executive Chair of Oracle, who gave Woods countless opportunities early in her career and later encouraged her to soar; David Kenny, Executive Chairman of Nielsen, who championed her nomination to the New York Stock Exchange Board program — a pivotal step in her governance journey; and Judson Althoff, CEO of Commercial at Microsoft, who has supported her leadership path for more than two decades. She also credits Rod Adkins, former Senior Vice President at IBM, as an enduring mentor and advisor whose guidance has shaped her approach to leadership, resilience, and representation in the corporate world.
And closest to home, Woods credits her family — her husband, children, and her mother, who once flew across the country to care for her kids while she traveled for business. Their belief, encouragement, and sacrifice have been constant sources of strength and inspiration throughout her career.
Their faith in her shaped not only her professional journey but also her philosophy of leadership. Today, Woods pays that investment forward by mentoring emerging professionals, especially women and leaders of color, helping them navigate complexity, build confidence, and claim their place at the table.
“The best thank-you you can give a mentor is to become one,” she says. “Every door that was opened for me is a door I intend to keep open for someone else.”
The Future of Leadership
As Jacqueline Woods continues her work in the boardroom, advising C-suite leaders, and preparing to launch her book, her focus remains clear: to help organizations and individuals lead with purpose. She believes the next era of leadership will be defined not by hierarchy, but by intention — by leaders who can unite business performance with human impact.
“Transformation isn’t a one-time event,” Woods reflects. “It’s a mindset — a way of thinking, leading, and building trust in an uncertain world.”
Her journey proves that leadership is not just about reaching the top; it’s about lifting others along the way and creating a legacy of growth, authenticity, and impact.
A Call to Future Leaders
To those rising through the ranks of business, Woods offers both encouragement and challenge.
“Understand how your company creates value — but never lose sight of why that value matters,” she says. “Every great leader must connect purpose with performance. Don’t just fit into the system; evolve it.”
She believes the next generation of leaders must blend analytical rigor with emotional intelligence, embrace difference as a strength, and use their platforms to create meaningful progress. “We are entering a moment when technology, culture, and humanity are converging faster than ever,” she notes. “The leaders who will define the future are those who lead with empathy, data, and courage — in equal measure.”
Her advice is simple but powerful: stay curious, stay principled, and never underestimate the power of your voice.
In a world where evolution never stops, Jacqueline Woods stands as proof that leadership grounded in purpose and integrity can change not only companies, but the industries and communities they serve.
For more on Jacqueline Woods’ work, upcoming book, and leadership engagements, learn more at JacquelineWoods.com.
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