2026 GeorgiaCMO ORBIE Awards Celebrate Top Marketing Executives

Leading CMOs honored for leadership, marketing initiatives, and business impact at the GeorgiaCMO ORBIE Awards on November 6, at The Starling Atlanta Midtown.

ATLANTA, Nov. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2026 GeorgiaCMO ORBIE Awards honored leading chief marketing officers (CMOs) from IHG Hotels & Resorts, ZS, PulteGroup, AMB Sports and Entertainment, Goodwill of North Georgia, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, for their exceptional leadership. Hosted by GeorgiaCMO, a chapter of the Inspire Leadership Network, the prestigious awards honor CMOs who drive business transformation and industry impact. View finalists, partners, and more on the Digital ORBIE Feature. 

Held at The Starling Atlanta Midtown, the ceremony brought together top executives and industry leaders to honor excellence in marketing leadership across six award categories.

“Behind every award-winning marketing team is a CMO leading the vision, shaping the strategy, and owning the results,” said Ron McMurtrie, GeorgiaCMO Chair. “The ORBIE Awards is the ultimate recognition program for CMOs that set the standard for leadership, community involvement and brilliant marketing.”

Meet the 2026 GeorgiaCMO ORBIE Award Winners: 

• Heather Balsley, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer, IHG Hotels & Resorts, received the Leadership ORBIE.
• Nicole O’Rourke, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, ZS, received the Global ORBIE for organizations over $1 billion annual revenue & multi-national operations.
• Manish Shrivastava, CMO, PulteGroup, received the Large Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $3 billion annual revenue.
• Ryan Mucatel, CMO, AMB Sports and Entertainment, received the Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $500 million annual revenue.
• Elaine Armstrong, VP of Marketing, Goodwill of North Georgia, received the Large Corporate ORBIE for organizations over $200 million annual revenue.
• Diana Léon Brown, Deputy General Manager of Marketing, Air Service and International Affairs, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, received the Corporate ORBIE for organizations up to $200 million annual revenue.
  
  

About the ORBIE:
The ORBIE is the preeminent executive recognition for C-suite leaders. Since 1998, the ORBIE Awards have recognized leadership excellence, building relationships between executives and trusted business partners, and inspiring the next generation of executives. Finalists and winners are selected through an independent peer-adjudicated process led by prior ORBIE recipients based on the following criteria: 

• Leadership and management effectiveness 
• Business value created by marketing initiatives
• Engagement in industry and community endeavors
  
  

GeorgiaCMO ORBIE Keynote & Attendance: 

The keynote address for the GeorgiaCMO ORBIE Awards was delivered by Cary Bainbridge, CMO, ABM Industries, who was interviewed by GeorgiaCMO Vice Chair, Julie Bowerman. Nearly 200 guests attended, representing leading Georgia organizations and their marketing partners.

The following partners made the 2026 GeorgiaCMO ORBIE Awards possible:

• Underwriter: Between Pixels
• Gold Partners: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Stable Kernel
• Silver Partners: Walker Sands
• Bronze Partners: Datavations and LSKR
• Media Partner: Atlanta Business Chronicle
• Nonprofit Partner: Year Up United
  
  

To learn more about partnership opportunities and how to connect with leading C-suite executives across North America, click here.

About GeorgiaCMO:

GeorgiaCMO is the preeminent peer leadership network of chief marketing officers (CMOs) in Georgia. As one of over 50 chapters of the Inspire Leadership Network, GeorgiaCMO belongs to a national membership organization exclusively comprised of C-suite leaders from public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and nonprofit institutions.

GeorgiaCMO is led by a CMO Advisory Board, with support from an executive director and staff. Underwriter executives support the chapter and ensure the programs remain member-led and exclusive to qualified CMOs and members.

About Inspire Leadership Network:

Inspire Leadership Network is the preeminent peer leadership network of C-suite executives. With nearly 2,000 members across over 50 local chapters, Inspire members serve public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and non-profit institutions. Inspire exists to help leaders thrive in today’s most challenging executive roles.

Media Contact
Nicole Lammes
nicole.lammes@inspirecxo.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bc099d36-4359-4d60-9596-14663881566c

2026 GeorgiaCMO ORBIE Award Winners

Meet the 2026 GeorgiaCMO ORBIE Award Winners