David C. Edelman

A sought-after advisor on digital transformation and marketing strategy, David developed foundational business concepts such as “The Customer Decision Journey,” and “Segment-of-One Marketing.”  Most recently, he guided Aetna (now part of CVS Health) through becoming a digitally-oriented, customer-centric enterprise. David has been repeatedly recognized by Forbes as one of the “Most Influential CMOs in the World,” and by AdWeek as one of the “Top 20 Marketing and Technology Executives.”  His writing and work has attracted over 1.1 million followers to his LinkedIn blog, and he has delivered dozens of keynote presentations at conferences around the world.

Currently, David is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at HBS. He also advises CEO’s in Health and Marketing Services, focusing on where AI and personalization unlock transformational opportunities. Through his relationship with Halifax Partners, he is a Board member of Stratatech, a vocational school chain, building on his strong interest in education.  

Before Aetna, David built practices for The Boston Consulting Group, Digitas, and then for McKinsey & Company, focusing on global digital transformation.

On the non-profit side, David is a member of the Board of Trustees, and Strategy Committee of The Walnut Hill School for the Arts, and the Board of the American Marketing Association.

The Harvard Business Review featured his cover story on Branding in the Digital Age, and a follow-up article Competing on Customer Journeys.  These have become core reading at business schools and in many marketing departments. He has spoken at top digital, marketing, and health conferences world-wide, and is helping to shape the future of marketing on the “Growth Master” council of the Association of National Advertisers.   

David has an AB in Economics, and an MBA, from Harvard University.

Cases and Teaching Materials

• Edelman, David C., and James Barnett. "Quigley-Simpson & Heppelwhite: The Ad Agency Model in the Age of AI." Harvard Business School Case 523-054, May 2023. View Details
• Edelman, David C. "Pointillist: Building a Business in Customer Journey Analytics." Harvard Business School Case 523-026, September 2022. View Details
• Edelman, David C. "Icario Health: AI to Drive Health Engagement." Harvard Business School Case 523-025, August 2022. (Revised January 2023.) View Details