Guild Mortgage Company has selected Wendy Wong as its first senior vice president and chief marketing officer to support its national growth plan. As Guild’s first-ever chief marketing officer, Wong will lead the transformation of Guild into a vibrant and recognized brand that reflects Guild’s purpose-driven culture and that fully leverages customer engagement opportunities in a digital world.
“Wendy will play a central role in Guild’s social media outreach, new Web site design and implementation, improving organizational efficiency and transforming Guild’s digital presence,” said Mary Ann McGarry, president and CEO of Guild Mortgage. “She leads digital marketing, brand narrative, storytelling and sales enablement through marketing technology, which will be vital to supporting our strategic growth plans for 2017 and beyond.”
Guild continued its traditional strength in purchase loans in the first half of 2016, with volume reaching $4.8 billion–or 70.5 percent of all loans–up eight percent from $4.4 billion and 66 percent in 2015. The growth continues a trend started in 2010. Over the last five years, loan volume has more than tripled from $4.1 billion and Guild has expanded from its Western base with 75 branches in 16 states in 2010 to 234 branches in 25 states at the end of 2015.
“I enjoy every aspect of marketing management, from setting strategy and providing creative direction, to measuring results,” said Wong. “I like to leverage brand to drive a sense of common purpose across the entire organization.”
Wong joins Guild with experience as a senior marketing executive and steward of customer experience and workplace culture. She was senior vice president of marketing at The Ken Blanchard Companies, a global leadership development brand. Previously, she was director of digital marketing at Fair Isaac Corporation (now FICO), and led company strategy and brand reinvention at HNC Software and Dun & Bradstreet. She is a board member for Berrett-Koehler Publishing Group, based in Oakland, Calif. Wong’s innovation and leadership have been recognized through several awards, including Platinum and Gold Marcom Awards in video and documentary in 2015, Summit International’s Leader Award in 2013, American Business’s Stevie Award in 2013 and Best in Biz’s Silver Award for “2012 Event of the Year.”
