Strategist. Educator. Builder. Twenty years at the crossroads of digital marketing, emerging technology, and the stubborn belief that human creativity is irreplaceable.
"Whatever way you tell your story online can make a difference."
Cristina Peñaloza Morales is a marketing strategist, academic, and AI lab founder with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of digital marketing and technology. Born in Caracas, she studied Software Engineering there before moving to Spain in 2010 to pursue her MBA, an international journey that shaped her global perspective on business, technology, and culture. She holds an MSc in Business Administration and a Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering, a dual foundation that informs her distinctly practical, systems-thinking approach to brand strategy.
Her corporate career spans senior roles at some of the world's most influential organisations: Telefónica, Huawei, and Capgemini. She later founded and led her own digital marketing agency, and served as a committee organiser for TEDxCibeles.
Today, Cristina is an Adjunct Professor at IE Business School, teaching in both the Master in Digital Marketing and the Master in Strategic Marketing and Communication, and serves as Academic Director of the AI Powered Marketing Executive Education programme at IE University. She shapes how the next generation of marketing leaders think about artificial intelligence.
Beyond the classroom, she runs an experimental AI lab focused on content, storytelling, and human–AI collaboration. Her projects include Talking Bits, a series of short AI-driven videos featuring a digital avatar, and Is This Real?, an AI-hosted podcast exploring marketing and emerging technology.
She works globally, speaks fluently in English and Spanish, and holds certifications from HubSpot and Google Analytics. Her approach is direct, rigorous, and relentlessly focused on results.
The practical guide CMOs didn't know they needed. A strategic framework for integrating AI into marketing teams in a way that is practical, human-centred, and sustainable, without losing the brand voice that makes companies matter.
Whether you're a founder, a CMO, or a marketing strategist navigating the AI transformation, this book gives you the tools, the mindset, and the roadmap to lead, not follow.