NCR Corporation - Female Executive of the Year

Company: NCR Corporation, Atlanta, GA
Entry Submitted By:Arketi Group
Company Description: NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a leading enterprise technology provider headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., with 36,000 employees globally. NCR is a trademark of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Female Executive of the Year – Business Products –More Than 2,500 Employees

Nomination Title: Marija Zivanovic-Smith

Marija Zivanovic-Smith is NCR’s Chief Marketing & Communications Officer. She sits on NCR’s Leadership Team, reporting directly to the CEO. Today Marija brings over two decades of international tech-sector experience with deep knowledge in international market access, brand modernization, global digital transformation and growth marketing. As a 13-year NCR veteran, she has played a fundamental role in reimagining NCR’s iconic 137-year-old brand and shifting NCR’s public perception through brand and communications strategy. Last year she provided strategy, governance and oversight as NCR’s COVID-19 Response Task Force executive advisor.

Marija is a sought-after advisor for global roles and initiatives. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of a green hydrogen and green oxygen startup, and the digital agency – Whiteboard. She is the trustee, treasurer and executive sponsor of NCR Foundation, providing corporate governance and oversight. She sits on the board of directors of the Information Technology Industry Council and the Atlanta Women's Entrepreneurship Initiative. Additionally, she is an advisory member on the Forbes Communications Council, sharing her brand storytelling and digital marketing expertise as a contributor. Marija is also an in-demand speaker on financial inclusion, workplace equality and communications strategies.

Recognizing the need to better engage employees, customers and prospects, Marija helped reimagine and modernize NCR’s 137-year-old brand to fit into its software- and services-led strategy. Highlighting its innovative, forward-looking approach to technology, Simple made possible was born. NCR’s new brand presence was represented across 36,000-plus media placements globally in 2019. Shortly thereafter, a pandemic hit.

Leading NCR’s COVID-19 task force, Marija recognized the need to shift narratives to meet employees and customers where they were – rewriting NCR’s corporate narrative to #KeepCommerceRunning. Under her direction, they created a content hub of COVID-19 resources for employees and the community and utilized NCR’s new intranet to educate employees on how to protect themselves and their families. The intranet’s COVID-19 resources have since been viewed more than 138,000 times by 39,000 unique visitors (88% of NCR’s workforce) and have a 91% internal satisfaction rating. Marija spearheaded the transfer of 95%+ of NCR’s office staff to working from home within two weeks.

Wearing yet another hat, she subsequently led the production of NCR’s first virtual investor day in 2020, which resulted in a12% stock price increase in the 24 hours post-event.

Marija and team transformed NCR’s digital marketing infrastructure and content strategy, increasing traffic 717% year-over-year to NCR.com and driving marketing-influenced pipeline revenue to $998M.

Marija’s work to shift brand perception toward the software- and services-led company NCR is today resulted in more than 36,000 media placements, 99 analyst briefings and 30 references in published analyst research. Customers and analysts shared statements such as, “This is not my mother’s NCR!”

Chosen to run NCR’s global pandemic response task force across 150 countries, Marija’s team created a COVID-19 resource hub for customers and communities. More than 140,000 unique visitors have accessed the hub and its variety of resources for banks, restaurants and stores that have helped these businesses #KeepCommerceRunning globally. Marija also began instituting data-driven decision making toreduce enterprise risk. As a result, NCR yielded outstanding Q1 2021 results of revenue up 3% and free cash flow up $118M YOY.

Since overseeing the NCR Foundation, it has donated more than $9 million to non-profits aligned with its mission and purpose. In 2019 alone, the Foundation donated more than $1.4 million to causes in Atlanta, Australia, Belgrade and the Philippines. Marija has used the Foundation to elevate organizations, including Girls Who Code, Women in Technology and Atlanta-based Hollis Innovation Academy.

Marija is passionate about diversity and inclusion and the advancement of women in international business. Last year, she moderated a panel at Money 20/20’s Rise Up Forum on “Women on the Rise: Financial Empowerment for Women Across the Globe.” She is also executive sponsor of NCR’s Black Professionals Forum, which works to advance NCR’s culture of diversity and inclusion.