Advent International Appoints Seth Farbman as Marketing Operations Advisor

Former CMO of Spotify and Gap Inc. to drive growth across portfolio with strategic, insight-led marketing initiatives

Advent International (“Advent”), a leading global private equity investor, today announced the appointment of Seth Farbman as an Operations Advisor focused on marketing. A seasoned marketing leader, Farbman will collaborate closely with Advent’s Portfolio Support Group and leadership teams at companies within the portfolio to translate deep category, consumer, and competitive insights into actionable product, brand, and marketing strategies to drive transformation and growth across Advent’s portfolio.

“Seth has a talent for blending data-driven insights with creative vision, which has delivered strong results for some of the world’s most iconic brands,” said Marco Mendes, Managing Director and Head of the Portfolio Support Group at Advent. “His expertise in driving category creation, uncovering growth opportunities, and shaping differentiated brand strategies – while fostering cross-functional collaboration – will be valuable in helping our portfolio companies strengthen their distinct market positions and achieve their full potential.”

Farbman brings decades of experience as a transformational marketing executive, having led some of the most influential brand evolutions in both the technology and retail sectors. As the founding Chief Marketing Officer at Spotify, he helped scale the company into the world’s largest music streaming platform, building it into one of the top three global technology brands and helping pave the way for its successful public offering. Prior to Spotify, Farbman served as Chief Marketing Officer at Gap, Inc., where he led the company’s turnaround by revitalizing its brand positioning, reconnecting with younger audiences, and expanding into key international markets, including Japan, China, the UK, and the EU. He has been recognized as one of the “Most Influential CMOs” by Forbes.

“After many months of discussions, I am so impressed with Advent’s focus on developing growth companies and its commitment to providing real strategic and operational support to its diverse and dynamic portfolio. I have been equally impressed with the quality and integrity of the people I have met at Advent,” said Farbman. “I am excited to share my experiences creating new categories, differentiating product offerings, and connecting brands to global culture with Advent’s portfolio companies. For me, helping founders and leaders see new possibilities and potential for their business is deeply rewarding work.”

In addition to his leadership roles, Farbman has recently advised high-growth technology companies such as Coinbase, Back Market, and Peloton, where he helped refine brand strategies, build new marketing functions, and scale to international markets. He currently serves as an Executive Fellow at Yale University’s School of Management and is on the board of Dashlane, where he also previously held the role of interim CEO.

About Advent International

Advent is a leading global private equity investor committed to working in partnership with management teams, entrepreneurs, and founders to help transform businesses. With 16 offices across five continents, we oversee more than USD $91 billion in assets under management* and have made 430 investments across 44 countries.

Since our founding in 1984, we have developed specialist market expertise across our five core sectors: business & financial services, consumer, healthcare, industrial, and technology. This approach is bolstered by our deep sub-sector knowledge, which informs every aspect of our investment strategy, from sourcing opportunities to working in partnership with management to execute value creation plans. We bring hands-on operational expertise to enhance and accelerate businesses.

As one of the largest privately-owned partnerships, our 660+ colleagues leverage the full ecosystem of Advent’s global resources, including our Portfolio Support Group, insights provided by industry expert Operating Partners and Operations Advisors, as well as bespoke tools to support and guide our portfolio companies as they seek to achieve their strategic goals.

To learn more, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.

*Assets under management (AUM) as of December 31, 2024. AUM includes assets attributable to Advent advisory clients as well as employee and third-party co-investment vehicles.

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