James Nord, Founder Forh

We haven’t seen the influencer-first CMO yet—but when we do, there will be a reckoning for how advertising budgets are built, spent, and justified.

Few people have been more prepared for that moment than James Nord, Founder & CEO of Fohr—the original influencer marketing company in the U.S.

Since 2012, James has:

• Built a 250,000+ creator network

• Delivered $300M+ in influencer-led campaigns

• Partnered with iconic brands like Dick’s, Marriott & Kohl’s

• Grown a team of 100 humans doing wildly creative, data-backed work

What makes James special (besides having once been Oscar de la Renta’s house photographer and somehow surviving Wall Street)? He gets the creator economy from every angle: business, brand, technology, storytelling—and how it’s all converging.

James isn’t just building tools. He’s shaping the future of how influence is measured and monetized.

And he really, really loves his job.