Recap
On Monday, February 23rd, the FCS hosted a MOVES event featuring Heather Netrosio, Managing Director and Head of U.S. Client and Marketing Strategy at RBC Capital Markets. In a discussion moderated by Troy O’Brien of The New York Times, Heather explored topics ranging from AI, performance tracking, and content strategy, to RBC’s positioning in the U.S. as a challenger brand.
From One Market, To Another
The conversation began with Heather sharing her 20+ years of experience in B2C marketing roles at leading American-based financial institutions, including J.P. Morgan and Citi. Coming from this background, she explained the importance of personalizing company messaging for clients while warning against overfragmenting it at the cost of brand credibility and trust. Historical banking institutions with roots dating back more than a century have clear, consistent, and repetitive messaging that allows their brands to maintain a standard of credibility clients can trust. Heather highlighted her work with decades of pre-built trust, which made her appreciate its value in financial services marketing even more.
When she moved over to RBC Capital Markets, Heather had to make some adjustments: she not only pivoted to B2B marketing but also expanded her geographic domain. RBC holds a unique position as a dominant market leader in Canada that is beginning to break into the U.S. market. Unlike the institutions Heather previously worked for, RBC does not have a foothold in the U.S. with a brick-and-mortar presence that traditionally establishes brand recognition and consumer trust. Considering RBC’s challenger brand status, Heather strategized a disciplined, long-term commitment to expertise and performance to establish and bolster brand recognition.
Segmented & Cohesive
Heather emphasized that, in B2B, encompassing sales, trading, and investment banking, trust and credibility are even more critical. However, tackling all of these within a single marketing strategy can be tricky, especially with RBC’s vast reach across diverse financial and investment sectors. Segmentation is essential to resonate with the specific macro-drivers of industries such as healthcare or energy. However, over-indexing on hyper-relevance can dilute brand credibility. Therefore, Heather emphasized maintaining a sense of cohesion is what ultimately protects and builds brand trust. It also establishes a consistent brand narrative across all segments that can be tailored to individual client needs using specific data.
Genuine Content
A different method is required for digital strategy. Heather shared that at RBC, a portfolio approach is used for content. Determining the ‘best’ content channels and platforms varies day to day, so Heather believes the key to success is to treat these outlets as parts of a portfolio that can be managed and refined. This ensures a combination of precise timing and consistent output. That being said, Heather advised prioritizing the substance of the content rather than the reach to force virality. Substantive content often achieves organic virality as a natural byproduct of genuine interaction. This philosophy suggests that authentic connection is a much more sustainable driver of brand awareness than engineered trends.
AI as a Tool
Heather concluded the discussion with her thoughts on the evolving role of AI within the marketing universe and RBC’s internal ecosystem. She shared her initial reservations with adapting to AI, hesitating to incorporate it into her work. After some thought and research, she realized how moving with marketing and trends only will benefit a brand. She acknowledged that when coming to understand AI more, she was most trusting with it and viewed it as a tool that will only strengthen her and her team’s work.
AI is being increasingly incorporated across RBC. Heather’s goal is to educate colleagues on how AI can be applied to their specific roles to provide actual utility. By demystifying the technology and advocating for its use as a tool for assistance rather than replacement, RBC hopes to influence their workforce to use AI while keeping the human expertise that defines the brand.
— This recap is based on reports by FCS Marketing Scholars Evan Butler, Abigail Cristofaro, Allie Kouch, and Juliana Tulio, with editing by FCS Administrative & Communications Coordinator Juliet McAlee
The FCS is excited to continue our Members Only Virtual Event Series with an exclusive interview with Heather Netrosio, Managing Director, Head of U.S. Client & Marketing Strategy, RBC Capital Markets. Join us on Monday, February 23, beginning at 12 noon ET, when Heather will make her debut on the FCS virtual stage following her participation in this year’s FCS Race for Kids Marketing Summit in Stowe, Vermont. Heather will be interviewed by Troy O’Brien, Sales Director, Finance at The New York Times — our programming partner for this event.
Heather is a senior marketing and growth leader who operates at the intersection of strategy, complexity, and scale. As Head of U.S. Client and Marketing Strategy at RBC Capital Markets, she leads brand and client engagement across investment banking, sales and trading, corporate banking, cash management, and research. She partners closely with senior leadership to translate sophisticated institutional capabilities into clear, differentiated narratives that drive growth, engagement, and commercial impact.
Across more than two decades in financial services, Heather has built and scaled institutional brands within highly matrixed global organizations. Prior to her current role, she led the expansion of RBC’s U.S. Capital Markets brand and held senior marketing strategy roles at J.P. Morgan and Citigroup, supporting product launches, acquisition and cross-sell initiatives, and regional growth efforts. Her work increasingly incorporates applied AI and data-driven approaches to content, measurement, and client engagement, with a focus on responsible, practical adoption in regulated environments.
In gratitude to Heather, the FCS will donate $1,000 to the children’s charity of her choice: MSK Kids — the program at Memorial Sloan Kettering that is entirely focused on caring for children, teens, and young adults with cancer, immune deficiencies, and benign blood disorders.
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