Guild hires Adam O’Daniel as chief marketing officer

Industry veteran Adam O’Daniel is transitioning to Guild Mortgage as senior vice president and chief marketing officer, a newly created role, after about two years at Open Mortgage, the company announced on Tuesday. 

“We’re going to expand Guild’s brand presence nationally, deliver best-in-class marketing tools, technology and support for our sales teams, and infuse a culture of creativity and collaboration across the brand,” O’Daniel said in a statement. 

California-based Guild, a purchase-focused lender with a distributed retail model, has engaged in mergers and acquisitions to expand its footprint across the country. 

In the third quarter, the company originated $4.3 billion in mortgages, down 4% compared to the previous quarter. But the lender’s gain-on-sale margin rose 22% in the period, and it delivered a $54.2 million net income from July to September, up 47% compared to the previous quarter. 

According to Guild, O’Daniel will “spearhead the company’s marketing and communications initiatives to expand Guild’s brand presence nationally, support the company’s growth, and foster a culture of creativity and collaboration.”  

The executive has more than 15 years of experience in the mortgage and financial services industry. Before joining Guild, he was Open Mortgage’s senior vice president of marketing, responsible for branding and communications. He also served in marketing and communications leadership at Movement Mortgage. 

“He has a successful track record of building high-performing marketing teams in the mortgage industry by focusing on brand storytelling, borrower education, social media and innovation,” Terry Schmidt, CEO of Guild Mortgage, said in a statement.