EP140: Leading Change That Sticks: People, Processes & Platforms With Stuart Goldstein

Leader Generation

In a world where marketing agencies are racing to keep up with rapid change, how do you grow faster without losing your people, your culture, or your edge?

In this episode of Leader Generation, Mod Op’s new COO, Stuart Goldstein, joins Tessa Burg to share his playbook for scaling agencies. With years of experience leading firms through mergers, digital transformations, and process overhauls, Stuart reveals why the real challenge isn’t the technology or the tools—it’s bringing people along for the ride.

Listeners will get an inside look at why Mod Op is uniting specialized agencies under one platform, how to turn skeptics into champions, and the leadership moves that make change stick. From integrating AI across disciplines to avoiding the “shiny object” trap, he offers candid advice and relatable stories that apply to any leader facing transformation.

This conversation delivers practical ways to align people, processes, and platforms—to keep your team motivated and your clients happy. Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op.

About Stuart Goldstein:

As an experienced operations leader with over 20 years of success, Stuart can captain any ship. From start-up to heavyweight, Stuart has helped agencies and organizations pave their path to greatness. His expertise has been instrumental in driving growth and fame for renowned clients such as Johnson & Johnson, Oreo, Coca-Cola, American Express, Novartis, Diageo, eBay, GlaxoSmithKline, Time Warner, and Marvel, among others. And somehow, he still finds a way to drop a joke and take life one day at a time as long as it fits the brief.

About Tessa Burg:

Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].