As Chief Marketing Officer at Toast, Kelly Esten leads a mission to give operators, employees, and guests the tools they need for better hospitality. Her approach is rooted in understanding the realities of the restaurant floor where speed, connection, and efficiency determine success. Whether it’s simplifying marketing for owners who “love hospitality, not marketing,” or building rugged hardware suited to a kitchen’s chaos, Esten’s work centers on solving problems that make a real difference. In challenging times, she has championed initiatives like Toast Now, which provided free online ordering and gift card tools during the pandemic, giving thousands of restaurants a financial lifeline. “Most of our clients are independent restaurants,” she says. “They’re someone’s dream.”
Raised in Massachusetts, Esten was a standout squash player before earning her bachelor’s degree in environmental earth sciences from Dartmouth College. She began her career at UBS in sales, finance, and strategy, including a four-year stint in Zurich as chief of staff for the firm’s European wealth management division. After earning her MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, she joined energy technology firm EnerNOC, building its product marketing function and leading enterprise sales. In 2017, she joined Toast, where she has held leadership roles in marketing, pricing, partnerships, and enterprise operations before becoming CMO. Today, she guides strategy for a platform used by more than 100,000 restaurants nationwide.
Esten understands the balancing act between career ambitions and family commitments. During the early months of the pandemic, she and her husband, also a Tuck graduate, shared parenting duties for their young son while leading demanding teams. The experience reinforced her view that leadership is as much about adaptability as expertise. She keeps close ties with a network of peers navigating similar challenges, calling it a “50/50 relationship” at home and in careers. For Esten, helping restaurants succeed is sustaining the communities, traditions, and personal dreams that each establishment represents.