CMOs Unscripted

AI is transforming how marketing operates, but not in the way most people think. In this episode of CMOs Unscripted, Lisa Martin talks with Palo Alto Networks CMO Kelly Waldher to break down how AI is transforming marketing execution, storytelling, and strategy—especially in one of the fastest-moving industries (cybersecurity) in the world. From managing market fragmentation to building and launch...

What if your biggest brand breakthrough didn’t start with marketing…but with a customer? In this episode of CMOs Unscripted , Lisa Martin talks with NetApp CMO Gabie Boko as she breaks down how a long-time customer relationship with the NFL turned into one of the most powerful B2B brand moments in recent years. This wasn’t a typical sponsorship. It started with a customer need and then evolved int...

What does it take to join a company and find out you have 28 days to prepare for an IPO? In this episode of CMOs Unscripted , Lisa Martin sits down with Jean English , CoreWeave ’s first CMO, to unpack what it really takes to build a brand, lead through hypergrowth, and tie marketing directly to measurable business outcomes in the AI era. With a 12-person marketing team, no established brand guide...

In this episode of CMOs Unscripted , host Lisa Martin talks with Brenda Bown , CMO of SAP Business AI , to explore one of the biggest challenges facing enterprise leaders today: turning AI experimentation into measurable business value. Brenda shares a grounded, customer-first perspective on why so many organizations struggle to scale AI initiatives, and what CMOs can do to move beyond pilots and...

In this episode of CMOs Unscripted , host Lisa Martin sits down with Kipp Bodnar , Chief Marketing Officer of HubSpot , to unpack how AI is fundamentally reshaping modern marketing. Kipp has helped build the modern marketing playbook—from the rise of inbound marketing to the MarTech explosion, to the emergence of RevOps, and now the AI-driven era that’s breaking long-standing KPIs and attribution...

What does it really take to create and own a category—especially when you’re competing against tech giants with 1,000x your resources? In this episode of CMOs Unscripted , host Lisa Martin talks with five-time CMO Jason McClelland to unpack the art and science of category creation, modern repositioning, and why technical storytelling may be the most underrated superpower in B2B marketing . From he...

What does it really take to build a resilient brand when change is constant, AI is accelerating everything, and customer trust is the ultimate currency? In the season two premiere of CMOs Unscripted , host Lisa Martin sits down with NetApp CMO Gabie Boko for a candid, unscripted conversation about what modern enterprise marketing leadership looks like. From redefining brand resilience and navigati...

In this powerhouse episode of CMOs Unscripted , host Lisa Martin sits down with Chandar Pattabhiram , one of LinkedIn’s Top 5 CMOs to Follow and now Chief Go-to-Market Officer (GTM Officer) at Workato . Together, they unpack the evolution of modern marketing leadership — from mastering the fundamentals of the C, M, and O to orchestrating full go-to-market strategy across marketing, alliances, enab...

In this episode of CMOs Unscripted , host Lisa Martin sits down with Rena Fallstrom , Head of Communications at Glean and member of the Forbes Communications Council, for a masterclass on the evolving art and science of global communications. With over 25 years in tech—from deep storage to AI—Rena shares hard-earned lessons on how CMOs and marketing leaders can build trust, credibility, and influe...

In this episode of CMOs Unscripted , host Lisa Martin sits down with Madhukar Kumar , a longtime CMO turned CEO and Co-Founder of Robynn , to explore how AI agents, automation, and generative search are redefining modern marketing. From his journey as a journalist in India to building marketing technology in Silicon Valley, Madhukar shares his unique perspective on how “agentic AI” will revolution...

In this episode of CMOs Unscripted , host Lisa Martin sits down with Diana Eadington , chief marketing officer at FE fundinfo , for a candid deep dive into the evolution of B2B demand generation. From moving beyond MQL vanity metrics to working backwards from bookings , Diana unpacks the KPIs that matter, how to operationalize sales–marketing alignment (including owning BDRs), and why agility is n...

Marketing’s impact is often won—or lost—in conversations with the CEO and the board. In this candid episode of CMOs Unscripted , Rico Andrade , General Manager of Commercial at Celigo (and longtime marketing leader), joins host Lisa Martin to unpack how CMOs and marketing execs can align to top-line priorities, communicate value without vanity metrics, and earn the political capital to secure budg...

In this episode of CMOs Unscripted , host Lisa Martin sits down with Evanna Kearins , CMO International at UiPath, for a candid conversation on the complexities of global marketing. Evanna shares how her team is navigating the nuances of EMEA and APJ markets - from cultural and linguistic differences to regulatory hurdles - while scaling integrated campaigns and embracing AI-powered agility. With...

In this episode of CMOs Unscripted , Lisa Martin sits down with “JJ”, Jennifer Johnson , the powerhouse CMO of CrowdStrike , to explore how AI is reshaping marketing strategy, execution, and team culture. JJ shares how her roots in product marketing shaped her leadership style, and how CrowdStrike is leveraging generative and agentic AI to accelerate content creation, personalize customer journeys...

In this episode of CMOs Unscripted , host Lisa Martin welcomes Denise Persson , CMO of Snowflake , to discuss how AI is transforming the marketing function . Denise shares how her team has moved from experimentation to measurable impact, driving efficiencies across content creation, SDR enablement, and pipeline forecasting. With nearly 30 years in tech marketing, Denise offers bold insights into t...

In this episode of CMOs Unscripted , host Lisa Martin sits down with longtime AI in marketing advocate and CMO of Dynatrace, Laura Heisman . With more than three decades of experience building brands and businesses, Laura shares how AI is reshaping B2B marketing - from productivity gains to deeper customer insights- while emphasizing the importance of human potential and community. Laura dives int...

Artificial intelligence is reshaping marketing - and with it, the language we use to connect, convert, and cultivate trust. In this episode of CMOs Unscripted , host Lisa Martin sits down with Emily Foley , Chief Marketing Officer of Cisco Capital, to explore the subtle but powerful influence of words in AI model training. Together, they unpack how marketers can leverage tone, empathy, and intenti...

In this episode of CMOs Unscripted , host Lisa Martin sits down with Mandy Dhaliwal , CMO of Nutanix , to explore how integrated marketing has become a strategic operating model for high-growth organizations. With over 25 years of experience in cloud and software markets, Mandy shares how modern CMOs can elevate marketing from a siloed function to a powerful, company-wide driver of value. Mandy ou...

In this episode of CMOs Unscripted , host Lisa Martin sits down with Ash Parikh , CMO of Trellix, to unpack the essentials of succeeding as a private equity-backed CMO. Ash shares his perspective on the two non-negotiables for every marketing leader: Efficiency and Effectiveness , revealing how data-driven decision-making and results-focused execution set the best CMOs apart. This conversation is...

Welcome to the premiere episode of CMOs Unscripted —a refreshingly candid series where top CMOs share bold insights, unfiltered strategies, and honest conversations that cut through the noise. Hosted by Lisa Martin , this show is designed for marketing leaders looking for real talk, not fluff . In this episode, Lisa sits down with Eric Herzog , a highly accomplished CMO and multi-award winner with...

CMOs Unscripted is the podcast where top marketing leaders ditch the talking points and get real. Hosted by veteran tech broadcaster Lisa Martin, each episode dives into candid, off-the-record conversations with the world’s most innovative CMOs—from startups to Fortune 500s. Expect bold stories, hard-won lessons, and unfiltered insights on brand strategy, AI, data, customer experience, and the eve...