CMO Chats

Valeria Balaro, CMO at the technology consultancy Star, approaches modern marketing with a balance of strategic discipline, creativity, and deep curiosity. With an 18-year B2B career spanning financial services, market research, and technology, she leads marketing and new business with a sharp focus on growth, ROI, and relevance—particularly as Star expands from its startup roots to serving comple...

Vishal Alagh, Senior Director of Marketing at Datadog, approaches modern marketing as a discipline grounded in focus, clarity, and commercial accountability. Shaped by formative experience at Adobe and leadership roles across global B2B SaaS, he brings a pragmatic view of marketing that centres on one non-negotiable: pipeline as the ultimate measure of impact. He sees today’s marketer as an orches...

Evelyn Swaim, VP of Global Growth Marketing at Seismic, brings a clear view of what modern marketing must deliver: accountable growth, customer-centred engagement, and a demand engine powered by data and AI. She speaks to the importance of balancing intelligent automation with strategic focus, ensuring teams move fast without losing sight of substance. Evelyn also highlights how today’s marketing...

Edyta Malesza-Malatrat, CMO of Symfonia, sees the modern marketer as a balanced strategist who unites commercial discipline with creative ambition. Shaped by early training at Procter & Gamble and global leadership roles at Cisco and SAP, she brings a holistic view of marketing that goes far beyond communications. For Edyta, true value lies in proving marketing’s impact beyond narrow lead metr...

Mark Appel, CMO of Sendcloud, views today’s marketing leader as the champion of customer-centricity, ensuring every decision begins with genuine outside-in thinking rather than product-first assumptions. With 35 years of experience across sales and marketing, he defines success by building a predictable pipeline while deepening value within the existing customer base. For Mark, the greatest challe...

Sameer Shaik, Director of Marketing at Qentelli, views the modern marketer as an Integrator who connects brand, revenue, creativity, and data. He defines success by equipping the sales team with "ammunition" to win the first discussion. Shaik believes the future is human plus AI , where storytelling and empathy balance technology to drive real-time business outcomes. 🎧 Watch the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ f...

Gaurav Tandon, Regional Marketing Head and Global Events Lead at Netcore Cloud, shares his vision of the modern marketer as an integrator who connects product with market, technology with creativity, and brand with revenue. He believes success lies in building predictable, revenue-focused marketing engines and mastering the art of earning attention—the hardest currency today. While AI powers effic...

Sameer Thakkar, VP of Marketing at SAS, defines the modern marketing leader's role as a "Force Multiplier" for the entire business. He emphasizes that all three core marketing pillars—Brand, Demand, and Engagement—are being transformed by AI. Marketers must embrace the convergence of B2B and B2C because the buyer is a "human being" influenced by consumer habits. While battl...

Dorota Martinez, Head of Marketing for ANZ at Tech Data APAC, explores how measurability, self-awareness, and breaking down silos are redefining modern B2B marketing. She emphasizes that marketing’s true purpose is growth, and why the leader must function as a "Connector" to achieve it. For Dorota, success means setting clear KPIs and overcoming the B2B attribution challenge in long sale...

Alexander de Leon, Group Vice President of Marketing at PropertyGuru Group, explores how creativity, courage, and culture are redefining modern marketing. Drawing from his experience at Google, Meta, and HBO, he shares why marketing’s true purpose is growth—and why it takes empowered, hands-on teams to achieve it. For Alexander, success means cutting through bureaucracy, building brands people lov...

Ismael Garcia, Chief Marketing Officer at Civitatis, shares how AI, data, and simplicity are reshaping the modern marketing landscape. He discusses why adaptability matters more than ever as AI transforms creativity, content, and search—and how marketers must balance experimentation with human connection. Drawing on his global experience across tech giants like Microsoft and Google, Ismael emphasi...

Suzana Ristevski, Chief Marketing Officer for Australia and New Zealand at Google, discusses how AI, collaboration, and customer advocacy are shaping the next era of marketing. She shares why growth remains the CMO’s ultimate mandate, how AI enables deeper customer understanding and personalisation, and why breaking silos is key to success. Suzana also reflects on marketing’s evolving role as a co...

Phesephony Naidoo, Marketing Director for ANZ at Concentrix, highlights brand, demand, and customer experience as marketing’s core pillars. She points to data as today’s biggest opportunity, urges clarity in value propositions, including knowing what not to do, and envisions a future where marketing earns its seat at the C-suite table. Her advice: stay curious and embrace diverse paths in the age...

Vivienne Horsfall, Director of Field Marketing, APJ at Transmit Security, shares why authenticity, empathy, and orchestration are at the heart of modern marketing leadership. She reflects on breaking down silos by blending fraud prevention with customer identity, and how executive roundtables create real pipeline impact when sales and marketing align. Vivienne also highlights the growing challenge...

Arunima Mehta, Head of Global Brand Marketing at FSS, shares why success today is defined by action, not campaigns. She reflects on fragmented buyer journeys, the need for always-on engagement, and the impact of flagship events like Simply Payments in driving thought leadership and networking. Arunima also highlights AI as the biggest opportunity for CMOs, accelerating execution while stressing th...

Sue-Ann Prentice, CMO of Fluke Corporation, shares why curiosity and continuous learning are essential traits for today’s marketer. She reflects on positioning marketing as the organisation’s growth engine, aligning with sales where “the magic happens,” and the role of flagship events like Accelerate in strengthening customer engagement. Sue Ann also discusses AI as both an opportunity and a chall...

Sam Shrager, CMO of BCB Group, shares why the modern marketer must act as an Integrator , aligning brand, sales, product, and compliance. She reflects on building stronger sales-marketing relationships, evolving event strategies to deliver measurable ROI, and why CRM hygiene underpins success. Sam also discusses AI as a creative “starter for ten” and the continued importance of networking as marke...

Oliver Otto, Head of Marketing for Broadridge in Asia Pacific, reveals how he is redefining marketing’s role in financial services, balancing global brand building with local relevance and scaling impact through close collaboration with sales. He discusses the shift to intimate, high-value events, the rise of AI-driven insights, and why human connection remains the foundation of sustainable growth...

Euphemia Smith, CMO of AI consultancy Neurons Lab, shares her blueprint for scalable growth, balancing the “dance floor” of hands-on execution with the “balcony” of strategic vision. She unpacks the rise of “tiny teams plus agents,” why branding yourself is the foundation for branding a company, and how optimisation for LLMs is redefining inbound marketing. She also explores cutting through the no...

Jubin Mehta, Global Marketing Director at Capillary Technologies, shares his forward-thinking approach to modern B2B marketing, from pioneering “generative engine optimisation” to embedding first-principles thinking into every strategy. He discusses why AI’s invisibility will raise the bar for excellence, how marketers can thrive in an era with no room for mediocrity, and the CMO’s role as a growt...

Victoria Sampson, Regional CMO at Thomson Reuters APAC, shares how her team is transforming marketing into a strategic growth engine—driven by AI, client-centricity, and bold leadership. She reflects on navigating regional complexity, building future-ready teams, and why today’s CMO must think beyond campaigns to lead business-wide change. 🎧 Watch the full interview and subscribe for more insight...

Om, Head of Marketing at Aaseya, shares his insights on balancing AI-driven scale with human authenticity, and why pipeline integrity, partner alignment, and brand reputation are central to modern B2B success. He also reflects on the CMO’s evolving role as an integrator—and offers practical advice for marketers navigating today’s fast-changing landscape. 🎧 Watch the full interview and subscribe f...

Luca Altieri, VP Marketing of IBM Technology EMEA, shares his global perspective on leading marketing across diverse markets and the evolving role of AI in driving smarter, more personalised campaigns. With a strong focus on client-centricity and aligning closely with sales, Luca highlights what it takes to deliver impact at scale in today’s complex B2B landscape. He also reflects on his unconvent...

Mat Zucker, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Partner at Prophet, shares his unique dual-role journey—advising clients on marketing strategy while leading Prophet’s own brand and performance efforts. With a background spanning creative writing, advertising, and consulting, Mat unpacks what it means to market at “two speeds” and why content is the lifeblood of modern B2B marketing. From launching...

Laura Jenkins , APJ Marketing Director at Smartsheet , shares her journey of building a B2B marketing powerhouse across Asia-Pacific. With over 20 years of experience, she dives into leading with empathy, defining success through sales alignment, and the strategy behind Smartsheet’s Summit event series for pipeline growth and content generation. From brand advertising and user communities to the r...