CMO Therapy

AI can spit out a flawless marketing strategy in three seconds flat. What it can't do is tell you when to trust your gut in the room. That's exactly what this episode of CMO Therapy gets into. Lucy is joined by the brilliant Roopa Ramaiya, who's gone from Canary Wharf banking to Barcelona fintech to construction tech, and never once stuck to one lane. Together they get into the messy,...

Ever feel like marketing success is just about doing more - more channels, more activity, more noise? In this episode of CMO Therapy, Lucy is joined by the brilliant Lauren Berkemeyer, CMO at YuLife, to unpack why that "boil the ocean" approach is quietly wrecking budgets, trust and focus across marketing teams everywhere. They get into: Why high-volume, low-relevance outreach is activel...

Hiring marketing talent has always been hard, but right now it feels like a whole new level of chaos. In this episode of CMO Therapy, Lucy is joined by Conor Coughlan, CMO at Armis, to unpack the slightly painful reality of finding genuinely brilliant marketers in an AI-driven world. Because let’s be honest, everyone looks polished on paper now. CVs are sharper, applications are slicker and AI can...

AI has well and truly landed in marketing teams, and yes, it can be brilliant. It can speed things up, sharpen ideas and help us get more from the content we already have. But it has also unleashed a wave of bland, samey, beige content that sounds suspiciously like… everyone else. In this episode of CMO Therapy, Lucy is joined by Wade Coleman, Head of Brand and Content Strategy at Fiserv, to talk...

In this episode of CMO Therapy, Lucy meets with the brilliant Sinead Willis for a very honest conversation about the messy reality of the modern CMO. Because sometimes the role you’re sold in the interview process and the role you actually walk into are two very different things. Together, they explore why so many senior marketers end up in businesses that say they want strategic marketing leaders...

Being a marketing leader in a big brand is one thing… but stepping into a startup? That’s a completely different sport. In this episode of CMO Therapy, Lucy is joined by Sharon Hergarty, who’s done both - from global giants like Samsung and the BBC to getting properly hands-on as a fractional CMO in a startup where you’re essentially the entire marketing function. Together they unpack what actuall...

In this episode of CMO Therapy, Lucy sits down with the brilliant Mel Barfield, Managing Partner and Brand Voice Lead at Copy or Die, to talk about why tone of voice still matters massively… especially now AI can produce polished content in seconds. We get into why tone of voice is not just a nice little brand exercise or a page buried in the guidelines, but a real leadership choice that shapes tr...

In this episode of CMO Therapy, Lucy is joined by Lucas Bergmans (ex Wise, Moneysupermarket, Cazoo, Heineken, Britvic) to get into one of the most important and most misunderstood relationships in B2B marketing: the one between the CMO and the founder or CEO. It can be energising, messy, brilliant and maddening in equal measure and when it works, it changes everything. Together, they unpack the pa...

In this episode of CMO Therapy, Lucy sits down with expert marketing leader and Brand & Marketing Director at Zego, Ingrid Sierra, to unpack one of the toughest challenges in B2B marketing: what really happens after the contract is signed. Because let’s be honest… once the high-fives fade and onboarding is done, most customers aren’t thinking about you at all. So why is retention so hard, espe...

What does it really take for a 160-year-old brand to stay relevant in a world obsessed with shiny new fintechs, challenger banks and AI-powered everything? In this episode of CMO Therapy, I’m joined by Joe Goldberg, Head of Brand Strategy at Santander UK, for a no-fluff, deeply human conversation about how legacy brands evolve without losing their soul. We dig into why modern banking isn’t about s...

In this episode of CMO Therapy, I’m joined by Paul Taylor who held senior marketing leadership roles at firms like Swift and SS&C, to unpack one of the most misunderstood (and under-invested) growth levers in B2B: customer advocacy. We get brutally honest about why advocacy so often gets reduced to logo slides, rushed case studies and last-minute favours for sales and why that mindset is costi...

In this episode of CMO Therapy, I sit down with Michelle to talk about one of the most misunderstood (and quietly tense) relationships in the C-suite: the Chief Marketing Officer and the Chief Commercial Officer. This conversation was sparked by a debate that really stuck with me about where marketing should sit in an organisation, especially in fast-growing or acquisition-heavy businesses. There’...

Ever been asked “So… are you more brand or demand?” and felt your soul leave your body? Same. In this episode of CMO Therapy, I sit down with the brilliant Smita Gupta to blow up that false choice and dig into what she calls the two-speed CMO – the marketer who can deliver this quarter and build compounding growth for next year. We get into why “brand vs demand” is the wrong question, how to stop...

In this episode of CMO Therapy, we’re diving deep into one of marketing’s most hotly debated topics: how to balance brand investment with the constant pressure to deliver more leads. I’m joined by the fabulous Corin Camenisch, who’s built her career across product, brand, and growth, making her the perfect guide through the chaos. We get into what really happens when your performance engine starts...

Sales and marketing - same team, right? So why do so many companies still treat them like distant cousins who only talk at family reunions? In this episode of CMO Therapy, I chat with Michael Treacy, Director of Marketing and Business Development at OpenPayd, about the art (and occasional chaos) of getting sales and marketing truly aligned. We dig into why alignment isn’t just about passing leads...

What happens when everyone in your company suddenly becomes a marketer? In this episode of CMO Therapy Lucy chats with Sam Schrager, CMO at BCB Group, about what it really takes to keep the engine running when every department, from HR to Product to the CEO’s office, has “just one little idea.” Sam opens up about the chaos of juggling endless requests, managing expectations and keeping marketing s...

Think your content and campaigns are strong? Think again. Because if you’re not nailing distribution, they’re probably falling short. In this episode of CMO Therapy, Lucy sits down with Yoann Pavy, CMO at AI Apply, to unpack the hardest, most under-discussed part of marketing - distribution. Inspired by that killer quote, “A bad product with great distribution makes money. A great product with no...

Closing a deal isn’t about one superstar channel swooping in to save the day - it really does take a village. In this episode of CMO Therapy, I sit down with the brilliant Vanessa Schotes, CMO at Enfuce to talk about why the endless “sales vs. marketing vs. partnerships” debate is holding so many companies back. We dig into the reality that no single GTM channel works in isolation. Instead of play...

Ever looked at your marketing tech stack and thought, “How the hell did it get this bad?” You’re not alone. In this episode of CMO Therapy, I sit down with the brilliant (and brutally honest) Oren Greenberg to unpack why so many marketing leaders end up drowning in tools, silos and false promises. We dig into: - Why so many stacks turn into a Frankenstein monster of overlapping tools - The cultura...

The world of marketing has shifted and one of the biggest changes we’ve seen is the rise of the fractional CMO. In this episode of CMO Therapy, I sit down with the brilliant Lucy Woolfenden to dig into why so many senior marketers are choosing this path and why more companies are embracing it. We chat about what’s driving the boom (hello, unpredictable economy!), the real value fractional CMOs bri...

What does growth actually look like across different company stages? And why do so many CMOs and CEOs get it wrong? In this episode of CMO Therapy, I sit down with the absolutely awesome Irina Chuchkina to unpack how marketing strategy should evolve as a business scales, from scrappy startup to polished scaleup and beyond. We dig into misaligned expectations, chaotic Slack messages, undercooked pr...

Partner marketing: powerful strategy or PR vanity project? In this episode of CMO Therapy, I'm joined by the fabulous fintech marketing leader Yuliya Muir to dive into the real work that should happen before anyone hits "publish" on that shiny press release. We get into the nitty-gritty of what makes a great partnership, from aligning on ICPs and co-owning go-to-market plans, to navi...

Ready for a dose of real talk about squiggly careers and breaking through glass ceilings in marketing?  In this episode of CMO Therapy, I sit down with the fabulous Betsy Samuel to unpack the twists, turns and triumphs of a marketing leader’s journey. Betsy shares candid stories from her “one-person-band” early days in FinTech, the bold leaps that shaped her career and why embracing uncertainty ca...

In this episode, we’re diving into one of the hottest debates in marketing: does brand or revenue get the trophy? I’m joined by Keith Povey, who’s spent over two years as Director of Revenue Marketing and trust me, he’s got the battle scars and the wisdom to prove it! We unpack what it really means to balance brand building with revenue-driving tactics, especially when your KPIs are all about new...

What’s it really like working in a big marketing team at a large company? In this episode of CMO Therapy, Lucy sits down with the brilliant Nicola Harley, Head of Global Content at Morningstar, to unpack the highs, the lows and everything in between. We chat about the perks - think structured career paths, specialist roles and (sometimes) bigger budgets - but also the politics, long approval chain...