How to Grow a CMO

Alastair Hussain⁠ welcomes back ⁠Chris Koehler⁠, CMO at Twilio, for the second half of their two-part conversation.  In this episode, Chris and Ali discuss how to shift from talking about point solutions to telling a platform story, their shared passion for pricing, slaying the attribution dragon, and why CMOs need to feel uncomfortable.   How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Pract...

This week on How to Grow a CMO, ⁠Alastair Hussain⁠ sits down with ⁠Chris Koehler⁠, CMO at Twilio, for part one of a two-part conversation.  Chris reflects on his early aspirations, from childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut, to excelling in soccer. He shares how influential mentors have been key to his success, as well as his wife, a psychologist, whose perspective helps keep him grounded. Chr...

On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Alastair Hussain is joined by Aruna Ravichandran, CMO at Webex by Cisco.    Aruna transitioned from a successful engineering career to marketing, driven by a passion for understanding customer needs and the creative aspects of the discipline. In their conversation, she explains how her team navigated the challenges posed by the pandemic – including a majo...

On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Alastair Hussain is joined by Unnikrishnan KP, CMO at Palo Alto Networks.    In a wide-ranging conversation, Unni and Ali discuss how to make sectors like cybersecurity more relatable and engaging (with some help from Keanu Reeves). Unni also emphasizes the need for marketers to be adaptable, curious, and collaborative, and the importance of engaging with...

On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Alastair Hussain is joined by Claire Hockin, CMO at Splunk.    In a fascinating discussion, Claire reflects on a career spent working across the globe, and the lessons learned from exposure to different cultural perspectives and business environments. Claire and Ali also discuss the importance of explaining the strategic ‘ why ’ behind marketing activitie...

On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Alastair Hussain is joined by Kelly Hopping, CMO at Demandbase.  In a wide-ranging discussion, Kelly and Ali talk about why brand identity is like a goalkeeper, what Kelly says is the fastest way to increase marketing efficiency, and how getting the ways of working right between clients and agencies is crucial in creating the best work.  How to Grow a CMO...

On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Alastair Hussain is joined by Kevin Sellers, CMO at Ping Identity.  Kevin and Ali discuss how CMOs can get their CFOs on board, and what it's like to lead marketing at a company that has transitioned from public to private.  Kevin also recalls asking his team to break down the buyer journey for a large deal in an impressive level of detail, and shares...

On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Alastair Hussain is joined by Amy Heidersbach, CMO at DHI Group.  Amy and Ali discuss the evolution of marketing as a discipline in recent decades, and the impact of digital transformation and the speed of decision-making in today's industry. She delves into her current role at DHI, highlighting the importance of understanding both B2C and B2B growth...

On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Alastair Hussain is joined by Brett Hannath, CMO of Intel.  Brett and Ali discuss the complexities of aligning marketing efforts with sales and partner organizations, emphasizing the importance of integrated campaigns, effective content, and leveraging champions within the organization for successful execution.  Brett shares his excitement about advanceme...

On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Alastair Hussain is joined by Paula Darvell, ex-CMO of Snow Software.  Paula and Ali discuss the evolution of the approach to marketing that she led at Snow Software, a shift which contributed to a doubling of revenues and the company's successful acquisition.  Paula also offers practical advice for marketers, stressing the importance of impact, custo...

On episode four of this series of How to Grow a CMO, host Alastair Hussain is joined by CMO of Darktrace, Chris Kozup .    In their conversation, Chris and Ali discuss the challenges of marketing in a rapidly evolving field like cybersecurity, and the importance of striking a balance between fear-based messaging and positive, forward-looking narratives.    Chris also shares his views on leadership...

On episode three of this series of How to Grow a CMO, host Alastair Hussain is joined by Vice President, EMEA Marketing at ServiceNow, Kirsten Cox .    In their conversation, Kirsten and Ali discuss the importance of aligning marketing efforts with sales and understanding the language of different business functions. Kirsten emphasises the value of transparent communication, the importance of soft...

On the second episode of the new series of How to Grow a CMO, host  Alastair Hussain  is joined by CMO at Amdocs,  Gil Rosen .   Gil and Ali discuss Gil’s unexpected journey into marketing, the value of bringing a diverse set of skills and experiences to the discipline, and the importance of having the right conversations with customers.   How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Pract...

On the first episode of the new series of How to Grow a CMO, host Alastair Hussain is joined by Vice President of Global Brand at Neste, Clara Lee.   In a wide-ranging discussion, Clara and Ali discuss the importance of ensuring your external positioning corresponds with your actions as a brand, the importance of retaining a macro perspective on your business, and why focusing on coherence over co...

This bonus episode of How to Grow a CMO is taken from our recent virtual fireside chat on AI. Host: Alastair Hussain, SVP Strategy at The Marketing Practice Guests: Melinda Chan, Head of Marketing, Demand Generation, at Thomson Reuters Joanna Moss, UK&I Director of Executive Programs and ABM at Salesforce Jen Wright, Founder of Rascal Ventures They tackled the big question for many B2B marketi...

On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Ali Hussain is joined by Steve Daheb , CMO at Tanium.  Steve’s career has focused on creating and leading new market categories for a wide range of organisations – from start-ups to public companies with $40B revenue. His experience spans multiple technology areas including all layers of cloud, and he is widely recognised as a B2B tech industry leade...

On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Ali Hussain is joined by Eric Glass , CMO at Ceridian.  Eric’s career has combined both in-house and agency roles, and has seen him work for brands including HP, Yahoo!, LinkedIn, and Workday.   In their conversation, Eric and Ali discuss the value of agency experience in understanding how organisations operate and different industry dynamics. E...

On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Ali Hussain is joined by Heather Dodgers-Rubash , SVP of Marketing at NetSPI.  Heather’s journey into marketing came via stints in journalism and politics, before landing roles at a number of start-up and established tech providers.   In their conversation, Heather and Ali discuss the importance of balancing brand and demand, the power of c...

On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Ali Hussain is joined by Evelina Amanatidou , Global Head of Marketing Communications at Temenos.   Evelina learned about the intricacies of business from a young age. Her father, a CFO, taught her that to fully understand a business, you must understand the numbers, and that marketing was just another ‘lever’ you have to pull to make a company...

On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Ali Hussain is joined by Sandy Mallik, Marketing Lead Northern Europe of PTC.   Sandy has a passion for frugality, born of a necessity to work with with limited budgets in many of his previous roles.  Yet this ‘philosophy of frugality’ is not simply about saving money, but instead focuses on the idea of making the most of your res...

On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Ali Hussain is joined by the CMO of Kinaxis, Margaret Franco .  Margaret has a wealth of marketing and product management expertise from her career in the technology industry, having occupied executive global roles at the likes of Dell, Finastra and AMD. She has recently taken up a new role as CMO at Kinaxis, specialists in supply chain man...

On this new episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Ali Hussain is joined by the CMO of OneTrust, Lisa Campbell .   Lisa has 25 years of experience in the software industry. Her success spans across Fortune 500 companies and startups, where she's collaborated with various leadership teams to revamp brands, introduce innovative products and pioneer new business models. Prior to joining OneTrust, Li...

On the first episode of the new series of How to Grow a CMO, host Ali Hussain is joined by the CMO of Mimecast, Norman Guadagno . Norman is considered one of the most influential CMOs in B2B tech. Starting as a research psychologist, Norman found himself drawn to the world of technology and eventually discovered a deep connection with marketing. He was motivated by understanding human behaviour an...

Brian Goldfarb is the CMO at Tenable. Brian is a highly experienced marketing expert and has held senior roles at GE, JPMorgan Chase, Google, Microsoft and Salesforce. He was previously CMO at Splunk, Chef Software, Amperity and now Tenable. We discuss: Why the CMO role is not all about Marketing How to transform an organisation whilst honouring the past Which areas of Marketing need their myths d...

Lauren Vaccarello is CMO at Salesloft. Lauren has a track record of accelerating revenue growth for the fastest-growing SaaS companies in Silicon Valley. She believes businesses need to tell compelling stories and build a brand if they want to own a category.  We discuss: How marketers use technology in a way that sellers don’t How challenges can help shape a leader Influences past roles have...