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 both external and internal sources for fresh ideas. 

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com 

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 activities, and why fostering a sense of community within a brand is critical. 

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com 

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 consistency is vital when marketing across different territories. 

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com 

To see how we created a campaign for Neste, a global leader in renewable fuels, that put the afterburners on results with recall figures of 90%, read the case study: https://bit.ly/4dbCTfw 

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 marketing leaders: how do you stand out in a world where every B2B organization wants to talk about ‘AI-powered solutions’?

Stay tuned for another series of How to Grow a CMO. Coming soon.

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 leader. 

In their conversation, Steve and Ali discuss topics including the role of the CMO in taking a company public, the importance of building teams with diverse skill sets, and the benefits of telling marketing stories using customer insights.  

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com  

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. Eric also describes the challenges of prioritising resources and staying focused on marketing goals, while emphasising the strong relationship that has to exist between marketing, sales, and product teams. 

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com  

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 cultivating strong interpersonal relationships within teams, and how collaboration is critical to the successful delivery of projects. 

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com  

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 successful. 

She describes putting together a fast-growing marketing team at Temenos as like putting together an orchestra; as well as making sure everyone has the right instruments, they equally must know how to play music together. 

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com 

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 resources, whether through re-purposing assets, or using internal staff for various opportunities outside of their immediate role.  

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com 

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 management and sales and operation software.* 

She is passionate about demystifying complex technology solutions for customers and businesses, and sees her role as that of a change-agent who helps organisations transform and create business advantage.

*This episode was recorded whilst Margaret was in her previous role at Finastra.

 How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com 

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, Lisa spent 18 years at Autodesk, where she played a pivotal role in driving the company's marketing efforts. She also serves as an independent board director at Dropbox.

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com 

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 and challenging the perceived needs of individuals, and soon became passionate about making a difference in his field. 

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com

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 is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com 

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:

1. Why the CMO role is not all about Marketing
2. How to transform an organisation whilst honouring the past
3. Which areas of Marketing need their myths dispelled
4. Deepening the relationship between brand and demand

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

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:

1. How marketers use technology in a way that sellers don’t
2. How challenges can help shape a leader
3. Influences past roles have on a CMO’s skillset
4. Getting the most out of your resources in a tough economy
5. The role of brand in building world-class marketing organisations

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

Dipti Kachru is CMO at Broadridge. Dipti’s marketing career has specialised in financial services,  including wealth management, banking and asset management, having held senior positions at Chase Bank, JP Morgan and Oppenheimer Funds. 

Broadridge is a global fintech leader with $5 billion in revenues. They help clients capitalise on what’s next with communications, technology, data and analytics to drive their business forward. 

We discuss:

1. The value of purpose and diversity 
2. Principles that unite Marketing, Sales and Product teams
3. Taking a holistic approach to brand and demand
4. The advice Dipti always comes back to

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

Mandy Dhaliwal is the CMO at Nutanix, the industry-leading hybrid cloud infrastructure platform.

Mandy has 25 years of experience driving growth and innovation strategies across the cloud and software markets and building high-performing organisations. 

Before Nutanix, Mandy was CMO at Boomi, planning and executing the company's global go-to-market, brand presence, product marketing and demand generation functions.

We discuss:

1. A marketing career led by a passion for learning
2. How life outside work shapes the leadership skills of a CMO
3. Building a team to meet marketing objectives
4. What you can learn from working for companies of all different sizes

Peter Alexander is the CMO at Check Point Software, a leading provider of cyber security solutions to governments and corporate enterprises globally. 

Peter specialised in demand generation to highly targeted audiences, with a background in marketing, engineering and sales. 

He has managed multi-billion dollar product lines and global marketing execution, to B2B and consumer audiences.

We discuss:

1. How to structure a team to fulfil the role of marketing
2. The value of behavioral science in marketing
3. The best ways to approach testing creative ideas
4. How data supports the challenge of ‘moving fast enough’

John Watton is the VP of Marketing at VMware. John has led global and European marketing teams in tech companies big and small, including Microsoft, Adobe, Expedia, SAP and Oracle. 

John has also been recognised for his achievements by Hot Topics Top 100 and Top 10 UK Most Engaged Marketers on LinkedIn. Additionally, he’s also an investor in cleantech and eco brands.

We discuss:

1. Marketing a brand's vision for the future
2. Powerful marketing philosophies to flourish sale pipelines
3. How to maximise your time with stakeholders
4. The hallmarks of a strong working relationship

Milesh Gogad is CMO at Indegene, a digital-first life sciences commercialization company. They help life sciences companies develop products, get them to the market and grow their impact through the life cycle in a more effective, efficient, and modern way.

Milesh was previously CMO at GE Aviation Digital before joining Indegene in 2020.

We discuss:

1. The role of marketing and how it is used at Indegene
2. How to articulate the value of brand to your leadership team
3. What building a purpose-driven brand is all about
4. How to implement and build strong team culture

Gabriela Henault is a first-time CMO at AlphaSights, the global leader in knowledge on-demand. Gabriela is currently responsible for building up the global marketing function. 

Before her role at AlphaSights, she spent 13 years at Prophet, where she managed the Brand & Activation practice in EMEA, led global client engagements and business development efforts and served on the European Leadership team. 

We discuss:

1. Her expectations of the CMO role before becoming one
2. The challenges young people face coming into the world of work
3. The importance of domain expertise in tech and how it propelled her career
4. How AlphaSights' mission and vision have manifested in brand messages

Carolyn Henry is the Vice President and General Manager of Americas Regional Marketing at Intel Corporation 

She is responsible for Intel’s exciting marketing activations across Canada, the United States, and Latin America. She leads a group of 70+ marketers across consumer, commercial, and gaming segments as well as enterprise and data centre marketing.

Carolyn has over 20 years of experience making the complex simple, distilling core messages, communicating, delivering results and leading high-performance, high-impact teams.

We discuss:

1. Where the company is today and the role of marketing within Intel
2. The power of sales and marketing working together
3. Why a B2B career is now really exciting
4. The marriage between the top and bottom of the funnel
5. Challenges women rising through the ranks are facing

Rachel Fairley is the Global Vice President of Brand Marketing at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).

Rachel is leading the repositioning of the HPE brand to be the Edge-to-cloud leader, delivering a data-driven strategy to drive from brand to revenue.

For over 20 years, Rachel has led marketing at several well-known B2B brands and agencies such as Landor, Sage, Oracle and now HPE.  Additionally, she was recently named a Top 100 B2B Marketing Leader in Technology Hot Topics.

We discuss:

1. The crucial levers to effective brand building
2. Acquiring new customers vs building valuable relationships
3. The effectiveness of increasing brand loyalty or increasing penetration
4. The power of ‘emotional messaging’ vs rational messaging

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 what he learned from a memorable meeting he once had with a certain Mr. Steve Jobs. 

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com 

Jill Murray is the CMO at Arcadis. With extensive experience in global marketing and communications, she's transformed the team to focus on the value they can bring to the business. 

Based in Amsterdam, she was chosen to be one of only 25 Marketing Leaders in Europe to be part of the cohort for the 2022 Marketing Academy Fellowship, offered in partnership with McKinsey.

We discuss:

1. The role of sustainability and purpose
2. Arcadis' approach to driving demand and balancing brand
3. Her approach to building world-class marketing teams
4. How to nurture teams in challenging environments

Iris Meijer is the CMO at Verizon Business. She has worked across the world for several leading industry brands.

Including Vodafone, where she was CMO for the B2B business. Before that, she was VP of marketing and comms at Nokia, where she helped to generate over a billion dollars in revenue. 

Iris also holds a Master of Science from the Aalto School of Business in Finland and is famous for introducing the Finish concept of “Sisu” to Verizon.

We discuss:

1. Her marketing philosophy and the Sisu mindset
2. How Verizon Business positions itself and solves customer problems
3. Translating B2C awareness into a B2B proposition
4. The importance of brand marketing vs demand gen

Brian S. Rowley is the VP of Marketing at Panasonic Connect North America. He is also a speaker, podcast host and creative storyteller.

Brian leads programs and campaigns that support the digital transformation of a 100-year-old brand from a hardware-focused company to a B2B solutions-based organisation.

Panasonic Connect is a B2B company offering device hardware, software, and professional services for the connected enterprise.

We discuss:

1. The role of marketing within Panasonic Connect
2. How brand and demand work together
3. The benefits of including diverse perspectives in your team
4. How to attract and keep top talent
5. The challenges of repositioning the Panasonic brand

Meenu Bagla is CMO at Cyient, a Global Strategy and Marketing leader with proven success in building and transforming Strategy and Marketing functions. 

She has over two decades in the technology industry, from start-ups to mid-sized IT firms, large MNCs and Indian IT giants like Tech Mahindra, Wipro and Oracle.

We discuss:

1. The role of marketing at Cyient today
2. How technology has transformed B2B Marketing
3. How the role of marketing has changed over the years
4. The success factors that lead to outperformance for a CMO
5. The role of a CMO - ‘The Chief Connecting Officer’

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

David van Schaick is CMO at The Marketing Practice, a career B2B marketing strategist. He’s helped the likes of Microsoft, O2 Telefonica, Xerox, ServiceNow, Salesforce, Sage and Citrix achieve some of their biggest marketing goals. 

The Marketing Practice is a global, integrated B2B marketing agency that brings together all the skills you need in one place to design and run marketing programmes. 

We discuss:

1. An overview of how the role of the CMO has changed
2. How the best CMOs lead their teams
3. The parts of the CMO role that are ‘not as they were sold’
4. What can be expected from season 2 of How to Grow a CMO

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

Leslie Henthorne is the SVP of corporate marketing at Twilio.

She has helped scale a world-class marketing team which has helped take the business from over $800M in pipeline attribution to over $1.3B in 2021. 

Over her 8 years with the company, she has held several senior marketing positions and seen the company grow into one of the darlings of Silicon Valley with over 8000 people in 26 countries.

We talk about:

1. The role of the SVP of corporate marketing at Twilio
2. How the role of the CMO has changed over the past 10 years
3. How to show up as the CMO you want to be 
4. Her approach to building world-class marketing teams
5. How to reset your brand as a marketer

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

Catriona Walkerden is the Vice President of Global Marketing at Logicalis, a leading digital transformation enabler and Cloud Managed Services Provider. 

Catriona has had an impressive career in technology that spans over two decades, serving innovative IT brands like Cisco, Oracle, Sybase, Whispir, Optus and now Logicalis.

She is also passionate about elevating women in IT to reach their potential.

We discuss:

1. How she structures her marketing team with the right mix of skills
2. The most significant changes in tech and diversity
3. How the role of the B2B marketing leader will change
4. Tackling marketing challenges at various growth stages

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

Becca Toth is VP of Marketing at Hyland. She has had a rich career in enterprise software. Her skill set includes building high-performing teams, Global marketing strategy, Demand generation and business planning.

Hyland is a leading content services provider that enables thousands of organisations to deliver better experiences to the people they serve.

We discuss:

1. The most beneficial leadership principles
2. Who’s responsible for the brand, and staying on top of it
3. Her thinking behind personal growth
4. The top things B2B marketers need to focus on in upcoming years

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

Ciricia Proulx is the CMO at Ericsson North America, she is a marketing leader with the full breadth of skills from strategy, brand and messaging, to co-marketing, channels and digital Campaigns.

Ciricia has a powerful combination of strong technical knowledge and exceptional marketing expertise from cloud to edge, 5G to AI, as well as big and complex ideas. 

Before Ericsson, Ciricia held senior roles at Facebook and Intel. 

We discuss:

1. How she approached navigating her 20-year career in marketing
2. How Ericsson has evolved over the last 15 years
3. Structuring a marketing team with the right mix of skill sets
4. How to attract and keep top talent

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

Carol Howley is the Global Marketing Director at Canonical. 

She has had a 15-year career in the digital and technology space for established businesses and start-ups specialising in operational strategy, developing people, building teams, marketing, communications, and branding. 

We discuss:

1. What she learned leading growth for the scale-up Skyscanner 
2. How she builds high performing teams 
3. The role marketing should play in modern B2B organizations
4. How she balances self-care with a busy work and home life

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

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 dynamics within a marketplace business. 

Amy also emphasizes the importance of structure and collaboration in achieving marketing goals, while providing insights on fostering effective partnerships with agencies to ensure mutual success. 

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com 

Emma Roffey is the VP of Marketing for EMEA at Cisco. 

She started her career in IT Publishing, she left publishing in 2000, having won IT Publisher of the Year for the launch of the weekly newspaper, IT Week.

Emma has a string of impressive achievements and is known for her creativity, energy and passion. Her personal mantra is 'fit body, fit mind'.

We discuss:

1. What she learned growing up in sales / Pitching Alan Sugar!
2. Taking responsibility for your own career 
3. How she gets importation from football managers
4. Lessons from ducks and penguins 
5. And why she likes the bottom-up approach

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

David Turner is the CMO and Growth Champion at IRIS Software Group. 

He is an experienced data-led marketer with experience in Cloud and SaaS software and high tech marketing having led Unit 4, Netsuite and now Iris. 

David has a deep understanding of all aspects of marketing from strategy and branding to international demand generation, digital marketing, product marketing and new product development.

We discuss:

1. Growing private equity technology brands
2. The power of having a single brand instead of multiple brands
3. Balancing the importance of lead gen and brand building
4. The relationship between marketing and innovation

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

Allyson Klein is the Vice President of Global Communications at Micron. She has led global marketing and communications for Fortune 500 brands including Intel where she spent 24 years.

Allyson has a deep knowledge of the semiconductor industry. She is a recognised leader across many marketing and communications disciplines from brand to digital and partner marketing.

We discuss:

1. The importance of using the right strategy
2. How to approach professional development
3. The relationship between marketing and innovation
4. How an aspiring marketer can step up to CMO

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

Melinda Chan is the CMO of the Corporates Division of Thomson Reuters (TR). For over 15 years she has helped craft world-class brands.

Melinda has held senior Roles from Procter & Gamble, Unilever, intuit and now Thomson Reuters. She has a track record of success, launching new brands, accelerating sales and profit growth through data-driven analytics, customer insights and lifecycle marketing.

We discuss:

1. How to approach segmentation and targeted marketing
2. The hallmarks and core values of a great leader
3. The principles of B2C marketing that can be applied to B2B
4. D&I within the industry and her experience developing her career
5. Balancing the competing pressures of work with a family lifestyle

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

Nigel Williams is the Chief Strategy Officer at Kingpin Communications, a leading B2B technology agency. 

Before moving agency side Nigel served as CMO at Quadrotech, a pioneer in email migration and Microsoft 365 management. There Nigel had the usual CMO responsibilities from brand to Demand generation. He is also a long-serving Sirius Decisions practitioner and spent 12 years in Field Marketing before becoming a CMO.

We discuss:

1. How he divides his time as a CMO
2. Inspiring teams to deliver results
3. Balancing short and long term priorities
4. Honest self-appraisal as CMO
5. How to enable effective decision making

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by CMO Crowd and The Marketing Practice

Find out more at cmocrowd.com

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 advancements in AI and entertainment technologies, and reflects on the value of maintaining an openness to new ideas and opportunities throughout his career. 

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com 

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, customer focus, embracing change, and transparent communication with teams and stakeholders - including fostering strong relationships with CFOs and IT departments. 

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com 

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 and the various roles of the CMO, and identifies data as a significant challenge and opportunity for marketers.

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com 

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 software in today’s world, and why brands should avoid the temptation to continuously re-invent the wheel in response to new technologies.  

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com 

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 Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com

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 Practice - the global marketing agency for B2B technology brands. To find out more, visit ⁠https://www.themarketingpractice.com. 

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. Chris also opens up about overcoming imposter syndrome and the power of preparation when it comes to public speaking. 

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global marketing agency for B2B technology brands. To find out more, visit ⁠https://www.themarketingpractice.com⁠. 

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 major Webex rebrand –  and the importance of leveraging innovative marketing strategies and partnerships, referencing Webex’s recent collaboration with McLaren Formula One. 

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global leader in B2B technology marketing. To find out more, visit https://www.themarketingpractice.com 

In Part 2 of our chat with Sally Croft, CMO Europe & LATAM at Ericsson, we explore her strategic mindset and bold approach to B2B marketing. Sally shares how curiosity and constraint have shaped her campaigns—from using Teslas to unconference an engineering event, to rethinking ROI for relationship-driven initiatives. She talks about moving beyond “random acts of marketing,” the power of FOMO in B2B, and why advocacy is her secret weapon. 

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global marketing agency for B2B technology brands. To find out more, visit ⁠https://www.themarketingpractice.com. 

In Part 1 of our conversation with Sally Croft, CMO Europe & LATAM at Ericsson, we dive into her extraordinary personal journey—from growing up in a working-class family outside London, to becoming a teenage mum at university, and ultimately rising to the top of the marketing world. Sally shares how early challenges shaped her resilience, why she believes B2B marketing should never be boring, and how purpose-driven thinking guides her leadership.

How to Grow a CMO is brought to you by The Marketing Practice - the global marketing agency for B2B technology brands. To find out more, visit ⁠https://www.themarketingpractice.com.