Is your annual marketing plan holding you back? What if there's a more agile way to drive growth while staying laser-focused on what matters?

In this episode Karen welcomes Olga Denisova, CMO at GetPhoto.com and a veteran of major tech success stories including Semrush's IPO and Vine's journey to a $15 billion valuation.

Olga shares her bold decision to abandon traditional marketing plans in favour of strategic pillars with 30-90 day horizons – an approach that's helping her team stay nimble and responsive to market changes. From creating dedicated testing budgets to building a remote-first culture across global teams, Olga offers practical insights every marketing leader can implement.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:
✔️ Why traditional annual marketing plans often fail in today's rapidly changing environment
✔️ How to implement a strategic pillars approach focused on 30-90 day planning cycles
✔️ The importance of creating a dedicated test budget separate from your primary marketing budget
✔️ Techniques for building a strong testing culture that drives measurable growth
✔️ Why AI implementations should be customer-focused rather than technology-driven
✔️ Strategies for marketing leaders to demonstrate clear business value in PLG and SLG environments

Join us for this conversation filled with practical takeaways from a marketing leader who's leading global teams and driving growth through a test-and-learn approach that might just revolutionise how you think about marketing strategy.

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing and business leaders in technology.

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Connect with Karen on LinkedIn
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How do you build a high-performing marketing team from the ground up -especially when the stakes are high and the budget is tight?

In this episode of Spotlight on B2B Tech Marketing, host Karen Lloyd welcomes Jerome Stewart, CMO at Conviva, to explore the art of building effective marketing teams in resource-constrained environments.

With experience spanning from Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia to marketing leadership roles at Microsoft, Salesforce, Splunk and now Conviva, Jerome shares invaluable insights on transitioning from enterprise giants to scrappy scale-ups. He reveals how to identify talent that thrives in the challenging start-up environment, his iterative approach to marketing messaging, and why the right team composition matters more than big budgets.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ How to identify and nurture marketing talent that thrives in resource-constrained environments

✔️ The "iron triangle" approach to cross-functional marketing collaboration

✔️ Jerome's philosophy for developing high-performing teams

✔️ How to implement an iterative messaging strategy when building a new brand

✔️ Techniques for evaluating a candidate's ability to create rather than just refine

✔️ How to adapt marketing leadership skills from large enterprises to scale-ups

✔️ Strategies for building differentiation when no one has heard of your company

Whether you're scaling your marketing function, navigating budget constraints, or looking to build a team that can punch above its weight, this episode offers practical wisdom from someone who's mastered the art of doing more with less.

Jerome's approach to iterative messaging and talent selection provides a roadmap for marketing leaders who need to create impact quickly without extensive resources. His insights on identifying people who can truly create (rather than just refine existing work) are particularly valuable for organisations at the critical growth stage.

Don't miss this candid conversation about what really drives marketing performance when the budget is tight but expectations remain sky-high.

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing and business leaders in technology.

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Connect with Karen on LinkedIn
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In today's digital-first world, B2B buyers conduct extensive research before ever contacting a vendor. But how can marketing and sales teams effectively reach prospects who prefer to remain anonymous until they're ready to buy?

In this episode of Spotlight on B2B Tech Marketing, host Karen Lloyd welcomes Stefano Iacono, Marketing Director at 6sense and a seasoned B2B marketing leader with over 17 years of experience. As the first UK hire for 6sense, Stefano has grown a team of 50 people and leads an award-winning ABM operation.

Stefano shares crucial insights from 6sense's research showing that 81% of B2B buyers have already made their decision before speaking to a seller, with the majority of their research conducted anonymously. He explores how marketing and sales teams can identify these signals, understand where prospects are in their buying journey, and engage them at the right moment with the right approach.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ Why defining your Total Addressable Market (TAM) and Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is critical for marketing success

✔️ How to interpret anonymous buyer research signals that occur before prospects contact sales

✔️ Why 84% of B2B buyers purchase from the first vendor they speak with, making timing crucial

✔️ Why traditional MQLs are no longer effective (97% of marketers agree) and what to measure instead

✔️ The importance of understanding buying stages to deliver the right message at the right time

✔️ How to personalize sales outreach based on prospect research signals

✔️ Strategies for implementing account-centric demand generation at scale

Whether you're struggling with lead quality, measuring marketing effectiveness, or aligning sales and marketing teams, this episode offers practical strategies to transform your approach.

By understanding the hidden buyer journey and shifting to account-based metrics, you'll be able to engage prospects at exactly the right moment—when they're most likely to buy.

Don't miss these actionable insights that could fundamentally change how your organization identifies and converts opportunities in today's digital-first B2B marketplace.

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing and business leaders in technology.

Want to know more?
Connect with Karen on LinkedIn
Discover more at armstronglloyd.co.uk
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AI is a hot topic for everyone in marketing right now, with tools like ChatGPT and other generative platforms changing how we work. But can marketers really harness AI effectively while maintaining that essential human connection with customers?

In this episode, host Karen Lloyd welcomes Melody Easton, CMO of Belt Software, to explore the transformative impact of AI on marketing strategies. With over two decades of experience in the tech world, Melody offers a masterclass in implementing AI tools while preserving the essential human elements that drive authentic connection and creativity.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ How AI enables smaller marketing teams to deliver more with less resources
✔️ Practical applications of AI for content creation, social media, and strategic planning
✔️ Techniques for building an effective prompt library for consistent AI outputs
✔️ The importance of balancing AI assistance with human creativity and strategy
✔️ Why human marketing expertise remains crucial even with advanced AI tools
✔️ How to maintain authentic brand voice while leveraging AI for efficiency
✔️ Strategies for training team members to become proficient with AI tools
✔️ Predictions for the future of AI in marketing, including hyper-personalization and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

From building effective prompt libraries to balancing automation with strategic thinking, Melody shares practical insights that marketing leaders can implement immediately.

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing and business leaders in technology.

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Connect with Karen on LinkedIn
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In this episode, host Karen Lloyd speaks with Ana Castrillon, Head of Marketing at Toku, about what it really takes to drive business growth through global marketing.

Ana shares insights from her experience scaling brands across Latin America, EMEA, and the US, exploring key differences in buyer behaviour, the importance of localisation, and whether a repeatable marketing playbook exists for entering new regions.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✔️ The biggest mistake companies make when expanding into global markets
✔️ Why cultural nuances impact sales and marketing strategies
✔️ The difference between translation and true localisation
✔️ How to tailor your go-to-market approach for new regions
✔️ Why enterprise marketing requires a different playbook to SME marketing
✔️ The role of events vs. digital in winning high-value deals
✔️ How to structure your marketing team for international growth

Whether you're a CMO planning international expansion or a CEO looking to understand marketing’s role in global growth, this episode is packed with practical takeaways to help you navigate new markets effectively.

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing and business leaders in technology.

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In this episode of Spotlight on B2B Tech Marketing, host Karen Lloyd interviews John Watton, an international marketing leader who has shaped strategies at tech giants including Adobe, Yext, and VMware.

With extensive experience in building world-class marketing strategies in complex global markets, John shares insights from his transition to a fractional CMO role where he now invests his expertise in helping start-up and scale-up ventures.

This conversation explores explores the challenges of transforming legacy software businesses to a subscription model. Learn valuable strategies for leading customer change, maintaining relevance with flat budgets, and the evolving role of fractional CMOs in today's tech landscape.

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing and business leaders in technology.

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Connect with Karen on LinkedIn
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In this week's episode, we dive deep into the intersection of creative marketing and data analytics with Laura Proctor, Chief Marketing Officer at Summize . Having achieved the role of CMO before turning 40, Laura brings an impressive track record of scaling B2B marketing functions that consistently deliver commercial outcomes.

Throughout her career spanning almost 20 years across high-growth B2B companies including Avecto, AppLearn, and TalkTalk Business, Laura has developed a unique approach to marketing that combines content-driven storytelling with rigorous data analysis.

Tune as we discuss how she built predictable pipeline generation, and scaled marketing impact through innovative campaigns. Discover practical insights on marketing metrics, team structure, and proving ROI. Essential listening for B2B marketers looking to drive commercial revenue and earn marketing a strategic seat at the board table.

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing and business leaders in technology.

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Connect with Karen on LinkedIn
Discover more at armstronglloyd.co.uk
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Welcome to another episode of the Spotlight on B2B Tech Marketing. Today we're joined by Juliette Aiken, CMO of Dotdigital, whose journey from Product Marketing Manager to CMO mirrors the remarkable evolution of the company itself.

As Dotdigital celebrates its 25th anniversary, Juliette shares valuable insights on transforming from a single-product email service provider to a comprehensive marketing automation platform serving global markets.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore everything from the evolving role of product marketing in B2B technology to the challenges of balancing data-driven decisions with creative marketing approaches. Juliette also offers fascinating perspectives on managing diverse buyer personas across generations, the strategic implementation of AI in marketing workflows, and her thoughts on creating safe spaces for constructive conflict in marketing teams.

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing and business leaders in technology.

Want to know more?
Connect with Karen on LinkedIn
Discover more at armstronglloyd.co.uk
Book a call