


Marketing Blueprint
The CMO Interview Series
Get career tips and business strategies from true marketing leaders
Every CMO, every Marketing Leader is unique with a personal path that brought them to the top. In Marketing Blueprint we unearth the secrets of Marketing success through interviews with Marketing Leaders who've managed their way up to the top. We talk about career paths, building a personal brand, building efficient strategies, constructing a network and everything that makes an individual successful in marketing. So join us to learn from the very bests in the industry!


ALL EPISODES

Alexandra Sommer
Navigating Leadership & Entrepreneurship with Alexandra Sommer. Tune in to discover her approach to managing teams, taking risks, and fostering a culture of trust and collaboration.
Learnings:
- The Role of Mentorship in Career Growth: Discover how finding the right mentor can shape your early career and provide the confidence to take on leadership roles, even when you’re young and managing older, experienced teams.
- The Importance of a 360° Approach to Marketing: Learn why exploring different facets of marketing—from events to business development—can accelerate career advancement and prepare you for strategic roles like Marketing Director.
- Balancing Risk and Innovation: Gain insights into why taking calculated risks and operating “under the radar” can drive innovation, especially when working within structured organizations.
- Leadership Through Trust and Collaboration: Understand Alexandra’s leadership style, centered around trust, open communication, and leading by example—whether it’s working alongside teams or being available to offer guidance.
- Daring to Venture into Entrepreneurship: Hear about Alexandra's journey into entrepreneurship, the challenges she faced, and why she believes in embracing mistakes as a key to growth.
- The Role of Mentorship in Career Growth: Discover how finding the right mentor can shape your early career and provide the confidence to take on leadership roles, even when you’re young and managing older, experienced teams.
- The Importance of a 360° Approach to Marketing: Learn why exploring different facets of marketing—from events to business development—can accelerate career advancement and prepare you for strategic roles like Marketing Director.
- Balancing Risk and Innovation: Gain insights into why taking calculated risks and operating “under the radar” can drive innovation, especially when working within structured organizations.
- Leadership Through Trust and Collaboration: Understand Alexandra’s leadership style, centered around trust, open communication, and leading by example—whether it’s working alongside teams or being available to offer guidance.
- Daring to Venture into Entrepreneurship: Hear about Alexandra's journey into entrepreneurship, the challenges she faced, and why she believes in embracing mistakes as a key to growth.

Michael Rolland
Join CMO Michael Rolland as he shares his unique journey from IT engineer to marketing leader, revealing how technical expertise, adaptability, and strategic thinking shape modern marketing success.
Learnings:
- Career Flexibility: Michael’s transition from IT to marketing highlights the importance of being open to new opportunities and leveraging existing skills to shift career paths.
- Tech Advantage in Marketing: An engineering background provides a competitive edge in understanding complex technical products and digital transformations, enabling marketers to better connect with their audience's needs.
- Strategic and Analytical Shift: Today’s CMOs must balance creativity with data-driven decision-making, proving the ROI of marketing initiatives through precise analytics.
- Balancing Leadership and Delegation: Success as a marketing leader involves guiding teams while knowing when to step back and let them take ownership, fostering growth and innovation.
- Importance of the Right Environment: Choosing a stimulating work environment is key, as it allows for personal and professional growth, especially when navigating through diverse roles and responsibilities.
- Career Flexibility: Michael’s transition from IT to marketing highlights the importance of being open to new opportunities and leveraging existing skills to shift career paths.
- Tech Advantage in Marketing: An engineering background provides a competitive edge in understanding complex technical products and digital transformations, enabling marketers to better connect with their audience's needs.
- Strategic and Analytical Shift: Today’s CMOs must balance creativity with data-driven decision-making, proving the ROI of marketing initiatives through precise analytics.
- Balancing Leadership and Delegation: Success as a marketing leader involves guiding teams while knowing when to step back and let them take ownership, fostering growth and innovation.
- Importance of the Right Environment: Choosing a stimulating work environment is key, as it allows for personal and professional growth, especially when navigating through diverse roles and responsibilities.

Jean-Philippe Timsit
In this engaging interview, I sit down with Jean-Philippe Timsit to discuss the evolving landscape of marketing and the skills required for success. Join us to explore thought-provoking perspectives on education, continuous learning, and the future of marketing careers.
Learnings:
- The evolving role of marketing education and its relevance today.
- The impact of technological advancements on modern marketing practices.
- The importance of continuous learning and skill development in a marketing career.
- The shift from generalist to multi-specialist roles in marketing management.
- How to balance technical skills with strategic thinking in marketing leadership.
- The evolving role of marketing education and its relevance today.
- The impact of technological advancements on modern marketing practices.
- The importance of continuous learning and skill development in a marketing career.
- The shift from generalist to multi-specialist roles in marketing management.
- How to balance technical skills with strategic thinking in marketing leadership.

Maud Samagalski
In this interview, I sit down with Maud, an influential marketing leader at HP, to discuss her unique career journey from sales to managing marketing across EMEA, providing invaluable insights into aligning sales and marketing, career development, and the power of curiosity and empathy in business.
Learnings:
- How a sales and marketing background fosters better alignment and empathy between teams.
- Strategies for navigating career transitions and making impactful career shifts.
- The importance of curiosity and continuous learning in marketing.
- How to manage and lead diverse, international marketing teams effectively.
- Insights on building a successful marketing career through strategic networking and professional development.
- How a sales and marketing background fosters better alignment and empathy between teams.
- Strategies for navigating career transitions and making impactful career shifts.
- The importance of curiosity and continuous learning in marketing.
- How to manage and lead diverse, international marketing teams effectively.
- Insights on building a successful marketing career through strategic networking and professional development.

Joyce Hwang
Discover Joyce Hwang's path from consulting to becoming the CMO of Dropbox, and her unique insights into the evolving role of marketing leaders.
Learnings:
- How consulting skills like problem-solving and hypothesis-driven approaches are crucial in modern marketing.
- The impact of a data-driven mindset in a CMO's role.
- The importance of understanding cross-departmental workflows and processes.
- Strategies for managing and motivating a fully remote, international team.
- The unexpected career pivots that led Joyce to the top of the marketing world.
- The need to seek the potential for new learnings in each role
- How consulting skills like problem-solving and hypothesis-driven approaches are crucial in modern marketing.
- The impact of a data-driven mindset in a CMO's role.
- The importance of understanding cross-departmental workflows and processes.
- Strategies for managing and motivating a fully remote, international team.
- The unexpected career pivots that led Joyce to the top of the marketing world.
- The need to seek the potential for new learnings in each role

Monica Visconti Patel
Join us for an enlightening conversation with Monica, a dynamic marketing leader whose journey spans from programming in COBOL to leading global marketing teams as a CMO.
Learnings:
- Passion and Energy Drive Success: Maintaining high energy and positivity, regardless of circumstances, can greatly influence your career and work environment.
- Embrace Curiosity and Continuous Learning: Always seek to understand different aspects of your industry and business. Curiosity leads to deeper insights and better problem-solving.
- Hands-on Experience Builds Credibility: Engage in various roles within your field to gain firsthand experience. This builds trust and credibility with your team.
- Adaptability and Resilience are Key: Be prepared to adapt to different roles and challenges. Resilience in the face of setbacks is crucial for long-term success.
- Value Data-Driven Decision Making: Develop a strong foundation in data analysis to make informed decisions. Data literacy is essential for modern marketing and business strategy.
- Passion and Energy Drive Success: Maintaining high energy and positivity, regardless of circumstances, can greatly influence your career and work environment.
- Embrace Curiosity and Continuous Learning: Always seek to understand different aspects of your industry and business. Curiosity leads to deeper insights and better problem-solving.
- Hands-on Experience Builds Credibility: Engage in various roles within your field to gain firsthand experience. This builds trust and credibility with your team.
- Adaptability and Resilience are Key: Be prepared to adapt to different roles and challenges. Resilience in the face of setbacks is crucial for long-term success.
- Value Data-Driven Decision Making: Develop a strong foundation in data analysis to make informed decisions. Data literacy is essential for modern marketing and business strategy.

Sunny Dhami
Don't miss an engaging conversation with Sunny Dhami, a dynamic marketing leader who has traversed an impressive path across various marketing disciplines and learn his tricks to success.
Learnings:
- Networking is Pivotal: Build and maintain relationships; your network can unlock career opportunities and provide support.
- Internal Reputation Matters: Cultivate a strong internal brand; trust and credibility within your organization can lead to career advancements.
- Continuous Learning: Be open to learning and ask questions; understanding various marketing aspects enriches your skill set and adaptability.
- Be a Workaholic Wisely: Balance intense work periods with personal time; prioritizing impactful tasks over mere busyness is crucial.
- Embrace Public Speaking: Develop comfort in public speaking; it’s essential for self-promotion, presenting ideas, and leading effectively.
- Networking is Pivotal: Build and maintain relationships; your network can unlock career opportunities and provide support.
- Internal Reputation Matters: Cultivate a strong internal brand; trust and credibility within your organization can lead to career advancements.
- Continuous Learning: Be open to learning and ask questions; understanding various marketing aspects enriches your skill set and adaptability.
- Be a Workaholic Wisely: Balance intense work periods with personal time; prioritizing impactful tasks over mere busyness is crucial.
- Embrace Public Speaking: Develop comfort in public speaking; it’s essential for self-promotion, presenting ideas, and leading effectively.

Susie Hamlin
Join us for a conversation with Susie, a seasoned professional who has navigated the fascinating worlds of localization and marketing at Cisco and other well-established companies.
Learnings:
- Serendipity in career paths: Success often comes from unplanned opportunities and taking calculated risks.
- Long-term commitment: Staying with one company can offer growth and diverse experiences over time.
- Personal choice in career moves: Job loyalty vs. frequent changes depends on individual career goals and opportunities.
- Goals before metrics: Setting clear goals is crucial for meaningful metrics and effective marketing strategies.
- Integrated marketing importance: Balancing brand building with demand generation ensures sustainable growth.
- Serendipity in career paths: Success often comes from unplanned opportunities and taking calculated risks.
- Long-term commitment: Staying with one company can offer growth and diverse experiences over time.
- Personal choice in career moves: Job loyalty vs. frequent changes depends on individual career goals and opportunities.
- Goals before metrics: Setting clear goals is crucial for meaningful metrics and effective marketing strategies.
- Integrated marketing importance: Balancing brand building with demand generation ensures sustainable growth.

Marius Gamser
Embark on a journey of discovery with Marius, a seasoned marketing maestro renowned for his expertise in the F&B and hospitality industries, to talk about evolving in the marketing world and collaborating beyond marketing.
Learnings:
- Understanding every company role is crucial for effective marketing.
- Passion for the business is essential to drive value in marketing.
- Be open to feedback but maintain confidence in your expertise.
- Creativity in marketing should be balanced with analytical skills.
- Industry expertise can enhance your marketing effectiveness.
- Understanding every company role is crucial for effective marketing.
- Passion for the business is essential to drive value in marketing.
- Be open to feedback but maintain confidence in your expertise.
- Creativity in marketing should be balanced with analytical skills.
- Industry expertise can enhance your marketing effectiveness.

Leesa Eichberger
We chat with Leesa, a marketing veteran who's worked at big brands like Vonage and AT&T. She shares her career path, from writing technical manuals to becoming a CMO.
Learnings:
- Embrace diverse experiences: Leesa's varied background enriched her marketing career.
- Adapt and learn: Marketing requires understanding consumer needs and evolving with industry changes.
- Leadership through empathy: Effective leadership balances high standards with empathy and feedback.
- Importance of mentorship: Mentoring benefits both mentor and mentee, fostering mutual learning.
- Data-driven decisions: Balance brand-building with measurable marketing for long-term success.
- Embrace diverse experiences: Leesa's varied background enriched her marketing career.
- Adapt and learn: Marketing requires understanding consumer needs and evolving with industry changes.
- Leadership through empathy: Effective leadership balances high standards with empathy and feedback.
- Importance of mentorship: Mentoring benefits both mentor and mentee, fostering mutual learning.
- Data-driven decisions: Balance brand-building with measurable marketing for long-term success.