C-Suite Sales & Marketing Perspectives

Hosted by Steven MacDonald

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Episodes

325

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Welcome to the C-Suite Sales & Marketing Perspectives podcast, a resource of the latest updates and insights in B2B growth strategies. Join us as we engage with CMOs, CEOs, and CROs at the forefront of innovation. Discover how these experts push boundaries, experiment with new approaches, and successfully implement cutting-edge strategies. Stay informed and ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of B2B sales and marketing with this show.

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60 recent

August 20, 202628 min

Stop Chasing AI Tools and Start Building Better Thinking

Episode #327: Trine Tirsgaard, Group Chief Marketing Officer at Twoday, explains how customer understanding, data, experimentation, and continuous learning can create greater strategic value with AI. She explores how marketing leaders can combine technology with customer intelligence to improve decision-making, strengthen teams, and create more meaningful business value. Trine also shares why curiosity and practical experimentation are becoming essential leadership capabilities for navigating rapid technological change. “What matters the most in the future is the power of humans. It's the way we put our intellect to work. It's our creativity, and the way to orchestrate concepts and feelings and understand people and teams, especially customers, and no machine can do that.” - Trine Tirsgaard AI is changing what marketing teams can produce, but Trine argues that the larger opportunity comes from improving how people think, learn, and create customer value. She explores how leaders can build stronger data foundations, experiment with AI, develop more capable teams, and stay close to customers. The conversation offers C-suite leaders a practical framework for turning rapidly evolving technology into better decisions, stronger commercial outcomes, and sustainable growth. Follow Trine Tirsgaard on LinkedIn Follow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

August 19, 202627 min

Part Eight: The Revenue Logic of Customer Obsession

Episode 326: Laura Davis, Chief Marketing Officer at Rimes Technologies, explains why customer obsession must translate into commercial outcomes. She explores customer intelligence, AI, data strategy, internal alignment, and pipeline accountability as markets rapidly evolve. Laura shows why sustainable revenue ultimately depends on continually understanding what customers need and building the business around those priorities. “The customer is everything. Even in the context of AI and our whole industry changing, and the practice of marketing changing and all the different things, at the end of the day, you need to build and sell something the customer wants to buy and hopefully keep buying.” - Laura Davis Laura connects customer obsession directly to the commercial realities facing B2B leaders. She explains why companies need continuous customer conversations, stronger data foundations, pipeline accountability, and shared priorities across teams. She also explores how AI can deepen buyer intelligence and create always-on engagement, emphasizing that technology matters only when it helps the organization solve meaningful customer problems and deliver measurable business outcomes. Follow Laura Davis on LinkedIn Follow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

August 17, 202626 min

How to Become a Successful AI-Native Company

Episode #325 Nick Malone, Chief Revenue Officer at XTM, explains what separates successful AI-native companies from organizations simply adopting new tools. He explores value-led AI, executive leadership, experimentation, data, and practical workflows that improve productivity. Nick shows why companies that connect AI to measurable outcomes while keeping humans at the core can turn incremental gains into meaningful competitive advantage. “A company's got to be willing to go into uncharted territories, to be willing to experiment. You must go and dig deep and experiment and understand in what ways you can use the AI capabilities today to improve operational performance, possibly remove cost, definitely expand on productivity.” - Nick Malone AI-native transformation requires more than giving teams access to new technology. Nick explores how leaders can connect AI to measurable business outcomes, create a culture of experimentation, improve sales productivity, and build smarter workflows around trusted data. He also explains why executives must demonstrate AI fluency themselves and how practical, incremental improvements can compound into significant business value. Follow Nick Malone on LinkedIn Follow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

August 14, 202627 min

The Biggest B2B Growth Problem Isn't Your Pipeline

Episode #324: Katie Strout, Chief Marketing Officer at Highspring, explains why sustainable growth requires more than a stronger pipeline. She shares how customer problems can align teams around shared outcomes. Katie explores why sales and marketing should operate as one connected revenue motion. She also explains how customer validation, internal trust, and shared ownership can turn marketing into a commercial growth partner. “Growth and revenue belong to the whole organization. It's not the responsibility of any one function. It happens when marketing, sales, technology, delivery, leadership, customer success, all of those things come together around customers' problems to solve and deliver business outcomes.” - Katie Strout Katie explores why sustainable B2B growth depends on more than pipeline generation. She explains how leaders can align teams around customer problems, connect marketing more directly to revenue outcomes, and replace traditional sales-and-marketing handoffs with shared ownership. The conversation also examines how customer insight, internal trust, long-term relationships, and customer validation can strengthen growth strategy and business impact. Follow Katie Strout on LinkedIn Follow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

August 13, 202628 min

Part Seven: The Revenue Logic of Customer Obsession

Episode #323: Alison Richmond, Chief Marketing Officer at Medix, explains why customer obsession requires more than collecting feedback. She explores sales and marketing alignment, customer experience, and the importance of asking better questions. Alison also shows how customer insight can shape decisions, strengthen trust, and support growth across the business. “Your best marketing campaigns and marketing moments come from that long-running relationship you have with your customer. Start by asking and learning where your customers are today and what they think of you today, and make sure that's always part of the conversation going forward.” - Alison Richmond Alison explores how companies can turn customer understanding into a practical growth strategy. She explains why sales and marketing need continuous alignment, why customer insight must move across teams instead of remaining siloed, and why leaders need a clear way to connect brand promises with real customer experiences. The conversation also examines how customer experience influences trust, AI-driven discovery, revenue decisions, and long-term business growth. Follow Alison Richmond on LinkedIn Follow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

August 10, 202624 min

Part Six: The Revenue Logic of Customer Obsession

Episode #322: Cristy Garcia, Chief Marketing Officer at impact.com, explains how influencer marketing can build trust and drive measurable B2B growth. She explores buying committees, ABM, performance-based partnerships, UGC, and customer communities. Cristy shows why authentic third-party voices can become powerful assets across the entire revenue funnel. “Customer obsession doesn't happen because you have a transaction. Customer obsession happens because you believe in a brand, you refer business to them because you trust them, and a brand has to show up in different ways to be considered customer-obsessed.” - Cristy Garcia Cristy explores how influencer marketing can help B2B organizations build trust before buyers reach the sales conversation. She explains how creators can influence complex buying committees, support ABM programs, create reusable social proof, and contribute across the revenue funnel. The discussion also examines how performance-based partnerships connect influencer activity to measurable outcomes and revenue growth. Follow Cristy Garcia on LinkedIn Follow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

August 4, 202624 min

Reinventing Legacy Companies in an AI-First World

Episode #321: Cynthia Gumbert, Chief Marketing Officer at Litera, explains how established companies can compete confidently in an AI-first market. She shares how customer trust, long-range innovation, and a dedicated Voice of the Customer program strengthen brand relevance and revenue growth. Cynthia also reveals why customer advocates often outperform traditional marketing and sales messages. “Get customers to be your advocates and spokespeople, and never lose sight of the fact that they are your best marketers. They can be your best salespeople. In this age of AI, it is easy to get distracted by product innovations and features, but those customer connections are most important.” - Cynthia Gumbert Cynthia explores how established B2B technology companies can compete with AI-native startups by treating their history as market pedigree, not baggage. She connects long-range product strategy, customer trust, and a dedicated Voice of the Customer program to stronger positioning, shortlist access, and measurable pipeline impact. The conversation also shows why simpler messaging and continuous customer value help leaders navigate AI fatigue without losing focus. Follow Cynthia Gumbert on LinkedIn Follow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

August 3, 202628 min

The New Growth Code: Why Judgment Is the New Competitive Advantage

Episode #320: Robert Nicklin, Chief Growth Officer at Compass Group Canada, explains why judgment is becoming a defining competitive advantage. He explores how behavior, adaptability, observational intelligence, trust, and stronger questions shape sustainable enterprise growth. Robert also reveals why leaders should design repeatable growth systems instead of continually chasing short-term outcomes. “Growth is something that you design. It is not something you chase. A true growth system is built and designed, and once you have created that system, you should have people who can sit within it. That is about leaders creating strong leaders who create strong leaders.” - Robert Nicklin The conversation offers practical guidance for turning these ideas into everyday leadership actions. Robert shows how thoughtful interpretation, honest feedback, and consistent behavior help teams respond effectively when pressure rises. His perspective gives executives a clearer framework for developing capable leaders, improving execution, and creating lasting organizational performance. Follow Robert Nicklin on LinkedIn Follow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

July 23, 202624 min

Why Soft B2B Advantages Are Reshaping B2B Growth

Episode #319: Rebecca Welsher Kaplan, Chief Marketing Officer at Slice Merchant Services, explains why trust, customer obsession, and empowered employees have become the real competitive advantage in modern B2B growth. She explores how AI, personalization, and strong relationships work together to build lasting customer loyalty. The companies that consistently prioritize people alongside technology will earn stronger brands and sustainable growth. "There is never one solution, there is never one channel, and there is no one right way to build a successful marketing campaign or branding practice. It comes down to who you are as a business, who your customers are, and the value proposition you provide at a human level." — Rebecca Welsher Kaplan In this episode, Rebecca shares why sustainable B2B growth depends on balancing technology with human connection. She explains how customer obsession, empowered employees, thoughtful AI adoption, and trusted relationships influence buying decisions long before a prospect evaluates vendors. The discussion offers practical leadership insights for executives focused on long-term brand strength, customer loyalty, and measurable business growth. Follow Rebecca Welsher Kaplan on LinkedIn Follow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

July 21, 202629 min

Part Five: The Revenue Logic of Customer Obsession

Episode #318: Eliana Angelova, Global Chief Revenue Officer at iSON Xperiences, explains why customer obsession has become the defining growth strategy in the AI era. She shares practical lessons on exceeding customer expectations, aligning teams around shared outcomes, and using AI to strengthen customer experiences rather than simply improve efficiency. She also provides a practical framework for building sustainable revenue through customer-first thinking. "Always have the end customer in mind. If every decision starts there, you'll make better choices for your business, your people, and your customers." — Eliana Angelova Customer expectations are evolving faster than ever, driven by AI, digital transformation, and increasing competition. In this conversation, Eliana shares practical strategies for turning customer obsession into measurable business growth by aligning every department around customer outcomes, using AI to improve experiences rather than simply increase efficiency, and creating organizations that consistently exceed customer expectations while building long-term loyalty and sustainable revenue. Follow Eliana Angelova on LinkedIn Follow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn