Passle CMO Series Podcast

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100

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Jun 2026

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About the show

The must-listen podcast for professional services marketers, featuring conversations with leading voices in business development and marketing across the sector. Each episode explores practical strategies for building authentic visibility, improving effectiveness, and unlocking new growth opportunities in a changing market. Produced by Passle, the platform behind the Thought Leadership Suite and CrossPitch AI, built to power thought leadership and cross-selling for the world’s leading professional services firms, including Ropes & Gray, Linklaters, Quinn Emanuel and many more. Find out more at passle.ai .

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June 10, 2026Episode 29531 min

Episode 203 - Roanne Neuwirth on What Separates a Market Position from a Service List

In a market where everyone has smart people, strong credentials, and now access to the same AI tools, what is the actual differentiator and how do firms truly stand out? On today's episode of the CMO Series Podcast, Alex Haidar is joined by Roanne Neuwirth, a B2B enterprise marketing leader and advisor whose career spans over two decades across law firms, global management consultancies, and boutique professional services firms. From Hale and Dorr to Boston Consulting Group, Farland Group, and Bates Communications (acquired by BTS), Roanne has spent her career working with leadership teams to define market position, build client relationships, and drive sustainable growth. Roanne brings her unique outside-in perspective to challenge how legal and professional services marketers think about positioning, growth, and the role of AI. She makes the case that while technology levels the expertise playing field, genuine thought leadership and client feedback programmes are more important than ever in advancing marketing into the strategic force that truly differentiates. Roanne and Alex discuss: What actually separates the firms that grow from the ones that stand still Why marketing should be at the table driving growth, not sitting behind it The difference between a market position and a service list, and why so few firms get it right Where firms are going wrong on AI, and what they should be asking instead Whether the bar for building authentic client relationships has been raised Her number one piece of advice for the next generation of professional services CMOs

June 3, 2026Episode 29422 min

Episode 202 - Clare Quinn-Waters of Edwin Coe on Building a Growth Function from Scratch

Building a growth function from scratch has never been more important for law firms, yet it remains one of the hardest things to get right. It means bringing in new people, shaping roles that have never existed before, and responding to a shifting market, all while respecting a firm's culture and heritage. Getting that all right is no mean feat. On today's episode of the CMO Series Podcast, Will Eke is joined by Clare Quinn-Waters, Chief Growth Officer at Edwin Coe, a role she stepped into in September 2024, and one that still doesn't exist at most law firms. With a 25-year career spanning strategic leadership across legal, professional services, and recruitment, Clare brings a distinctive perspective on what it actually takes to build a growth engine inside a firm with strong heritage and even stronger ambitions. Clare dives into: How her career across professional services and recruitment has shaped her approach to growth The state of the team when she joined and what was expected of a brand new Chief Growth Officer Her early priorities, what she changed immediately and what she deliberately left untouched How a CGO role differs from a traditional CMO or BD Director, and why that distinction mattered for Edwin Coe What the growth function looks like today and how her decade in recruitment has helped her hire the right people, with practical tips for other leaders building out their teams What's on the horizon for Edwin Coe's growth strategy over the next 6 to 12 months Her number one piece of advice for anyone building a growth function from the ground up

May 27, 2026Episode 29331 min

Episode 201 - Mikkel Keller Stubkjær and Rebecca Blaw on The Newsroom Model: How to Turn Your Website into Your Best BD Tool

Every law firm is trying to solve the same challenge of making their firm's expertise easier to find, easier to share, and work harder commercially. Reed Smith tackled this with a complete rebuild of its digital platform around a “newsroom model”, treating content and expertise with the same discipline and agility as a publisher. In the latest CMO Series Podcast episode, Yasmin Zand sits down with Rebecca Blaw, Digital Marketing Senior Manager at Reed Smith, and Mikkel Keller Stubkjær, CTO at Novicell, the technical partner who brought the vision to life. Since launching in December 2025, Reed Smith’s new composable platform has unified more than 10 separate blogs into a single experience and reduced load times from 15 seconds to just over one second. Rebecca and Mikkel share how the project came together, what they learned along the way, and why this kind of transformation matters now more than ever for firms looking to compete in an increasingly digital and AI-driven landscape. They also dive into: What the “newsroom model” looks like in practice The challenges of navigating a large-scale platform transformation How one unified taxonomy-driven experience drives client engagement The role of AI readiness in shaping the platform What’s next for Reed Smith’s new platform Practical advice for other firms considering this investment Great news for those attending CMO Series Live in New York on June 4th, Mikkel and Rebecca will be available to continue the conversation in person!

May 20, 2026Episode 29220 min

CMO Series Podcast Special: Unpacking the 2026 Cross-Selling & Collaboration Report with James Barclay

55% of law firms say cross-selling is one of their most important levers for revenue growth, yet only 19% strongly agree they're effective at it. That gap between ambition and execution is at the heart of our latest research and it's costing firms real revenue and opportunities. Today on the CMO Series Podcast, Dionne Cole is joined by James Barclay, CEO of Passle Inc, to discuss the findings from our 2026 Cross-Selling & Collaboration Report, produced in partnership with Hayhurst Consultancy. With responses from 100 managing partners and lawyers across the top 200 US and top 100 UK law firms, the report reveals a significant collaboration gap and a clear roadmap for firms looking to close it. James explores what the data really means, from the paradox of rate increases driving both growth and client churn, to the visibility challenges that prevent lawyers from cross-selling effectively, and what the firms getting it right are doing differently. Dionne and James discuss: The real business pressures that are pushing firms to rethink how they generate work across practices. Why firms talk about cross‑selling far more than they successfully deliver it. Why firms need to rethink relying on rate price increases as their primary growth strategy. How to fix the visibility gap and get lawyers connected. Why so many laterals leave within five years and what firms can do to better integrate them. What firm leaders should be doing differently to cultivate a culture of real collaboration. Click here to download the full 2026 Cross-Selling & Collaboration Report. And don't miss us at CMO Series Live in New York on June 4th. Get your tickets here.

May 14, 2026Episode 2918 min

CMO Series Podcast Special: A Preview of CMO Series Live 2026 with Natasha Sandamas

The countdown is officially on for CMO Series Live 2026! Just 3 weeks to go until the action-packed day of networking, collaboration, and learning with legal marketing and BD professionals from across the industry. No more FOMO, having to choose what sessions you attend in the morning. It's going to just be one single stream, and that's allowed us to factor in more of that networking that we know everybody loves, and really hone down on what the key topics are that we should be addressing. In this CMO Series Podcast Special, Dionne Cole chats with Natasha Sandamas, Passle’s Events and Marketing Manager, to dive into what attendees can expect from this year's event. From key agenda highlights and upcoming industry discussions to the launch of the brand-new CMO Series Book Swap, tune in for a preview of what promises to be an exciting and informative day. Join us in New York on June 4th 2026, secure your tickets here to not miss out.

May 13, 2026Episode 29020 min

Episode 200 - Bela Grover on What it Takes to Build Purposeful Client Relationships in Law Firms

Law firms talk a lot about client relationships. But turning that into something consistent, scalable and truly integrated across a firm is a very different challenge. In this episode of the CMO Series Podcast, Eugene McCormick is joined by Bela Grover, who most recently served as Chief Client Relationship Officer at Goodwin Procter LLP, to explore what it truly takes to formalise client development in a way that strengthens collaboration, improves client experience and helps firms grow more strategically. Following 25 years at Deloitte in revenue-generating and leadership roles, Bela provides a unique perspective to Big Law as she shares what law firms can learn from consulting firms about client strategy, how to build more purposeful client relationships, and why the systems behind client development matter just as much as the relationships themselves. Bela also dives into: Ways that client approaches differ between the Big Four and law firms How to introduce more structure without losing that entrepreneurial edge The importance of treating clients as clients of the firm, not individuals What strengthening client relationships looks like in practice Practical advice for building purposeful client relationships

April 29, 2026Episode 28925 min

Episode 199 - Iwona Kesting of Jones Day on Making MarTech Investment Deliver Firm-Wide Impact

Getting the right MarTech stack in place has never been more critical, yet many firms struggle with getting the high-stake investment projects off the ground. Today on the CMO Series Podcast, Charles Cousins sits down with Iwona Kesting, Director of Business Development and Communications at Jones Day, to unpack what it really takes to secure firm-wide backing and how to make tech deliver real impact. With Iwona right in the middle of a major CRM and ERM transformation, she reinforces the importance of shaping the right strategy early with strong alignment across the firm. She also explores the risks of choosing the wrong tools, the pace of change, and the challenge of getting internal buy-in, as well as knowing where to start. Charles and Iwona discuss: How her approach to MarTech has evolved The biggest barriers that cause firms to go wrong The steps involved in a CRM and ERM transition How to get projects signed off using firm alignment How to measure the impact on client relationships and growth Practical advice for other firms looking to invest in new tech tools

April 14, 2026Episode 28719 min

Episode 198 - Gemma Francis of Gemma Francis Consulting on The Lessons In-House BD Teams Need to Hear

Business development is something every law firm talks about, but far fewer truly embed it into the day-to-day habits of their lawyers. On the latest episode on the CMO Series Podcast, we sit down with Gemma Francis, a legal BD consultant who spent years working in-house before stepping out on her own. Gemma now works closely with law firms and lawyers to rethink business development approaches, focusing on mindset, practical habits, and bringing associates into the process much earlier. In today’s episode, Gemma offers a fresh perspective on the common misconceptions lawyers have about BD, the barriers that firms face, and the simple steps that BD and marketing teams can take to create real momentum. Gemma also explores: The moment she realised there was room for improvement in BD What she wishes she’d known during her former in-house career The benefits of involving early associates in BD How to overcome internal blockers stopping BD momentum Key priorities for driving BD traction

April 7, 2026Episode 28621 min

Episode 197 - Tricia Weener of Linklaters on The Reality of Building High-Performing Teams

High-performing teams are the difference between steady progress and real growth in professional services marketing and BD. Performance doesn’t happen by accident, it’s built, shaped and led. In the latest CMO Series Podcast, Will Eke is joined by Tricia Weener, Global Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Linklaters, who has built a career spanning entrepreneurial ventures, scale-ups and global organisations. That breadth gives her a sharp perspective on what “high performance” actually means, and how differently it shows up depending on the environment. In this episode, we unpack what it really takes to build a high-performing team inside a global law firm and the lessons Tricia brings from outside the industry. Tricia also shares: The perspectives she’s gained during her industry-agnostic career journey How high performance shows up in different contexts The importance of building high-performing teams on strong foundations Using the power of the “three Cs” to shape team culture Practical advice for others to build sustainable high-performing teams

March 31, 2026Episode 28522 min

Episode 196 - Vanessa Crocetto of Butzel on How Client Experience Fuels Growth

Client experience is fast becoming a key driver of long-term growth for law firms that want to deliver real value, build lasting client relationships and stand out in the market. On today’s new episode of the CMO Series Podcast, Charles Cousins joins Vanessa Crocetto, who recently became Butzel’s first Chief Experience Officer, after more than a decade leading the marketing and business development department. Vanessa now focuses on how clients experience the firm day to day, reflecting the firm’s commitment to driving exceptional client service and sustainable growth as a mid-sized firm. Vanessa and Charles discuss where client experience meets marketing and BD, how culture shows up in those moments, and the work she is doing to turn client insight into action. She also dives into: How her career journey has shaped her client approach What a client-centered culture looks like in practice Transitioning from a CMO to a CXO Current client experience initiatives at Butzel Practical advice for others moving into client experience leadership