Over the past year, The Wise Marketer, in collaboration with the CMO Council, has published a collection of executive video interviews that together offer a revealing snapshot of modern marketing leadership. While the titles and guests vary, the conversations consistently surface the same reality: the role of the CMO has expanded well beyond brand stewardship into data, technology, growth, and enterprise leadership.
This “Best Of” look at the CMO Executive / CMO Council Interview Series highlights the most resonant themes—and why these discussions matter now.
Storytelling Isn’t Optional — It’s Strategic
Several interviews reinforce that storytelling remains central to marketing leadership, even as technology accelerates change.
In her conversation with The Wise Marketer, Priya Girishankar, CMO, storyteller, and brand builder with experience at Disney and The Los Angeles Times, frames storytelling as a strategic operating system—not a creative layer applied at the end.
“Storytelling isn’t just about brand voice—it’s how organizations align internally and connect meaningfully with customers.”
Girishankar explores how modern CMOs must balance creativity with accountability, ensuring narrative clarity across channels, teams, and business models.
That theme continues in the interview with Jarryd McDonald, Founder and CMO of Culture Cartel, who brings an entrepreneurial lens to brand building. McDonald discusses the transition from corporate marketing to founding a global creative studio, emphasizing trust, authenticity, and long-term brand equity.
“Brand love only works if it’s built on credibility and consistency.”
Growth Is a Systems Problem, Not a Campaign Problem
Growth takes center stage in conversations with leaders operating close to revenue and operations.
Didi Azaria, CEO of Workiz, offers a pragmatic look at scaling service-based businesses through automation, AI, and operational discipline. His interview focuses less on theory and more on removing friction across the customer and employee experience.
“Growth happens when marketing, operations, and technology stop working in silos.”
Similarly, Corinne Schmid, VP of Marketing at Tucows, discusses the challenge of marketing highly technical products in the internet infrastructure and domain registry space. Her perspective underscores the importance of clarity—both externally and internally.
“Marketing in technical markets means translating complexity into confidence.”
Data, Identity, and AI Are Now Core CMO Responsibilities
Across the series, one theme is unmistakable: CMOs are increasingly accountable for the quality, governance, and activation of customer data.
In her interview, Allyson Dietz of TransUnion discusses research conducted with Forrester on data complexity and identity resolution, highlighting how fragmented data undermines both personalization and trust.
“You can’t personalize experiences if you don’t trust the data behind them.”
That data foundation becomes even more critical in the age of generative AI. Tom Kaneshige, Chief Content Officer at the CMO Council, shares insights from the Council’s research on AI-driven competitive advantage, reframing AI as an accelerant—not a shortcut.
“AI doesn’t fix broken data or processes—it exposes them.”
Commerce, Engagement, and the Shift to Conversations
Several interviews explore how engagement models are evolving from transactions to ongoing relationships.
Kevin Zhang, CEO of Phoenix Technologies, discusses digital memberships and recurring revenue as a path to sustainable ecommerce growth—placing CMOs at the center of value-exchange design.
In the QSR and real-time engagement space, Johann Van Der Westhuizen, CEO of uKnomi, examines how AI and IoT are transforming the drive-thru experience by connecting operational data with personalization.
Meanwhile, Pieter De Villiers, CEO of Clickatell, focuses on conversational commerce—where messaging, immediacy, and two-way interaction redefine loyalty activation.
The Expanding Mandate of the Modern CMO
Bringing the series together, Donovan Neale-May, Executive Director of the CMO Council, reflects on how the CMO role itself has evolved—from brand steward to enterprise strategist.
“Today’s CMO sits at the intersection of growth, technology, and customer trust.”
A Collective View of Marketing Leadership
Taken together, the CMO Executive Series paints a clear picture of modern marketing leadership: strategic, data-literate, operationally grounded, and deeply customer-centric.
For CMOs navigating constant disruption, these conversations offer both perspective and practical guidance—rooted in real-world experience.