Tired of being seen as sales support?

David Heyworth reveals how marketing leaders can break free from the order-taking trap and own the entire go-to-market motion.

From building sales discovery teams that report to marketing to creating personalised experiences that win enterprise deals, David shares battle-tested strategies for transforming marketing from a cost centre into a revenue-driving growth engine.

Learn why talking revenue (not leads) changes everything, how to build true sales partnerships, and the account-based selling approach that boosted conversions from 7% to 52%.

Key Takeaways

• Stop talking leads, start talking revenue - Frame your impact as "$1M in pipeline opportunities" not "100 MQLs generated"
• Own the sales discovery process - Build SDR teams that report to marketing for full funnel control
• Be in the room where it happens - Get marketing into weekly sales meetings as strategic partners, not vendors
• Account-based selling beats ABM - Focus on "us" outcomes, not just marketing campaigns
• Listen with intention - Use "two ears, one mouth" to gather sales intelligence and customer insights
• Prove your model first - Start with sales champions, show results, then scale across the organisation
• Customer intimacy is your B2B superpower - Direct customer engagement beats digital analytics every time
• AI is your wingman, not your replacement - Use it to scale content creation and personalisation efforts

Memorable Moments

• The "crickets" story: How poor event execution taught valuable lessons about sales alignment
• The Defence Coin case study: Creating meaningful, personalised experiences that cement relationships
• The 7% to 52% conversion breakthrough: How rapid response transformed lead quality

Who Should Listen: Marketing leaders frustrated with being seen as support functions, CMOs looking to drive revenue ownership, and anyone struggling with sales-marketing alignment in complex B2B environments.

Subscribe to the xG Weekly Newsletter for weekly insights on B2B growth across APAC: https://xgrowth.com.au/newsletter

Welcome to a special programming note! After taking a short break to refresh and refine our approach, we're excited to announce the relaunch of our podcast with some significant improvements.

What's New:

Brand clarity - We've simplified our name from "Growth Colony: APAC's B2B Growth Podcast" to "APAC's B2B Growth Podcast."

Streamlined format - We've tightened up our introductions and optimised our question structure to create a smoother conversation flow that gets straight to the valuable insights you're here for.

Enhanced production - You'll notice updates to our music, overall look and feel, and general production quality.

Deeper episodes - We're moving from weekly to fortnightly releases, allowing us to invest more time and effort into each conversation to deliver higher-quality content.

What Stays the Same: Our commitment to bringing you actionable B2B growth insights from leading voices across the Asia-Pacific region remains unchanged.

Got feedback? We'd love to hear your thoughts on the changes. Drop us a line at [email protected]

Thanks for being part of our journey - here's to the next chapter of APAC's B2B Growth Podcast!

We'll be going on a 4-week break!

For 5 years it's been go, go, go, so this break will allow us to take a step back and create more awesome content for you.

But whether you're an OG follower or new to the party, here are 3 episodes we think you should check out.

1. Unlocking Company Growth in the B2B Landscape with Sean Ellis
2. How to Think Remarkable in B2B Marketing with Guy Kawasaki
3. Strategies to Achieve More with Less

Is there someone you'd love for us to interview? Or, have a topic that you want us to cover? Reach out to Shahin Hoda on LinkedIn, or email us at [email protected].

Any other thoughts? Let us know!

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📚 Get your copy of the latest ABM in APAC Report here: https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth.

Think you'd be a great guest? Fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/ybDTyjEreR1WiUg16

And for all our other socials visit: https://mtr.bio/xgrowth

Vinnie chats with a marketer who didn’t start her professional career in marketing but in hospitality. Now Marketing Manager at Logicalis, Morgan Wilkinson, shares with us her hospitality experiences that have shaped her entire approach to B2B.

🎥 Prefer to watch the conversation?

We've got a link for you: https://youtu.be/iY1yaAORv-Y

From navigating customer complaints to helping a guest land a job (thanks to an emergency hotel tie!), this episode also covers...

• What fear has to do with campaign strategy
• How understanding the customer’s “worst possible outcome” can align marketing and sales
• Why stakeholder relationships (even one-on-one) can create powerful ripple effects

About Morgan...

Morgan is an accomplished marketing manager with a unique background that spans hospitality, office management, and marketing. Early in her career, Morgan developed a deep passion for creating memorable experiences. With a strong talent for building meaningful relationships and effective stakeholder management, she thrived in the hospitality industry, fostering connections that drove both customer satisfaction and positive business outcomes.

After taking on an Office Manager role during the 2020 lockdowns, Morgan jumped at an opportunity to assist the marketing team during office closures and quickly discovered a genuine love for marketing. This newfound passion allowed her to work closely with internal sales and delivery teams, as well as partners and customers, leading to a smooth transition into a full-time marketing role.  

Today, Morgan is dedicated to creating impactful campaigns that reflect her passion for delivering exceptional experiences. She leverages her background in hospitality to craft campaigns that not only engage customers but also foster positive interactions and support for her internal team, external partners, and customers alike.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Boundaries - Henry Cloud & John Townsend

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📚 Get your copy of the latest ABM in APAC Report here: https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Hosted & Produced by Vinnie Romano, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth.

🚨 We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email [email protected]

Or fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/ybDTyjEreR1WiUg16

And for all our other socials visit: https://mtr.bio/xgrowth

How do you market to someone who doesn’t even know what they’re looking for yet?

That’s the challenge with the mining industry, and we’re unpacking it all in this episode with Alex Lloyd, Head of Marketing for Advanced Navigation.

🎥 Prefer to watch the conversation?

We've got a link for you: https://youtu.be/bm3QGZPpfRc

From focusing on storytelling, to navigating complex stakeholder networks, and building account-level influence in one of the toughest B2B sectors out there, this episode also covers...

• Moving from product-led to value-led marketing
• Understanding the importance of Category Entry Points (CEPs)
• How to identify and speak to customer pain points that actually drive action
• Using content, humour, and empathy to win over mining giants like BHP and Rio Tinto
• And, why scoring accounts is critical in long-game industries (not just leads)

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🗞 Join our newsletter: https://forms.gle/NaN6W8qj1qQsfpTe9

📚 Get your copy of the latest ABM in APAC Report here: https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth.

🚨 We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email [email protected]

Or fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/ybDTyjEreR1WiUg16

And for all our other socials visit: https://mtr.bio/xgrowth

Shahin chats with Christine Law, Director & Head of ABM, Asia Pacific & Japan at ServiceNow, about bringing brand experience and ABM together.

The episode covers the following:

• What is brand experience?
• How to define ABM
• The mistakes marketers make
• Finding the balance between strategy and uplifting the strategy

Christine has worked at some of the world's most innovative and open companies, including ServiceNow, Google, Red Hat, and IBM. She and her team established and spearheaded marketing strategies and execution for these companies' top strategic accounts and fuelled multi-million pipeline and revenue growth for the Asia Pacific region.

When she isn’t thinking about marketing strategies for her portfolios, Christine loves exploring culinary treats in Singapore or around the world during her travels. She is fascinated with what the different cultures have on offer and appreciates the richness of diversity.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? - Louis Gerstner

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🗞 Join our newsletter: https://forms.gle/NaN6W8qj1qQsfpTe9

📚 Get your copy of the latest ABM in APAC Report here: https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth.

🚨 We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email [email protected]

Or fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/ybDTyjEreR1WiUg16

And for all our other socials visit: https://mtr.bio/xgrowth

"Innovation isn’t about shiny campaigns. It starts with people, process, and purpose."

Joining us for a second time on the podcast is Nicholas Kontopoulos, VP of Marketing APJ at Twilio. We explored what real innovation looks like, how to align marketing and sales in global teams, and how Nicholas uses AI.

🎥 Prefer to watch the conversation?

We've got a link for you: https://youtu.be/9btCAubJnT0

This episode covers...

• How Twilio’s APJ team is shaping their global strategy
• Nicholas’ formula: OP + NT = EOP
• What it means to be “AI Ready” 
• Why transparency is just as important in the industry today

About Nicholas...

'Customer Experience' is more than marketing fluff; “it's a core business ideology that needs to be at the heart of everything we do professionally”. 

Nicholas believes that both 'People' and the 'Promises' we make are at the very heart of a Brand - be that the Brand we work for or our very own Personal Brand.

He is passionate about challenging the 'status-quo' and 'management dogma' that stifles the creative thinking process that's paramount to delivering fantastic customer experiences.

Nicholas is continually striving to harness his 30+ years of professional experience, which he built across multiple industries and geographies, to develop innovative and viable business strategies for both the enterprise he works for and the great clients he gets to serve as VP of Marketing, APJ, at Twilio.

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🗞 Join our newsletter: https://forms.gle/NaN6W8qj1qQsfpTe9

📚 Get your copy of the latest ABM in APAC Report here: https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth.

🚨 We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email [email protected]

Or fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/ybDTyjEreR1WiUg16

And for all our other socials visit: https://mtr.bio/xgrowth

Joining Shahin and Vinnie is marketing legend, Mark Ritson, Founder of the Mini MBA.

From almost buying Kylie Minogue's house, to consulting, and building a global brand, Mark shares with us the journey of his Mini MBA.

🎥 Prefer to watch the conversation?

We've got a link for you: https://youtu.be/FEVkez18g44

This episode also covers...

• Why small brands struggle
• Why "trust" doesn't actually matter for strong branding
• How pricing is the real key to profit (not revenue)
• The 95-5 rule
• Why salespeople should not create content (and who should)
• Mark's take on personal branding

About Mark...

Mark has a PhD in Marketing and spent 25 years working as a marketing professor. He was an Assistant Professor at London Business School and the University of Minnesota, an Associate Professor and then Adjunct Professor at Melbourne Business School, and Visiting Professor at MIT and SMU.

He’s also worked as a global brand consultant for clients that include Baxter, Loewe, McKinsey, Subaru, Donna Karan, Westpac, Shiseido, Flight Centre, Johnson & Johnson, De Beers, Sephora, Benefit, Amgen, Ericsson, Penfolds, Jurlique, Cloudy Bay and WD40. 

For thirteen years, Mark served as the in-house brand consultant for LVMH - the world's largest luxury group - working in Paris with senior executives from brands like Louis Vuitton, Dom Perignon and Hennessy. 

He’s been a columnist for 20 years, writing a weekly column for Marketing Week. On five occasions, he’s been voted Columnist of the Year at the PPA Press Awards, the highest award for magazine journalism in the UK. Mark’s also been the British Society of Magazine Editors Business Columnist of the Year in 2018, 2022 and 2023. More scholarly publications include articles in the Sloan Management Review, Harvard Business Review, the Journal of Advertising and the Journal of Consumer Research. 

These days, Mark focuses on his Mini MBA courses at his home base in Tasmania.

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🗞 Join our newsletter: https://forms.gle/NaN6W8qj1qQsfpTe9

📚 Get your copy of the latest ABM in APAC Report here: https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Vinnie Romano, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth.

🚨 We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email [email protected]

Or fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/ybDTyjEreR1WiUg16

And for all our other socials visit: https://mtr.bio/xgrowth

Every day, the macro environment continues to shift. Geopolitical conflicts disrupt supply chains, economic shifts shake industries, and new business pressures emerge overnight. 

So we spoke with General Manager of Factiva, Traci Mabrey, who shared how AI is transforming risk management.

🎥 Prefer to watch the conversation?

We've got a link for you: https://youtu.be/9gwL9GMrqKI

This episode covers...

• The biggest risks businesses should be tracking right now
• How predictive AI is helping companies see risk before it happens
• A real-world example of how an oil company avoided massive losses
• Why tariffs, supply chains & compliance are the next big things you should keep an eye on
• How financial services shaped modern risk management
• The practical steps businesses must take now to protect their future

About Traci...

Traci Mabrey is General Manager of Factiva, a business intelligence platform owned by Dow Jones. She has commercial oversight for the Factiva portfolio and since joining Dow Jones has led the strategic reimagination of the Factiva experience for the next generation of decision-makers. She is also tasked with infusing AI into the entire Dow Jones portfolio, starting with financial products.

Traci has deep expertise in financial services technology and wealth management. Previously, she was the head of wealth solutions, global technology and operations for Broadridge Financial Solutions, where she governed a suite of top-tier wealth management and market data solutions.

As a recognised thought leader and content contributor, Traci is a frequent speaker at industry events and an author of several articles and white papers. She lives in New York and is active in professional women’s organisations, as well as nonprofits committed to financial coaching and skill-building for the next generation.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Letters to a Young Poet
• Satya Nadella
• Christina Brady

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🗞 Join our newsletter: https://forms.gle/NaN6W8qj1qQsfpTe9

📚 Get your copy of the latest ABM in APAC Report here: https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth.

🚨 We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email [email protected]

Or fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/ybDTyjEreR1WiUg16

And for all our other socials visit: https://mtr.bio/xgrowth

What does a brand crisis look like? In an ever-changing industry, anything can happen, so it helps to be prepared for whatever, whenever. So that's why we sat down with CMO of Packserv Australia, Julia Casey, to chat about how businesses can effectively manage their brand to prepare for, and rise from, a brand crisis.

This episode covers...

• What can cause a brand crisis?
• What businesses have risen from a brand crisis, and how did they do it?
• What does proactive crisis management look like?
• Marketing’s role in crisis management

About Julia...

Julia brings over 20 years of experience in senior marketing roles, leading global teams across manufacturing, data management, and logistics. As the CMO of Packserv, she specialises in brand differentiation and positioning in highly competitive markets. Her expertise in driving business growth has earned her multiple marketing awards.

Julia is currently completing a PhD at Macquarie University and holds a Master of Research (High Distinction), a Bachelor of Business Studies (Marketing), and a Bachelor of Health Science. She is also a published author in the Journal of Consumer Behaviour.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• 18 Minutes - Peter Bregman
• Greg Kihlstrom
• Seth Godin

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🗞 Join our newsletter: https://forms.gle/NaN6W8qj1qQsfpTe9

📚 Get your copy of the latest ABM in APAC Report here: https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth.

🚨 We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email [email protected]

Or fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/ybDTyjEreR1WiUg16

And for all our other socials visit: https://mtr.bio/xgrowth