CMO Chats

How can B2B marketers build a regional strategy that reflects the realities of each Asian market? Gonzalo Rico, Marketing Director, Asia at Docusign, joins CMO Chats to discuss Docusign’s evolution from e-signature to Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM), and why brand-led demand is key to changing market perception. He explores why there is no “One Asia” strategy, the importance of prioritising markets based on local needs, and how dark social channels such as WhatsApp, Viber and WeChat influence business conversations beyond traditional attribution. Gonzalo also shares his perspective on proving AI’s business value, building a marketing technology stack around clear objectives, and keeping human insight in content as AI-generated material becomes increasingly common. Drawing on regional marketing experiments, he explains why in-person events and localised campaigns can resonate with Asian audiences, while standardised global approaches often miss the mark. His advice to regional leaders is to build strong relationships with global counterparts, share ground-level market knowledge and advocate for the resources needed to execute locally.

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How can brands stay visible and relevant as AI reshapes the way people discover information? Constance Tan, Product Marketer at Ahrefs, joins CMO Chats to discuss evolving brand positioning beyond traditional SEO, the growing importance of AI visibility, and the challenge of measuring marketing impact when attribution becomes less clear. She explains why consistent messaging matters, how direct customer conversations and professional communities can help marketers understand brand perception, and why businesses need to solve specific problems with AI rather than adopt the technology without a clear purpose.

Constance also shares lessons from building AI-assisted copywriting workflows, explaining why structured processes and human input remain essential as marketing teams experiment with automation. Her advice for global brands is to audit how their products, pricing and messaging appear across external sources, close information gaps, and ensure AI platforms can access accurate, up-to-date brand information.

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James Baldwin, Head of Influence for APAC at Ogilvy, joins CMO Chats to discuss how brands can build influence programmes that earn trust and deliver lasting value. Drawing on his experience across the region, James explains why APAC campaigns cannot simply be copied from one market to another, and why local culture, community relevance and authentic creator relationships need to shape every strategy. He challenges the industry’s reliance on one-off influencer posts, arguing that longer-term partnerships are particularly important in B2B, where buyers need consistent insight and opportunities to engage.

James also explores the pressure to prove commercial ROI beyond likes and views, the growing opportunity in employee advocacy, and how a programme supporting six senior employees at a technology company helped turn thought leadership into direct conversations with potential buyers. With AI-generated content increasing scepticism across social feeds, he discusses the value of human perspectives, creator-led storytelling and in-person connections. His advice for brands building influence programmes is to stay consistent, put human storytelling at the heart of communications, and choose partners whose authentic perspectives align with the brand.

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Errol Rodericks, Product Marketing & Solutions Marketing Director for EMEA and LATAM at Denodo, shares how marketers can earn attention in a world where customers are overwhelmed by content and every vendor is talking about AI. Drawing on more than 20 years in enterprise software marketing, Errol discusses his journey from engineering into marketing and why his role today is less about explaining technology and more about translating complex ideas into business value. He explores how AI is enabling enterprise-scale personalisation based on business priorities, industry pressures, buying stages and organisational context, while also making human understanding more valuable. Looking ahead, he explains why making marketing more business-led is a key priority, why he describes his role in one word as “translator”, and why his advice to marketers at any stage of their career is simple: stay curious. He also poses a question for today’s marketing leaders: has AI changed what you produce, or has it changed how you think?

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Claire Robson, Head of Marketing APAC at OneTrust, shares how she approaches regional growth across 11 countries in Asia Pacific and Japan, balancing global programmes with the local nuances of each market. In this conversation with The Ortus Club, Claire discusses the realities of managing a broad marketing remit across events, campaigns, partner marketing, webinars and social, while also navigating the growing complexities of data privacy, personalisation and governance.

Looking ahead, Claire discusses the importance of continued growth across APAC, including the role of OneTrust’s new flagship office in Singapore and the need to build strong partnerships with local providers. She also shares her perspective on the role of the modern marketing leader, describing it in one word: strategic. For those starting out in marketing, her advice is simple: keep an open mind, say yes to opportunities and never be afraid to explore where they might lead.

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Matthew Harper, Commercial Marketing Director for EMEA at Palo Alto Networks, shares how modern marketers can scale commercial growth by simplifying their messaging, measuring what matters, and staying close to the customer. In this conversation with The Ortus Club, Matthew discusses his transition from enterprise network security marketing to a new commercial-focused role, where he is focused on building value propositions and routes to market for mid-market customers.

Matthew explores the dangers of decision paralysis and dashboard fatigue, arguing that marketers should focus on one or two high-impact value propositions rather than trying to communicate every product, message, and capability at once. He also explains why internal funnel metrics can sometimes create unnecessary complexity, and why marketers should use simpler measures that business stakeholders can understand.

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Louis Debatte-Monroy, Global Head of Marketing at Adyen, shares his perspective on the changing role of B2B marketing in an AI-driven world. In this conversation with The Ortus Club, Louis discusses his transition from product marketing into global marketing leadership, including the challenge of managing former peers, learning adjacent marketing disciplines, and recognising that leadership is often about listening rather than having all the answers.

Louis also explains his Four R Formula: Relevance, Repetition, Reach, and Results. He explores why fragmented marketing teams can cause organisations to move on from their best ideas too quickly, and why consistent repetition across different formats and channels is becoming increasingly important as AI makes content easier to produce. He also discusses the growing influence of LLMs on the buyer journey and why brands need to ensure their value proposition is both machine-readable and human-lovable.

From Adyen’s approach to relationship-building events and educational roundtables to the challenges of information trust, dark-funnel measurement, and hiring for the next generation of marketing, Louis shares a practical perspective on where marketing leaders should focus as the industry continues to evolve.

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Alex Venus, Director of Growth Marketing at Personio, shares how AI is transforming the way B2B buyers discover and evaluate brands. In this conversation with The Ortus Club, Alex explains why Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is becoming an essential part of modern marketing, how Personio is repositioning its messaging to better reflect today's HR leaders, and why marketers must move beyond traditional demand capture strategies. He discusses the importance of optimising for Large Language Models, building authentic brand demand across multiple channels, and maintaining lean, fast-moving teams that can respond quickly to changing market conditions. Alex also explores why creating demand, challenging conventional positioning, and fostering a calm sense of urgency will define the next generation of marketing leadership.

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Courtney Cusack, Head of Marketing at FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia, shares how leading a major brand transformation requires far more than a new visual identity. In this conversation with The Ortus Club, Courtney explains how Fujifilm is repositioning itself from a legacy print and camera company into a modern B2B technology provider by redefining its purpose, customer messaging, and market positioning. She discusses why marketers must move beyond impressions and click-through rates to become accountable for revenue, pipeline growth, and measurable business outcomes, while balancing short-term demand generation with long-term brand equity.

Courtney also explores the growing complexity of non-linear buyer journeys, the importance of breaking down internal silos through cross-functional collaboration, and why today's marketing leaders should embrace curiosity, challenge assumptions, and refuse to stay in their lane. At the centre of her leadership philosophy is the belief that the modern CMO is a connector, bringing together teams, strategy, customer insight, and commercial outcomes to drive sustainable business growth.

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Karen Strugnell, Senior Marketing Director for France & South West Europe at UiPath, shares how enterprise marketing is shifting away from traditional MQL-driven strategies towards Marketing-Qualified Accounts (MQAs), intent data, and full pipeline ownership. In this conversation with The Ortus Club, Karen explains why modern marketing teams must become true strategic partners to sales by focusing on account-level engagement, revenue acceleration, and highly relevant customer experiences. She discusses how changing buyer behaviour is making outbound tactics less effective, why intent data is transforming account prioritisation, and how marketers can use regional and industry-specific messaging to stand out in increasingly crowded markets.

Karen also explores how UiPath approaches enterprise events through its Fusion experience, treating each event as one stage in a broader customer journey. From pre-event hackathons and technical workshops to tailored follow-up programmes for different personas, she explains how personalised engagement creates stronger relationships and better business outcomes. Throughout the conversation, Karen highlights the importance of customer advocacy, data literacy, sales alignment, and regional relevance as essential skills for today's marketing leaders navigating increasingly complex enterprise buying journeys.

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