September 18, 2025

From Employee #4 to CMO: The Path to Marketing Leadership with Sylvia Lepoidevin, CMO at Kandji

53 minutes

#283 Marketing Leadership | In this episode, Dave is joined by Sylvia Lepoidevin, CMO of Kandji, a leading platform for managing and securing Apple devices in the workplace. Sylvia shares her journey from employee #4 to CMO at Kandji, driving the company’s growth to a $850M valuation. She talks about her experience building efficient marketing teams, leveraging AI, and creating impactful brand experiences.

Dave and Sylvia cover:

How AI is reshaping marketing roles and enabling smaller, more efficient teams
Strategies for internal marketing that align and energize cross-functional teams
Product launches and creative campaigns for brand-driven growth

Timestamps

(00:00) - - Intro to Sylvia

(04:56) - - From Marketing Hire to CMO

(09:41) - - Understanding Equity and Financial Outcomes

(12:23) - - Wealth and Career Growth

(15:03) - - Why It’s Important to Have a Clear Career Narrative

(19:55) - - Mastering Storytelling in Team Meetings

(23:13) - - How to Engage Your Team

(23:49) - - Leveraging Feedback Loops to Build a Successful Team

(30:55) - - AI Is Enabling Smaller, More Efficient Teams

(34:38) - - AI’s Impact on Marketing

(37:38) - - How Kandji Is Expanding Their Team

(40:29) - - Achieving 10x Growth Through Product-Led Strategies

(44:09) - - Leveraging Competitor and Apple-Specific Keywords

(47:33) - - Minimizing Hiring Risk: Test Roles First

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By Dave Gerhardt

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