In a world flooded with AI-generated content, click-through rates are falling and every brand is starting to sound the same. So what actually cuts through?

In this episode of Spotlight on B2B Marketing, host Karen Lloyd is joined by Chrissie Bardwell, Global Vice President of Marketing Strategy at Aveva, to explore why experiential marketing is having its moment right now and what B2B marketers can do about it.

Chrissie draws on her background in omnichannel retail analysis and enterprise B2B marketing to make the case for putting real-world human experience back into the marketing mix. This is not about ditching AI. It is about understanding where human connection still wins and building a strategy that uses both.

What You'll Learn in This Episode
✔️ Why experiential marketing is rising as a direct response to AI content saturation
✔️ How post-COVID consumer behaviour has shifted the way B2B buyers expect to be engaged
✔️ What B2B marketers can learn from retail brands like Apple, Nike and Hermes
✔️ How Aveva built its Porsche Formula E partnership around shared values and customer experience
✔️ How to build a commercial business case for experiential marketing using pipeline data
✔️ The KPIs that actually matter when measuring experiential activity
✔️ Why human creativity and distinctive brand identity are becoming a competitive advantage in an AI-saturated world

Whether you are a marketing leader trying to differentiate in a crowded market, a business leader wondering whether experiential activity is worth the investment, or a CMO looking for a fresh perspective on the AI and human balance, this episode is for you.

Connect with Chrissie on LinkedIn

About the Host:

Karen Lloyd is the host of Spotlight On B2B Marketing and Managing Director of Armstrong Lloyd, a specialist sales and marketing headhunting firm. To discuss your hiring needs of the current market, contact Karen at [email protected]

Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lloydkaren/

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing, sales, and business leaders in B2B.

Want to know more?
Discover more at armstronglloyd.co.uk

Most AI companies think they have a positioning problem. They don't. They have a translation problem.

In this episode of Spotlight on B2B Marketing, host Karen Lloyd is joined by Stephen Christou, a B2B marketing leader with experience across HPE, TIBCO, and Cohesity, who has spent the last year building a repeatable demand engine inside an early-stage AI company.

From navigating the AI adoption gap to rethinking how buyers discover products, Stephen shares what he learned on the ground about why buyers stall and what marketing can do about it.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:
✔️ Why the AI adoption gap is the defining challenge for B2B marketers right now
✔️ How to turn complex AI capability into narratives buyers can actually absorb
✔️ Why broad transformational positioning is losing deals and what to do instead
✔️ How AI SEO is changing the way buyers discover products
✔️ Why your ICP is your anchor when the market is changing weekly
✔️ How to help buyers make the internal case upward to budget holders
✔️ The difference between AI that transforms organisations and AI that augments individuals
✔️ What senior marketers need to focus on to stay commercially relevant

Whether you're marketing an AI product and trying to cut through the noise, or a business leader trying to understand why buyers keep stalling, this episode is essential listening.

Connect with Stephen: linkedin.com/in/stephenchristou

About the Host:
Karen Lloyd is the host of Spotlight on B2B Tech Marketing and Managing Director of Armstrong Lloyd, a specialist sales and marketing headhunting firm. To discuss your hiring needs or the current market, contact Karen at [email protected]

Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lloydkaren/

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing, sales, and business leaders in B2B.

Want to know more?
Discover more at armstronglloyd.co.uk

 The pace of change in business has never been faster. AI is reshaping entire industries, macroeconomic pressure is intensifying, and organisations that aren't experimenting now will start to feel it in six, twelve, eighteen months' time. 

In this episode of Spotlight on B2B Marketing, host Karen Lloyd is joined by Pavneet Syan, Marketing Director at Capita's AI organisation, to explore what it really takes to lead transformation inside large, established businesses. From navigating resistance to building a human-first change strategy, Pavneet shares the practical thinking behind making change stick at pace. 

What You'll Learn in This Episode: 

✔️ Why AI acceleration and macroeconomic pressure are compounding forces, not separate challenges 

✔️ Why a human-first approach is the foundation of effective change leadership 

✔️ How to communicate an AI-first vision to stakeholders at every level of knowledge 

✔️ What it means in practice to become an AI-first BPO and how Capita is doing it 

✔️ Why change is never "done" and how to build for longevity while moving at pace 

✔️ How to build a knowledge base that doesn't walk out the door when people leave 

Whether you're a marketing leader navigating a transformation project, or a business leader trying to understand why change feels so hard to embed, this episode is essential listening. 

Connect with Pavneet: linkedin.com/in/pavneet-syan

About the Host:

Karen Lloyd is the host of Spotlight On B2B Marketing and Managing Director of Armstrong Lloyd, a specialist sales and marketing headhunting firm. To discuss your hiring needs of the current market, contact Karen at [email protected]

Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lloydkaren/

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing, sales, and business leaders in B2B.

Want to know more?
Discover more at armstronglloyd.co.uk

Most B2B brands are trying to look professional on social media. But in doing so, many are becoming invisible.

In this episode, host Karen Lloyd is joined by Xandrina Allday, social media strategist and founder of Allday Marketing, to explore why social media is one of the most underutilised commercial drivers in B2B, and what it actually takes to make it work.

From platform selection and the LinkedIn algorithm update, to cold DM strategy and employee-generated content, Xandrina shares a practical, no-nonsense playbook for B2B brands who are ready to stop playing it safe.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:
✔️ Why corporate tone is costing B2B brands trust, engagement and pipeline
✔️ How to align your social media activity with real business goals, not vanity metrics
✔️ The process for choosing the right platforms based on your ICP
✔️ Why Instagram can be a powerful lead generation tool for B2B and how to use it
✔️ The ManyChat comment-to-DM tactic that converts social followers into email leads
✔️ What LinkedIn's 360 Brew algorithm update means for your content and profile
✔️ How to build a cold DM strategy that actually gets responses

And in B2B, where trust, relationships, and credibility matter most - that human layer isn't optional.

Connect with Xandrina Allday:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/socialmediatips/
Website: alldaymarketing.co.uk

About the Host:
Karen Lloyd is the host of Spotlight on B2B Marketing and Managing Director of Armstrong Lloyd, a specialist sales and marketing headhunting firm. To discuss your hiring needs or the current market, contact Karen at [email protected] 

Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lloydkaren/

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing, sales, and business leaders in B2B.

Want to know more?
Discover more at armstronglloyd.co.uk

Many growing businesses reach a tipping point where ad hoc campaigns and word of mouth simply are not enough. But knowing when and how to make that first senior marketing hire is harder than it sounds.

In this episode of Spotlight on B2B Marketing, host Karen Lloyd is joined by Joe Walker, Head of Global Marketing, and Victoria Wilson, HR Director at Panorama Antennas, to explore what really happens when a business brings in its first true marketing leader. From recognising the triggers for the hire to transforming a fragmented, sales-driven function into a strategic growth engine, Joe and Victoria offer a candid and practical first-hand account of the journey.

From calibrating the right level of hire to building a data-driven, full-funnel marketing function, this episode is packed with actionable insights for founders, business leaders, and marketing professionals alike.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:
✔️ How to identify the right moment to hire your first senior marketing leader
✔️ The key criteria for finding someone who can balance strategy with hands-on execution
✔️ What changes when marketing shifts from a support function to a strategic partner
✔️ Why emotional intelligence and cultural fit matter as much as technical skill
✔️ How a new marketing leader should approach their first weeks, listening before acting
✔️ The power of HR and marketing collaborating on employer branding
✔️ What the Great Place to Work accreditation is and why it drives commercial value

Whether you are a founder considering your first senior marketing hire, an HR leader navigating the process, or a marketing professional stepping into a new organisation for the first time, this episode will give you a practical framework and the confidence to get it right.

Connect on LinkedIn with:

Joe: https: linkedin.com/in/joewalker

Victoria: linkedin.com/in/victoria-wilson

Karen: linkedin.com/in/lloydkaren/

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing, sales, and business leaders in B2B.

Want to know more?
Discover more at armstronglloyd.co.uk

Sales are asking what marketing is doing. Marketing is questioning where sales are focusing. Teams operating in silos instead of segments. Sound familiar?

In this episode of Spotlight on B2B Marketing, host Karen Lloyd welcomes Louise Early, Marketing and Commercial Director at Navtech Radar, to explore how she is tackling that challenge head on. By building segment teams where sales, marketing and product work together, aligned to the same market focus and success metrics.

With a career spanning engineering, field sales, product management and strategic marketing, Louise brings a rare end-to-end perspective on what it actually takes to make these functions work as one.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:
✔️ Why frontline sales experience shapes stronger, more empathetic marketers
✔️ How to implement true segmentation — not just talk about it
✔️ What a segment team model looks like in practice
✔️ How to define shared KPIs built by the team, for the team
✔️ Why curiosity is the most important hire criterion in technical B2B
✔️ The real risks of duplicating capability in a segment model
✔️ Where AI fits in — and where to be cautious

If you are leading marketing in a technical or engineering-led business, this one is for you.

Connect with Louise on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/louiseearly/

Connect with Karen on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lloydkaren/

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing, sales, and business leaders in B2B.

Want to know more?
Discover more at armstronglloyd.co.uk

How do you lead a full rebrand, restructure a global marketing team, and compete with better-funded rivals — in the middle of an economic downturn?

In this episode of Spotlight on B2B Marketing, host Karen Lloyd welcomes Angela Brown, Chief Marketing Officer at NCC Group, to share her truly inspirational journey. Angela joined the business in January 2023, just as the macroeconomic turndown started, but since then has delivered a complete brand transformation while working with challenging budgets.

From navigating profit warnings to restructuring a global team across multiple disciplines, Angela offers unfiltered insights that marketing leaders can implement when facing their toughest challenges. This is real experience from a CMO who actually did it.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:
✔️ How to execute a complete rebrand during a profit warning and budget cuts
✔️ Why decision-making by committee kills rebrand projects and what to do instead
✔️ How to restructure a global marketing team from regional silos to a unified function
✔️ The secret to competing against better-funded competitors without matching their budgets
✔️ How to balance internal and external communications during massive organisational change
✔️ The mindset shift required to move from digital-heavy to relationship-driven marketing

Whether you're leading a rebrand in uncertain times, competing with companies that can outspend you, or rebuilding a marketing team through a restructure, this episode is packed with practical takeaways from a CMO who successfully navigated all three challenges.

Connect with Angela on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/angelabrowncmo/
Connect with Karen on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lloydkaren/

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing, sales, and business leaders in B2B.

Want to know more?
Discover more at armstronglloyd.co.uk

There's an ongoing debate in B2B tech: should you let your product sell itself through product-led growth, or invest in a traditional sales-led approach? 

What if the answer isn't binary?

In this episode of Spotlight on B2B Marketing, host Karen Lloyd speaks with Gary Gonsalvez, Marketing Director at Coveo, who brings over 20 years of experience delivering 10x growth through strategic marketing. Unlike many marketing leaders who stay in one lane, Gary has successfully operated in both sales-led organisations like SAI Global and Coveo, and product-led growth companies like Pledge.

From understanding which customer tasks suit each model to navigating the organisational challenges of hybrid approaches, Gary provides a framework for choosing the right growth strategy based on customer behaviour rather than industry trends.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:
✔️ The fundamental difference between product-led and sales-led growth—where you place the burden of education and value demonstration
✔️ How to determine which growth model suits your business based on three critical questions about customer tasks
✔️ Why transitioning from PLG to sales is significantly easier than going sales-to-PLG
✔️ The hidden costs of PLG that many companies underestimate—from continuous UX investment to product analytics


Connect with Gary on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gary-gonsalvez/

Connect with Karen on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lloydkaren/

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing, sales, and business leaders in B2B.

Want to know more?
Discover more at armstronglloyd.co.uk

How do you encourage creative marketing campaigns while still hitting your pipeline targets? It's the question every marketing leader wrestles with, especially in field marketing where ROI is constantly under scrutiny.

In this episode of Spotlight on B2B Tech Marketing, host Karen Lloyd welcomes Joe Dotson, Director of EMEA Field Marketing at Infoblox, an award-winning marketing leader who has transformed field marketing from tactical execution to strategic partnership. With sevenyears at Infoblox, Joe has developed frameworks that allow his team to innovate boldly while maintaining strict accountability to revenue goals.

From the "Patch Plan" strategy that aligns marketing with sales territories to the "Fail Forward" philosophy that dedicates 20% of time to experimentation, Joe shares the processes that have driven significant growth.

**What You'll Learn in This Episode:**

✔️ The "Fail Forward" approach: dedicating 20% of time to innovation while hitting 100% of targets

✔️ How to create "Patch Plans" that align marketing strategy with individual sales territories

✔️ The follow-up framework that ensures no lead gets left behind after events

✔️ How to position field marketers as "mini CMOs" rather than just "the events people"

✔️ How to break down sales-marketing silos by treating sales as your customer

✔️ Practical tactics for working across diverse regional cultures in EMEA

Whether you're a field marketing leader looking to elevate your team's strategic impact, a CMO restructuring your marketing team, or a CEO trying to understand how marketing can truly partner with sales, this episode delivers actionable frameworks you can implement immediately.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joedotson
Connect with Karen on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lloydkaren/

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing, sales, and business leaders in B2B.

Want to know more?
Discover more at armstronglloyd.co.uk

Customer advocacy is no longer just a nice-to-have—it's a revenue driver. But how do you build a systematic approach that turns happy customers into active revenue generators? And more importantly, how do you make this everyone's responsibility, not just marketing's?

In this episode of Spotlight on B2B Marketing, host Karen Lloyd welcomes Faith Wheller, VP of Global Marketing for TeamViewer, to explore how to build customer advocacy programmes that directly impact your bottom line. 

With over 25 years of marketing experience and a track record of managing 700,000 customers, Faith shares the frameworks and strategies that transform customer satisfaction into measurable business growth.

From creating tiered advocacy programmes to making customer advocacy an organisation-wide responsibility, Faith provides practical insights that CEOs and marketing leaders can implement to reduce acquisition costs and accelerate sales cycles.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:
✔️ How to build a systematic customer advocacy platform that tracks and rewards customer actions
✔️ Why customer advocacy must be an organisation-wide responsibility beyond marketing
✔️ How to identify your advocates using existing platforms and customer signals
✔️ Strategies for rewarding advocates beyond traditional swag (sustainable and meaningful incentives)
✔️ The business case for customer advocacy: ROI, brand awareness, and diversity goals

Whether you're a CEO looking to reduce customer acquisition costs or a marketing leader building advocacy programmes from scratch, this episode is packed with practical takeaways to turn your customers into your most effective sales force.

Connect with Faith on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/faithwheller/
Connect with Karen on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lloydkaren/

Brought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing, sales, and business leaders in B2B.

Want to know more?
Discover more at armstronglloyd.co.uk