Stories by Nadia Cameron

For Krispy Kreme CMO, Russell Schulman, getting his CEO onside is about showcasing how marketing activities can have a wide-ranging effect, not just on customers in a particular moment, but right across the business and departments.

IAG’s Brent Smart is the first to admit people label him the ‘brand’ guy. So it might surprise more than a few to know he has a healthy respect for short-term activities too.

Using data and research has helped cement some of the biggest shifts at Anglicare, from how the not-for-profit positions itself, to acquiring new clients and nurturing existing relationships, head of marketing and communications, Amy Lee-Hopkins, says.

Over the past 12 months, Freedom Foods’ prime focus has been shifting from niche FMCG player into more scalable territories. Spearheading this charge is chief commercial officer, Matt Vince, who has strived to combine brand building ambitions with solid return on investment.

Vanessa Lyons is the first to agree any marketing looking to orchestrate significant change in an organisation may find the business moving slower than they want it to. But it’s vital to suit the pace of such change to the speed your business can handle.

A big learning for Seafolly’s Adriane McDermott during her career as a marketer has been the way in which she needs to work with CEOs to build commerciality and rapport.

SATC’s Brent Hill is a firm believer taking risk creates creativity. “If you’re prepared to take a risk and do something a bit different, you’ll be creative but you’ll also get results,” the CMO says. “So find good people willing to take calculated risks.”

Turn any which way at Telstra and you’ll encounter transformation. From the introduction of its T22 strategy, culling staff, product plans and pricing, to departure of former group executive for media and marketing and a significant executive reshuffle, through new organisational structures and Agile ways of working, the launch of 5G network and a technology overhaul, every aspect of the business has been disrupted.

If there’s one thing ANZ’s CMO, Sweta Mehra, has tasked herself with since joining the bank, it’s learning new things.

Being intimately aware of your competitive strength is more important than ever for today’s CMO, Steve Brennen believes.

ME Bank’s chief experience officer, Ingrid Purcell, describes the big shift in marketing as one where brands have become “glass boxes”.

It’s a solid mantra for any CMO to live by: Practice company success first, and business unit success second. And at Virgin Velocity, that’s exactly what marketing chief, Dean Chadwick, strives to do every day.

For Nikki Warburton, aligning a business around its customers’ deepest motivations, and ensuring this is used as a lens for all decision making, is vital to how marketers facilitate growth.

While sport and physical activity are vital to a prosperous Australia, delivering enormous health, education, social and economic benefits, the state of both in this country is precarious.

Want to get your CEO onside? Then align marketing objectives with broader business objectives, experienced VMware VP and CMO for Asia-Pacific and Japan, Pamela Cass, says.