Marketing’s Role in Training AI (and Teams) with Rachel Weeks

In this episode, Maeva talks with Amir Jabbari, the three-time CMO now steering growth at BimeBazaar. Amir explains how bouncing from FMCG to fintech to insurtech sharpened his creativity and pushed him to blend street-level observation with hard data. He breaks down why posture and facial cues matter more than click-through rates, how a brand-attitude study convinced a data-obsessed board to bankroll “click-and-brick” campaigns, and why scaling an ineffective channel is a fast track to failure. Expect candid advice on separating efficiency from effectiveness, injecting human touch into digital funnels, and training your team to zoom out and question every best practice.In this episode, we talk about:qualitative customer insightscross-industry marketing innovationeffectiveness versus efficiencyhuman touch in insurtechcritical thinking for cmos

In this episode of Executive Conversations, Maeva Cifuentes speaks with Rachel Weeks, former VP of Marketing. Rachel shares her experience leading B2B SaaS marketing teams and how she’s adapting to the rapid rise of AI across GTM functions. She discusses why AI should be treated like a junior hire, not a plug-and-play solution, and why marketers today are responsible for training not just their teams but also their tools and their execs. Rachel unpacks how leadership roles are shifting under PE influence, the blurred lines between marketing and sales, and how org structure impacts your ability to lead. She also reflects on how pressure to perform is rising faster than teams can realistically adopt AI, and why marketers need to stay grounded in strategy, not hype.

In this episode of Executive Conversations Natalie Naik shares her experience launching a B2B marketing function from scratch inside a traditionally D2C-focused company. Natalie tells us how she navigated educating leadership unfamiliar with B2B marketing, especially around handling long sales cycles and fundamentally different KPIs.Natalie also touches on selecting the right channels for niche B2B markets, advocating for organic growth, ABM, and partnerships over paid channels. Throughout the episode, Natalie provides practical insights into influencing stakeholders, simplifying executive communication, and driving effective collaboration with sales teams in a rapidly evolving marketing landscape.

In this episode, Maeva Cifuentes speaks with Malte Landwehr, VP of SEO at Idealo. Malte shares how SEO isn’t just a channel, it’s the foundation of Idealo’s business model and what it actually means to lead SEO at executive level. He walks through how he filters out 75% of ideas using prioritization frameworks, how he scopes influence across five departments without direct authority, and how he handles being the first call when traffic drops. Malte also shares how he’s thinking ahead to generative search, what’s working for brand visibility in LLMs today, and why B2B leaders should be watching that space more closely than they are.

In this episode of Executive Conversations, Maeva Cifuentes speaks with Lindsay Kelley, VP of Marketing at Sonar Software.  Lindsay talks us through her techniques for advocating for marketing initiatives within the organization to secure necessary resources. They also discuss methods to develop and present budgets that reflect marketing goals and company targets and strategies to identify and collaborate with internal allies who can champion marketing initiatives.In this episode, we talk about:Executive Buy-In​Long-Term GTM Strategies​Data-Driven Narratives​Budget Alignment​Internal Marketing

In this episode of Executive Conversations, Maeva Cifuentes speaks with Jordan Hwang, VP of Marketing at OpenPhone. Jordan explains why marketing leaders must learn to "market marketing" within their organization to secure buy-in for initiatives. Jordan and Maeva also discuss expanding influence across teams and aligning stakeholders around shared goals. Jordan emphasizes that cross-functional teams should intuitively understand why marketing does what it does.They also discuss how to cut through noise, establish credibility, and prevent “armchair marketing” from derailing real strategies.

In this episode of Executive Conversations, Maeva Cifuentes speaks with Hannah Garner, CRO at Arctic Shores, about the real work behind getting leadership on board with a marketing strategy. Hannah explains why starting with budget is a losing game—executives need to agree on what "good" marketing looks like before numbers even enter the conversation. She shares how GTM leaders can sell their vision when they don’t have the data, using industry benchmarks and market shifts to make a compelling case. In this episode, we talk about: executive buy-in GTM strategy marketing budget approval CFO alignment internal marketing

In this episode of Executive Conversations, Maeva Cifuentes speaks with Silvia Valencia, VP of Revenue Marketing at Docebo, about her journey from agency to in-house marketing. Silvia shares how her experience at Refine Labs taught her to manage buy-in, present strategic investment cases, and reallocate budgets effectively. Maeva and Silvia also emphasize the importance of starting relationships with clear communication, setting expectations for short- and long-term outcomes, and delivering early wins to gain credibility. 

In this episode of Executive Conversations, Maeva Cifuentes speaks with Charlie Riley, Head of Marketing at OneScreen. They discuss the importance of establishing trust with internal stakeholders and the need to understand each department’s motivations so you can communicate the value of marketing in their terms. Charlie also shares insights into the challenges of being the first marketing hire and how to navigate building a marketing function from scratch. He also shares some practical advice on how to align with sales, customer support and HR to create a unified go-to-market approach. In this episode, we talk about: Internal marketing Building trust in marketing Go-to-market leadership First marketing hire Sales and marketing alignment

Mark and Maeva discuss navigating experiment overload in GTM strategies, emphasizing the need for trade-offs. The conversation covers the importance of aligning marketing and sales efforts, with a focus on multi-threaded outreach to decision-makers. Mark shares his approach to working closely with the VP of sales to present a united front to the co-founders. The episode explores how to use data effectively to tell a narrative and gain executive buy-in for long-term GTM motions. Mark highlights the challenges of getting executive support, especially from CEOs and CROs, and strategies to overcome these obstacles. He discusses the necessity of long-term planning and how to balance immediate results with strategic growth goals. In this episode we talk about GTM (Go-to-Market) strategies Executive buy-in Data-driven decision-making Marketing alignment Long-term growth planning Takeaways Importance of detailed planning: Mark highlights the need for a clear strategy and contingency planning for marketing campaigns to ensure they meet objectives and adapt as necessary. Securing buy-in: Discusses effective strategies for gaining support and buy-in from executives and other departments for marketing plans. Budgeting challenges: Provides insights on creating realistic marketing budgets aligned with category benchmarks and total addressable market (TAM) considerations. Marketing in SaaS: Explores the unique aspects of marketing in the SaaS industry, such as managing free and freemium models. Using data effectively: Emphasizes the importance of leveraging data, including tools like Google Analytics, to understand user behavior and optimize marketing strategies.