67: Leading Marketing Transformation and Building Your Own Blueprints - with Catherine Solazzo, Chief Marketing Officer at Syntax

In this episode of "Women in B2B Marketing," host Jane Serra interviews Catherine Solazzo, CMO at Syntax. Catherine shares her career journey, starting as an intern at IBM and evolving into leadership roles. She discusses the challenges and strategies involved in leading marketing transformation, emphasizing the importance of trust, data-driven decision-making, and agile methodologies. Catherine also highlights her expanded responsibilities, including inside sales and sales operations, and reflects on her aspirations beyond the CMO role.

Jane and Catherine discuss:

• Differences between public company and private equity ownership in terms of flexibility, focus, and historical processes
• Challenges and strategies in setting a marketing foundation, establishing expectations, and gaining buy-in for transformation
• Importance of trust and collaboration in leadership - and why she never misses a deadline
• Shifting from reliance on sentiment to data
• Use of agile frameworks and methodologies in marketing transformation
• Integration of technology and tools for an efficient and collaborative work environment
• The reasoning behind Catherine's expanded CMO role to include inside sales and sales ops functions
• Catherine's participation in the Marketing Academy fellowship program and the valuable experiences and learnings gained from it
• Contemplation of transitioning into a CEO role after CMO
• The importance of self-analysis and finding one's identity and purpose

Key Links:

Guest: Catherine Solazzo - https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-solazzo/

Host: Jane Serra - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/

The Marketing Academy - https://themarketingacademy.org/us/the-fellowship/