Schedule a 15-Min Call
TechCXO Logo
Schedule a 15-Min Call
  • Functional Roles
        • Functional Roles

        • CFO
        • CSO
        • CRO
        • CMO
        • CTO
        • COO
        • CIO
        • CEO
        • CPO
        • CISO
        • CHRO
        • Project Management
        • Sales Training and Development
        • Recruiter
        • Office of the CFO
  • Finance & Accounting
    • Finance and Accounting Services
      • Accounting Systems
      • Internal Controls
      • Monthly Close
      • Cash Management
      • Financial Reporting
      • Capital Requirements
      • Board Support
    • Financial Strategy
      • Forecast and Modeling
      • Debt and Equity Financing
      • KPIs
    • Transaction Support
      • Due Dilligence
      • M&A
    • Investor & Transaction Services
      • Front-End Due Dilligence
      • Post-Deal Integration and Assimilation
      • Outsourced Operating Partner Capabilities
      • Transaction Assistance
      • Workouts, Turnarounds and Distress
  • Revenue Growth
    • Revenue Operations
      • Metrics
      • Enablement and Training
      • Processes and Methodologies
      • Revenue Tech Stack
      • Messaging Alignment
    • Marketing Strategy and Services
      • Go-to-Market Planning
      • Target Marketing
      • Product-Market Fit
      • Brand Building
      • Demand Generation
      • Performance Marketing
    • Sales Excellence
      • Key Account Management
      • Opportunity Management
      • Partner and Channel Development and Execution
    • Investor & Transaction Services
      • Market and Competitive Review
      • Quality of Programs
      • Forensic Sales Health, Pipeline and Forecast Analytics
  • Product & Technology
    • Technology Leadership
      • Product Development
      • Architecture & DevOps
      • Development Services
      • Emerging Technology
    • Product Strategy
      • Strategic Roadmaps
      • New Product Launch
      • Product Led Growth
      • Product Services
    • IT Services
      • IT Leadership
      • IT Strategy
      • Project & Program Management
    • Information Security
      • Cybersecurity
      • Security & Risk Assesments
      • HIPPA,SOC2,PCI Audit Prep
    • Investor & Transaction Services
      • Technical Due Diligence
      • Sell-Side Tech Assesment
      • Post-Close Integration
      • Ongoing Fractional
  • Strategy & Execution
    • Strategy, Planning and Alignment
      • Mission, Vision and Shared Purpose
      • Corporate Strategy
      • Organization Alignment
      • Operational Excellence
      • Market / Business Assessment
      • Investment Cases
      • Operating Model Design
      • Asset and Behavior Assessment
    • Transformation Execution
      • Operational Model Execution
      • KPIs and Goal Attainment
      • Cross-Functional Initiatives
      • Change Management
      • Digital Transformation
      • Process Improvement
    • Growth Capabilities and Development
      • Go-to-Market Strategy
      • Market Entry and Expansion
      • Strategic Alliances
      • Strategic Negotiations
      • Product & Services Design, Portfolio, Pricing and Management
  • Human Capital
    • HR
      • Policy, Process, Standards and Compliance
      • Employee Relations and Development
      • Compensation and Benefits
    • Organizational Development
      • Culture Building
      • Scale a Business
      • Organizational Structure and Development
      • Performance Management
    • Recruiting
      • Search
      • Project Planning
      • Sourcing
      • Screening
      • Hiring
  • Industries
    • Industries

    • Consumer & Retail
    • Energy & Power
    • Financial Services
    • Healthcare & Life Sciences
    • Industrials
    • Media & Communications
    • Real Estate
    • Technology & Software
    • Business Services
  • About Us
    • About Us

    • History
    • Insights
    • People
    • Contact Us
    • Clients
    • Locations

Norman Guadagno

May 20, 2025 by Megan Esposito

Norman Guadagno, a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer in our Revenue Growth practice, didn’t set out to be a marketer; he set out to understand people. That early foundation in behavioral psychology still shapes his approach, but what defines his career is how he delivers results.

Over more than two decades, Norman has led marketing organizations through transformation, growth, and repositioning—always with a focus on measurable business impact. He understands what it takes to generate demand, sharpen positioning, and move markets, because he’s done it — again and again.

With senior leadership experience on both the client and agency sides, that dual-track background is why companies rely on him for uncommon insight into how to make marketing drive performance, pipeline, and real business outcomes, not just shape perceptions.

Some marketers optimize campaigns. Norman Guadagno rewires how companies think about growth.

Some standout examples:

  • Mimecast – Chief Marketing Officer
    Led global marketing and business development for this cybersecurity platform, generating more than $220 million in annual pipeline. Managed a team of 100+ marketers and 120 BDRs, redefined brand positioning, and played a key leadership role in multiple M&A transactions during a period of significant organizational change.
  • Acoustic – Chief Marketing Officer
    Took the reins post–IBM carve-out to build an entirely new marketing organization. Led brand development, go-to-market execution, and demand generation strategy, resulting in a sevenfold increase in unaided brand awareness and consistent lead flow exceeding 6,000 qualified leads per quarter.
  • Carbonite – Senior Vice President, Marketing
    Drove the company’s evolution from a consumer backup provider to a B2B data protection and cybersecurity leader. Built out the marketing organization, repositioned the brand for the enterprise market, and helped double revenue during a period of rapid channel expansion and product diversification.
  • Norbella – Chief Executive Officer
    Steered a full-service media agency through client growth and operational realignment. Oversaw strategy and execution for a portfolio of technology and healthcare brands, sharpening the agency’s market position and performance across digital and traditional channels.
  • Wire Stone – Senior Vice President, Marketing Strategy
    Held progressively senior roles in client strategy and marketing leadership, culminating in oversight of go-to-market planning and customer experience design for Fortune 500 clients. Delivered integrated brand and demand campaigns for Microsoft, Boeing, and other enterprise leaders, translating complex solutions into clear market stories.
  • Microsoft – Director of Marketing, Visual Studio Team System
    Directed product marketing for Microsoft’s developer tools business, aligning engineering and go-to-market strategies. Led the launch of Visual Studio Team System, built out product narratives, and engaged developer communities worldwide during a key growth phase.

Where strategy becomes momentum
Great marketing doesn’t just reflect a company’s strategy, but accelerates it. Norman works at that intersection, translating business priorities into go-to-market engines that scale, resonate, and perform. His foundation in psychology (MA from Rice University; BA, cum laude, from the University of Rochester) helps him lead with insight, communicate with precision, and deliver measurable results.

The Science of Trust: How Brands Can Build Lasting Customer Loyalty

February 25, 2025 by Megan Esposito Leave a Comment

The Questions That Drive Trust

  1. Why do we instinctively trust certain people and organizations?
  2. How can brands earn the trust of customers they’ve never met?
  3. And what strategies can they use to turn that trust into lasting loyalty?

These questions captivate me. As a fractional Chief Marketing Officer with a deep passion for neuroscience and psychology, I find the dynamics of trust—especially in today’s digital age—both fascinating and complex.

The Trust Gap: Perception vs. Reality

The trust gap is real. According to  PCW, while 90% of executives believe their customers highly trust their companies, only 30% of consumers agree. That’s a staggering 60-percentage-point gap—a disconnect that highlights how unpredictable and elusive trust can be.

The Personal Nature of Trust

Trust is deeply personal. It’s shaped by a complex mix of internal beliefs and external influences.

Consider Apple’s TV series Franklin. In it, Edward Bancroft betrays Benjamin Franklin, yet Franklin defends their friendship to John Adams, focusing on their shared history and Bancroft’s likability. Despite the betrayal, Franklin values the deeper connection—an example of how trust can transcend logic and be rooted in emotional and instinctual ties.

This hidden layer of trust is what brands need to tap into. It goes beyond product features and benefits, living in the emotional and subconscious spaces where true loyalty is born.

The Three Pillars of Trust

At its core, trust is built at the intersection of:

  • Logic: Demonstrating competence and consistency.
  • Emotion: Building connection and empathy.
  • Instinct: Appealing to intuition and subconscious cues.

Brands that balance these pillars create a trust that feels authentic and lasting.

How Brands Can Build and Activate Trust

In this guide, we’ll dive into:

  • The Psychology of Trust: Why we trust certain people and brands.
  • Neuroscience Insights: How our brains process trust signals.
  • Evolutionary Roots: Understanding trust’s role in human survival.
  • Proven Strategies: How brands can cultivate trust and turn customers into loyal advocates.

👉 Click here to download the guide

A BRAND’S HOLY GRAIL – ebook Virginie Glaenzer

Connect with Virginie Glaenzer to explore how your brand and organization can increase customers’ trust.

 

Filed Under: Revenue Growth Tagged With: CMO, CRO, ebook, Popular

Heather Heydet

November 4, 2024 by greenmellen

Heather Heydet is a partner in TechCXO’s Revenue Growth practice and is called on by investors, Boards, and senior management teams to grow companies as a fractional Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Revenue Officer. With over three decades of proven experience as a corporate executive and consultant/business owner, Heather’s infectious enthusiasm, positive outlook, and fun, “whoo hoo” attitude drive results and cultivate winning brands. Her innovative marketing strategy and organizational alignment approach have established her as a powerhouse in business growth.

Heather has partnered with over 30 businesses in the B2B, B2C, and non-profit sectors across various industries, including home improvement, residential construction, real estate, building supply, manufacturing, geosynthetics, industrial construction, engineering services, retail, business process outsourcing (BPO), Saas, technology, and several Fortune 500 consumer packaged goods brand categories, helping them exceed their growth objectives and KPIs while bringing excitement that re-energizes the team. During her distinguished career as both an in-house marketing leader and on-demand CMO, Heather grew top and bottom-line financials by uncovering unique and compelling value businesses offer their customers.

Interim CMO/Marketing & CX Director, EXOVATIONS – Heather successfully doubled revenue from $10M to $20M and doubled profits for this previously stagnated exterior home remodeling contractor through strategic branding, compelling storytelling, value-driven sales approaches, defining and managing exceptional customer experiences, and executing impactful digital marketing alongside traditional advertising campaigns.

Interim CEO/CMO, Synthetex – Heather successfully marketed and facilitated the sale of this small business (SMB) geosynthetics manufacturing company to Vinci, a $60B industrial construction global conglomerate in France. She orchestrated the entire M&A process, overseeing due diligence and post-acquisition integration, ensuring the team acclimated to the new corporate structure, processes, technologies, and goals. She also created and executed sales and marketing initiatives, doubling Request for Proposal (RFP) rates by simplifying the product portfolio, standardizing pricing, creating value-based sales and marketing messaging, and introducing compelling storytelling through webinars, podcasts, speaking engagements, and thought leadership.

Senior Director of Marketing, ADP – Heather tripled revenues in the first year for a struggling IT outsourcing service for the payroll and Benefits Administration SaaS portfolio that was acquired. She led the marketing team and created new, standardized pricing, value proposition, and B2B sales tools. This effort resulted in a successful product launch and facilitated ADP’s entry into the benefits administration outsourcing market.

Fractional CMO / Marketing Director, D. Geller & Son – Heather directed a rebrand for this 80+year-old jeweler to attract new audiences while retaining older clientele. She took charge of all integrated marketing efforts during the transition phase for the incoming marketing director in which she planned, developed, and executed five comprehensive campaigns utilizing various mediums including social media, paid search, storytelling, email, website, print, direct mail, broadcast, outdoor, and point-of-sale materials.

She began her career at Pyramid Consulting where she worked with Fortune 500 brands including Gatorade, Arm & Hammer, Coors, Walmart, Keebler, Enfamil, and International Paper.

Heather holds an ABJ, Advertising degree and a Master of Arts in Mass Communications/Advertising from the University of Georgia.

Speaking Engagements & Media Appearances

Heather is also an in-demand speaker. She addressed the nation’s top remodelers at Qualified Remodeler’s Top 500 annual conference in Las Vegas and has also appeared on several podcasts, including The Marketing MadMen and LEAP’s ProTalks.

Client Testimonials

Fearless business approach and impeccable instincts.
Helped navigate the company through difficult challenges while maintaining enthusiasm. She has all the traits you need in a Fractional CEO or CMO, especially if your company is looking to strengthen its performance, improve the organizational structure and culture, and/or grow the business.
– John Scales, Founder & CEO, SYNTHETEX

Strong Recommendation for an Exceptional Leader
Heather is an outstanding leader. She is a beacon of joy and positivity, making the workplace a better environment for everyone. Her unwavering determination and strong work ethic serve as an inspiration to all. I am grateful for the guidance and support she provided. Any team would be fortunate to have her on board!
-Brittany Hunt, SYNTHETEX

Gives 110% to everything!
Heather came to us in a time of major transition. From graphic design and email blasts to helping rebrand our 83-year-old business, Heather stepped in as Marketing Director from day 1. She helped us build multiple successful campaigns while getting to know our team, the core of who we are, and what we do best for our customers.
– Heather Klisures, D. Geller & Son

Highly recommended consultant!
Heather carries a rare work ethic that, coupled with her deep understanding for constructing and managing a brand, makes her an invaluable asset. She was careful to gather a thorough understanding of our culture and working environment before implementing change. Great fit if you are trying to define what makes your brand different and valuable.
-Jonathan Geller, President and CEO, D. Geller & Son

Improves organizations’ operations, marketing, and sales.
She is passionate, kind, driven and direct. The turnaround work she did with Synthetex was clearly invaluable and allowed for their successful sale to a global, multi-billion-dollar organization. If your company is struggling to convey its message or value proposition, I would recommend Heather to come in and rebuild your culture, leading to tangible RESULTS.
-Michael Walsh, METRICGEO

Words cannot express her value to our company!
Heather is an exceptional marketer with the most positive and upbeat personality of anyone I have ever worked with. Her strategies consistently provided our team with the best opportunities for success. I’m so lucky to have had the pleasure of working with her
-Chris Ray, EXOVATIONS

One of a kind!
Heather is a one-of-a-kind talent. She is extremely smart, creative, intentional, and enthusiastic. Her expertise is equal to her passion not only for marketing, but for people. No one works harder than Heather. Any company would be extremely lucky to partner with her!
-Joy Branch, EXOVATIONS

Amazing!
Heather is amazing! She is simply a joy to work with and she has an incredible talent. She is also a great listener and truly cares about the people that she interacts with. Heather makes our company a better place to work and to thrive in.
-Josh Bailey, EXOVATIONS

One of the most well-rounded marketers I’ve worked with.
Heather does everything: high-level strategy, tactical messaging, digital (from web dev to Google Ads to social media), and understands how to utilize legacy media, making her very valuable to any business looking to grow conversions and brand awareness. Her energy, positivity, and passion are next-level and it’s honestly just delightful to work with her.
-David Danzig, COX MEDIA GROUP

I will engage Heather in all future projects
Heather brings enthusiasm and fun into every project she works on. Her ability to quickly understand our start-up business and goals led to a rapid launch and sale of our company. Her strategic insights helped guide our go to market strategy. She made a big difference in our success.
-Jon Harris, Co-Founder, ReltatedMatters

I welcome the opportunity to work with Heather again!
Heather is a high-energy, multi-talented individual who not only helped us form our marketing strategy, but she was able to implement it as well. By combining her creative skills with her digital knowledge, e-mail campaigns, social media, public relations, and nonstop energy, she performed all of the functions we needed flawlessly, with a smile on her face.
-Ted Malley, Co-Founder, ReltatedMatters

Marketing artists like Heather are a rare, valuable, find!
Heather brings a unique blend of optimism, creativity, and an ability to consistently execute on-strategy. When she is on a project, you know it will get done beautifully … but equally important, the whole team will be re-energized by her infectious enthusiasm for building the business.
-Jennifer Silverberg, CEO, SmartCommerce

Our firm highly recommends this proven professional.
Heather Heydet is one of those rare and exceptional self-starters that not only challenges you to understand your business from a branding and general marketing standpoint but is able to bring consensus to management teams in this area. Heather is always on time and budget and will deliver proven results that make a difference.
– Al Holbrook, Chairman, Holbrook Life Holdings

I recommend wholeheartedly.
One of the hardest-working, exceptionally talented, smart, results-oriented, ‘A’ players you could hope to have working on your business. Heather brings an infectious enthusiasm united to a very creative and lively mind.
– Bill Campbell, President, Automatic Data Processing (ADP), National Account Services

Virginie Glaenzer

October 21, 2024 by Megan Esposito

Virginie Glaenzer is a partner in TechCXO’s Revenue Growth practice. She is a visionary digital strategist, entrepreneur, and Fractional Chief Marketing Officer with over 30 years of experience driving transformative growth across industries.

With more than a decade of experience in both Silicon Valley and New York City, Virginie has worked extensively with rapidly growing B2B technology companies, developing go-to-market (GTM) strategies for software products and leading digital transformations in the SaaS industry.

She has excelled as a fractional CMO, specializing in relieving stress for CMOs, CROs, and CEOs by bringing clarity and strategic direction to leadership teams.

She is often called upon for her expertise in:

  1. Brand Realignment: Helping brands reconnect with customers through data-driven strategies that enhance loyalty and outpace competitors.
  2. Product Launch Execution: Streamlining go-to-market strategies to ensure seamless product launches, alleviating pressure on internal teams.
  3. Scaling Challenges: Developing growth strategies and streamlining operations to help organizations scale effectively while freeing up resources for expansion.
  4. Leadership Gaps: Providing clear strategic direction and senior marketing expertise to improve communication and foster team cohesion.

Virginie Glaenzer is a business transformation expert with a proven track record of leading organizational shifts.

  • Executive VP of Marketing & Customer Experience at Great Eastern Energy (GEE) – Virginie transformed the company from a paper-driven, sales-focused operation into a tech-driven, customer-centric online business, resulting in a 150% increase in customer acquisition, a 45% reduction in churn, and improved employee engagement.
  • VP of Marketing at LiveWorld Inc. – For this social content marketing company Virginie transitioned the company from a service provider to a SaaS platform, boosting brand recognition, building a 6,000-strong database, and securing high-profile clients like Sony and LinkedIn.
  • VP of Marketing and Social Media at Archer Mobile – Archer Mobile is the leading global provider of mobile engagement solutions. Virginie successfully repositioned the company and was instrumental in rebranding and repositioning the company to become an acquisition target, leading to a $42 million merger with Lenco Mobile.

Virginie is also a pioneer in blockchain and web3, having invested in cryptocurrency since 2017. She has hosted blockchain conferences, contributed to Ethereum token creation, and authored The Economy of Abundance, a deep dive into decentralized economies and regenerative systems.

Her multifaceted expertise spans:

  1. Strategy: Crafting innovative digital marketing strategies that drive growth and deepen customer loyalty.
  2. Leadership: Empowering teams to navigate complexity with clarity and confidence.
  3. Storytelling & Growth Hacking: Engaging audiences with compelling narratives and growth hacking techniques to build strong brands.

Her journey began in 1998 when she moved from France to the U.S. and co-founded three tech startups. Virginie lives in Washington with her husband and their three daughters. She holds a Master’s degree from HEC Paris, one of France’s top business schools. She continues to lead with a passion for conscious leadership, gender balance, and digital innovation, inspiring change in every business and community she serves.

Speaking Engagements & Publications

  • Delivered keynotes CX, Chief Growth Officer Conferences and the C-Suite on digital transformation and leadership.
  • Guest speaker at business clubs, communities, universities, and on podcasts. Most recent interviews include discussions on AI Changes Everything, Co-Creators of the World, What is Web3, and Navigating the New Era of Brand Identity 
  • Author of *The Leadership Singularity* and *The Economy of Abundance*

Amanda Sparks

May 9, 2024 by Megan Esposito

Amanda has a diverse background inside of multiple Fortune 500 companies, including Ahold Delhaize, Amazon, and ABB, leading procurement, cost modeling and reduction, contract negotiation, logistics, supply chain, marketing, media, and revenue growth strategy projects.  Her work has resulted in well over $1B in cost savings over her 12-year career, but more importantly, she has injected innovation and simplicity into each business challenge she has tackled, leading to her being hired by her stakeholders on multiple occasions to manage the new paradigm she created.

After many years in large enterprise organizations, Amanda wanted to reverse engineer the sales and marketing process and apply many things she had learned being on the prospect side of “the deal.” She excelled in the world of Revenue Operations, applying technology and data and process engineering to create a best-in-class system that resulted in a 224% increase in open pipeline valuation and a 300% increase in a number of open deals year over year at her first company.  

Now, she is working with multiple other companies applying the same system to scale their revenue strategies in a similar way.  Amanda has found that RevOps is the most valuable and easily applied distillation of everything she learned in her corporate career; it is also fun to implement and tune and watch a great RevOps strategy take off like a rocket.

Amanda still has passion, though, and continues to work on projects in cost modeling (especially around raw commodity management), supply chain / logistics, risk management (workers’ comp, actuarial modeling), and all types of contract negotiation with vendors for services and products from her time in corporate procurement (she is a fierce negotiator). 

Mike Martin

October 17, 2023 by greenmellen

Industries: Restaurant (QSR + Fast Casual), Hospitality, Ecommerce, Sports, SaaS, Manufacturing & Logistics, Healthcare, IT, Travel & Tourism, Automotive, & Non-Profit

Services: Brand Positioning, Market Research, Go-To-Market Strategies, Lead Gen Strategies, Team & Tech Stack Audits, Leadership Recruiting & Training, Paid Media Strategy, PR/Earned Media

Capabilities: Reconfiguring Hybrid Marketing Teams, Campaign Development & Execution, Content at Scale with AI,
Agency Search Consulting, Mentoring and Startup Advisor

Mike Martin is often described as a muse for creative-minded entrepreneurs and executive leaders who struggle to synthesize the brand story swirling in their heads. He operates at the intersection of Performance & Persuasion with an unwavering belief that revenue growth is accelerated when creativity has accountability and content marketing is grounded in human truth. Mike is a rare breed of CMO who cut his teeth on the creative side, building award-winning campaigns before pivoting into being an agency owner, tech startup founder, and software development shop CMO before exiting.

Mike is well acquainted with the entrepreneurs journey and navigating periods of prosperity and adversity. With decades of experience in consumer marketing, B2B & B2C SaaS, G2C, and tech startups, he helps brands recalibrate strategy, reconfigure teams, and refocus on revenue growth as an interim and fractional CMO.

Client Engagement Highlights:

Chief Marketing Officer, Codesmith – Mike played a pivotal role in the growth and eventual acquisition of Codesmith, a managed services company specializing in custom software development, digital marketing, and IT staffing.

Chief Creative Officer, Jackson Spalding – Mike oversaw the creative, production, and media teams and led projects for renowned brands like Delta, Chick-fil-A, Orkin, and Coca-Cola, emphasizing brand strategy, content creation, and marketing analytics.

Founder/Creative Director, Skylab-B – Mike founded and led this Atlanta-based creative communications agency, developing integrated marketing campaigns for small to mid-size clients and partnered with a multicultural agency on large Government contracts.

Co-Founder & CEO, Pan Pals –  Mike co-founded this SaaS and entertainment platform for cooks, offering a space for collaboration, learning, and sharing food inspiration.

Partner/Creative Director, Martin+Owen – Mike co-led this venture, producing branded content and original programming for networks and serving as a consultant for advertising agencies.

Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Fletcher Martin – Mike led the creative, production, and strategy teams focusing on CPG, QSR, and Telecom brands.

Mike holds an ABJ in Advertising and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication from The University of Georgia. He also holds a Master of Arts in Art Direction from The Creative Circus and studied Mastering Design Thinking at the MIT Sloan School of Management .

Alan Gold

July 13, 2023 by Megan Esposito

Alan Gold is a B2B go-to-market, strategy and marketing executive with an exceptional track record of delivering growth and profitability. He is engaged by C-suite and senior executives, investors and boards in early-stage, growth and established B2B companies to accelerate growth, improve market positioning and differentiation, create high-performing teams, and to position and to position them for favorable mergers or acquisitions.

Alan’s extensive experience is global, spanning the U.S. and Canada, Europe, and AsiaPac. He has been both a successful executive and trusted advisor with a wide range of venture-funded, private, and public companies with SaaS applications, healthcare, expense management, supply chain and logistics software, as well as AI-driven applications.

Throughout his distinguished corporate career, Alan has been deeply involved in bringing numerous leading-edge technologies to market, most of which are integral to our work and personal lives today. He has been a Strategic Advisor and Fractional Executive to leading companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Merck Pharmaceutical, Accur8 Software, and BestTransport (now Descartes Systems), where he successfully drove senior leadership-directed projects and helped align sales and marketing efforts, refine go-to-market strategies, and expand market opportunities. His strategic consulting expertise has been sought by various VC-funded AI software application providers, including Forma.ai and Insite AI.

His specific areas of expertise include:

– Sales-Marketing alignment
– Lead generation improvement
– New product/technology innovation
– Expanding go-to-market capabilities via direct sales, indirect channels, and partners
– Building new marketing and sales teams/optimizing existing team performance
– Leadership and coaching to up-level and improve rising executives
– Fund raising and strategic exits
– Change Management
– Go-to-market strategies and expanding market opportunities

Alan’s experience also includes leading SaaS software companies as their Chief Marketing Officer, including BestTransport (Descartes Systems Group), Kewill (e2open), Bamboo Rose, Avotus Corp., and Progress Software.

He received an MBA from Boston College and a BA from Brandeis University.

Rhonda Willingham

April 19, 2023 by greenmellen

Rhonda Willingham is a Partner in TechCXO’s Revenue Growth Practice and is focused on serving Healthcare clients as an interim and fractional Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Revenue Officer, and Chief Growth Officer. She is an expert in designing and positioning effective population health sales and marketing product execution plans and go-to-market launches. During her 25-plus-year career in healthcare, Rhonda has partnered with healthcare providers and health plans to drive clinical and financial results while improving the health and lives of patients.

Her senior leadership roles led the identification, analysis, and implementation of strategic population health and value-driven solutions for health plans, employers, and providers. She has successfully executed enterprise growth strategies that drove profitable revenue. Rhonda led teams in the areas of business development, marketing, client management, product development, and operations.

During her distinguished career, her leadership roles have included:

Executive Vice President, Marketing and Product Development, Avalon Healthcare Solutions – This private equity-backed Lab Values Management company provides unique insights into the $82B+ lab testing industry to ensure patients are getting the appropriate lab tests while driving significant financial savings for health plans to over 33 million lives nationwide. As the head of marketing and product development, Rhonda led product innovation that leveraged the company’s lab science expertise to be the first company to digitize near-real-time lab results values and apply proprietary analytics to deliver actionable results to health plans and providers to ensure evidence-based treatment. The result assists health plans to proactively inform appropriate care, improve clinical outcomes and reduce healthcare costs through Lab Values Management. She also created and executed the new product go-to-market strategy, creating a pipeline of $50M+.

As a result of Rhonda’s rebranding and repositioning efforts, new sales close rate increased by over 50%, with predictable pipeline growth and decreased sales cycle.

Vice President, Business Development, New Century Health (NCH) —  This provider of oncology and cardiology specialty care managed over 5 million cancer and cardiac members with over 9,000 specialty providers. Rhonda developed strategic and financial risk partnerships with health plans to drive improved clinical results and financial savings for their oncology and cardiology members.  She expanded the pipeline by 200% by driving market presence, leveraging existing relationships, and developing compelling financial value propositions for regional and national health plans. NCH is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Evolent Health.

Vice President, Digital Health and Innovation, Medecision – Medecision is the largest independent provider of care management platforms and applications in the US, supporting over 50 million lives for nearly 100 of the nation’s leading health plans and care delivery organizations. As VP, Rhonda was responsible for driving the company’s digital health strategy and the development and execution of strategic partnerships to drive Triple-Aim measurable results for jumbo, at-risk healthcare clients by integrating a meaningful SaaS care management platform with value-driven workflow and analytic applications.

SVP, Sales & Marketing, VRI – For this private-equity-backed company providing personal emergency response, fall detection, and remote patient monitoring, Rhonda led sales, account, implementation, and marketing teams. She delivered recurring monthly revenue (RMR) growth and developed, defined, and launched “go-to-market strategies,” analysis, sales processes & lead generation in four distinct growth markets – population accounts (health plans), integrated channel partners, referral sources, and dealers.

In addition, Rhonda served as EVP for Alere Health (now Optum), a multi-billion-dollar health management company and analytics company, in which she consistently exceeded revenue targets. She was also SVP of Sales & Marketing for Gordian Health Solutions (now Onlife), and VP of Sales for CorSolutions Medical (now Optum). She began her career as an Emory University Hospital Registered Nurse, where she provided direct primary patient care and charge nurse responsibilities on a hematology-oncology and bone marrow transplant unit.

Rhonda earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Florida. She has been a member of the Women Business Leaders of the US Health Care Industry Foundation (WBL), Break into the Boardroom, Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), and Care Continuum Alliance (CCA). Rhonda also served as a mentor for the Advanced Technology Development Center at Georgia Tech (ATDC).

Simplifying Healthcare Complexity to Accelerate Growth
Healthcare is complex—selling into it shouldn’t be. With 25+ years of leadership in healthcare services, SaaS, and revenue cycle management, I develop and execute intentional go-to-market (GTM) strategies that drive faster adoption, revenue expansion, and competitive differentiation.

I specialize in:
✔ GTM Execution – Translating complex solutions into clear, compelling, and buyer-friendly offerings
✔ Sales Acceleration – Removing friction to shorten sales cycles and speed time to value
✔ Market Positioning – Aligning messaging with customer needs for stronger engagement
✔ Revenue Cycle & Payment Strategy – Optimizing payer adoption and reimbursement pathways

I’ve led growth strategies for healthcare SaaS, digital health, value-based care, and diagnostic solutions, ensuring companies land the right customers, scale efficiently, and maximize revenue potential

Speaking Engagements & Publications

“Digitized Lab Results Accelerate the Success of Value-Based Care,” Today’s Clinical Lab. April 2022
“Asthma: Maximizing Technology to Address Compliance and Control,” Medicaid Health Plans of America, Weekly Webinars. May 2016
“The Best is Yet to Come: Ecosystem Members Share their Success Models,” Connect 2015, Qualcomm Life annual Connected Health Ecosystem Conference. August 2015
“Enabling Connected Health to Meet the Needs of Vulnerable Populations at the State Level,” Medicaid Health Plans of America, Washington, D.C. October 2013.
“Communicating Value: A Strategic Business Imperative,” Care Continuum Alliance, Phoenix, AZ. October 2013.
“Workplace Wellness and the Use of Financial Incentives,” American Cancer Society Corporate Impact Conference, Denver, CO.  June 2013.
“Next Generation Incentive Design: Are Outcomes the Measurement of the Future?”  Keynote, World Congress, Employee Health and Human Capital Strategy Congress, Orlando, FL.  February 2013.
“Guidance for a Reasonably Designed, Employer-Sponsored Wellness Program Using Outcomes-Based Incentives,” published in JOEM, July 2012.

Samantha Starling

February 13, 2023 by Megan Esposito

Samantha Starling joined TechCXO more than a decade ago as its first Director in the Revenue Growth group. She quickly advanced and became the first Principal for the group, providing a wide range of martech solutions services. Throughout these years with the firm, she has been engaged with hundreds of clients in dozens of verticals. Samantha has designed business process blueprints that create, track, update, and analyze data from start to finish. She and her team have used those blueprints, coupled with the client’s needs, to build efficient, cost-effective solution sets. These solution sets successfully capture and manage data from the point of entry through the entire customer journey, whether it ends in churn or attrition. All of this results in clean, accurate, reportable data from which reports and dashboards are built in order to effectively manage and analyze the business.

Having exposure to a multitude of companies, Samantha configured systems for a wide range of business processes, including:

  • Board and C-level reporting and dashboards
  • Lead generation, capture and qualification
  • Marketing automation and sales qualification
  • Sales processes: new business, upsells/expansions and recurring revenue renewals
  • Products and services, pricing models
  • Contracting, billing and revenue recognition
  • Implementation of client services and issue tracking
  • Customer onboarding and success

An expert in multiple solutions, Samantha has been engaged by clients for new, out-of-the-box implementations; one-time projects for specific business needs; a complete overhaul of existing processes; hazmat clean-up of existing instances; and retained admin services.

The list includes Salesforce.com, Insightly, Hubspot, Account Engagement (Pardot), CPQ, QuickBooks, Maxio (SaaS Optics), Stripe, DocuSign, PandaDoc, Formstack, DBSync, Zapier, Netsuite, Zendesk, Intacct, Sales Navigator, JIRA, Outreach, Salesloft and dozens of others.

Prior to joining TechCXO, Samantha was a Director of Marketing for an EBPP, print and digital mail solutions firm based in Charlotte. During that tenure, she managed all marketing efforts, including the launch of a mobile utility payment app and her first implementation of Salesforce.com across six departments. She managed that implementation without outside consultancy assistance, which led her career to where it is now.

Prior to that position, Samantha owned and managed a local weekly newspaper outside Charlotte.

Amanda Donnelly

July 18, 2022 by Megan Esposito

Amanda Donnelly is a full-stack marketing leader who elevates brands, engages customers, and increases market share for organizations. She uses her deep understanding of digital marketing to assist high-growth stage businesses looking to expand their marketing operations to meet demand. Amanda is most frequently called on by Boards, investors, and senior management teams to assist clients as an interim and fractional CMO.

Amanda started her career in the ad agency space, working on award-winning campaigns for Sony PlayStation and Volkswagen. She left the agency world after a decade to launch Huffington Post’s mobile platforms for iOS and Android. Amanda then moved to IGN to lead Sales Operations.

After moving to Nashville in 2013, Amanda consulted with local startups before taking a role at Nissan North America to launch their in-vehicle safety product. During her time at Nissan, Amanda held progressive roles within marketing and customer experience. She joined Eventbrite in 2019 to build and lead their North America marketing team, responsible for 70% of the organization’s revenue. After Eventbrite, Amanda served as CMO for a fast-growing humanitarian aid organization before leaving in 2021 to start her own consulting firm focused on fractional CMO leadership.

Since joining TechCXO, Amanda has operated as a Fractional CMO for organizations large and small across multiple industries that all share one thing in common – the desire to grow. Amanda is an entrepreneurial and analytically-minded leader who uses data-driven decision-making to drive growth and improve revenue for her clients. She is well-respected for inspiring, empowering, and mentoring high-performing teams to achieve company goals and objectives.

Michael Baer

June 22, 2022 by greenmellen

Michael is an experienced, growth-focused fractional CMO and marketing leader with over 35 years of marketing and operational leadership and a track record of driving strategic insight, creativity, and executional excellence to accelerate growth. Michael leverages his diverse, end-to-end experience to help companies turn their marketing into a greater value and business development driver for their organizations.

Michael partners with healthcare and B2B companies in the marketing services, technology, and media spaces to create more powerful customer-driven brands, to professionalize and transform their marketing and business development, and innovate their Go-To-Market approaches. He is most frequently called upon by VC and PE-backed investors, Boards and senior management teams in these industries, especially start-ups and early stage growth companies, to act as interim or fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and General Manager and develop and activate comprehensive brand and marketing strategies and help align their go-to-market plans, functions, technologies, and organizations in order to generate growth.

Michael is expert at helping companies at inflection points – helping to scale-up and professionalize fast-growth organizations that need to elevate their approaches to achieve their next stage; helping unify private equity-backed mergers and acquisitions with new, more powerful and holist

Interim & Fractional CMO & CGO Engagements

Michael’s interim and fractional Chief Marketing Officer engagements have included companies at various life stages, from start-ups, to scale-ups, to SMB turn-arounds, to billion-dollar brands. These have included:

  • Digital Factory –  a geo-location mobile start-up
  • Theralytics – ABA Practice management & data collection software”
  • Hospital for Special Services (HSS) – World’s #1 Orthopedic hospital
  • GE Healthcare
  • Relevate Health – omnichannel healthcare engagement solutions
  • Haymarket Communications – privately-held global media company
  • My Diabetes Tutor – Telehealth education start-up
  • Aquestive Therapeutics
  • HealthForce
  • True North Physician Agency –Physician/provider practice management support and services

Career

During his distinguished career, key leadership positions included:

Chief Marketing Officer, MJH Life Sciences – MJH Life Sciences is the largest, privately held healthcare media company in North America, delivering content, events, education, and creative services to healthcare professionals and the healthcare industry. Michael overhauled the marketing organization, oversaw and scaled a new team, including over 110+ FTEs and across 60+ healthcare brands. He drove the development of optimized processes, best practices and playbooks, led innovation in journey-based GTM approaches, and installed a new full-stack marketing approach.

Senior Vice President | Head of Brand & Marketing, Ipsos North America – Michael was called on to provide dynamic, growth-oriented leadership to the audience measurement business after years of decline and stagnation. He developed and implemented new strategies, including a new sales GTM and prospecting plan, new products, and robust marketing programming. He also developed and instituted a comprehensive Content Marketing and thought-leadership program that resulted in doubling the sales pipeline and closing new brand clients including Cadillac, Hyundai, Northwestern Mutual, Travelers, Capital One, JPM Chase, Mastercard, Kohler, Haier, Shiseido.

Chief Marketing Officer, Laughlin Constable –Michael was brought in as CMO to help transform outdated brand perception and spark new growth at this independent B2B marketing services company. He drove a new vision, positioning, marketing strategy, launching a new website, collateral, capabilities decks and a comprehensive Marketing Plan, significantly increasing leads.

Michael is also an industry thought-leader and accomplished writer on the topics of media, marketing and advertising, primarily for the industry-leading publication MediaPost. You can read Michael’s insights on his blog, Stratecution, and on LinkedIn.

Michael received a BA in History and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

 

Carrie Pastolove

January 21, 2022 by Megan Esposito

Carrie Pastolove is a digital marketing, branding, revenue growth and business development executive who helps scale New York area lifestyle companies in consumer goods, services and tech. Carrie is seasoned and passionate about purpose and service-driven brands. She has expertise in fashion & beauty, media, luxury retail, health & wellness startups and growing companies as an interim and fractional Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Brand Officer and Chief Business Development Officer.

She has held key marketing and sales development positions with world-class brands including Rachael Ray, Shape Magazine, Lucky, Details, Marie Claire and Maxim. Among her key leadership positions are the following:

Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer, LyveBee, Remote – Carrie led all Business Development and Marketing initiatives for this early-stage Health & Wellness startup, doubling business and leading a marketing and sales team of 10.

SVP, Brand Partnerships and Development, QuickFrame – Carrie drove revenue, diversified the product portfolio and developed and closed enterprise-level clients including DoorDash, Hasbro, Pfizer and Aveeno for this Video-as-a-Service Platform company.

Head of Business Development, Fur, Inc. – Fur has a line of vegan, non-toxic, high-quality beauty products.  Carrie developed business plans and distribution channels through top-tier spas and luxury hotels.

Chief Marketing Officer, Babbleboxx – As CMO for this influencer marketing agency, Carrie built programs of more than 100 influencers, including oversight of programs, promotions, research and social media.

Brand Curator and Business Development Executive, SPRING – Carrie sourced and supported more than 50 beauty and wellness brands to join a disruptive DTC mobile marketplace.

VP – Brand Partnerships, Activate Holdings – Carrie drove revenue from $2M to $12M through partnerships with enterprise brands and publishing partners and led all communications with clients and key stakeholders.

VP – Brand Partnerships, Studio 71 – Along with developing a new Lifestyle Division within a Music & Entertainment focused talent agency, generating more than $5M, Carrie led client service and relationships as the firm’s branding partnerships expert.

Carrie’s publishing a media experience is extensive, having served as an Advertising Director, Beauty and Health & Wellness director for American Media, Meredith Corporation, Conde Nast Publications, Hearth corporation and Dennis Publishing.

She holds a BA in Advertising / Communications from the Fashion Institute of Technology.  Carrie is also founding member of Chief, a women’s executive networking club, and serves on the board of Women in Influencer Marketing (WIIM).

More About Carrie’s Personal and Professional Focus

In addition to her top flight credentials as a marketing executive, Carrie has leveraged her personal interests, training, certification and knowledge of mindfulness and conscious living throughout her career. She offers an innovative approach to managing teams and assisting executives in their personal and professional development. Carrie leverages principles and techniques from the physical, mental and spiritual realms to maximize performance from a holistic standpoint. She is dedicated to supporting executives and their teams through disruption and change using the tools she has developed through her own experiences.

Piers Mummery

January 21, 2022 by Megan Esposito

Piers Mummery is an Executive Coach, Board Advisor, and Entrepreneur. He is the UK Managing Partner of TechCXO, the leading “on-demand” executive service for growth companies. He specializes in accelerating business performance and sales growth for SMEs and tech-enabled businesses and is an active part of TechCXO’s executive operations. In 2021, Piers also launched his executive coaching business, Pierso – The Entrepreneurs Coach to support and coach entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial teams on their journey to success.

Piers is a “people first” individual and has over 30 years of entrepreneurial experience as well as significant expertise and operational skills across many areas & disciplines in business. He is an active non-executive director and business advisor to a number of businesses. He works with business owners and leaders to accelerate growth and drive business performance.

As an experienced business leader, his expertise spans multiple industries and territories in both the UK, Europe, and USA. Recent roles and projects include; Interim CEO for an IT Services company in Chicago, USA, creating and launching a private tuition business, founder and CEO of the world’s first digital taxi-top advertising network on London black taxis, co-owner and founder of a successful UK garden leisure retail business that he built and sold.  Additionally, he has also managed the turnaround of a VC-backed European telecoms business, launched a Dotcom, and started his early career building marketing agencies.

As a part of his executive coaching work, Piers focuses on 3 key areas: 1) Authenticity 2) Inevitable Outcomes 3) Small changes that creates big impact. As an active networker, business advocate, and passionate enthusiast of behaviorism, he enjoys finding out what makes people tick.  He works passionately with like-minded business leaders, supporting and discussing how to scale and grow businesses, people, and opportunities.

I love being an entrepreneur and thrive on hearing people’s stories, so come and share your journey with me. Get in touch at piers.mummery@techcxo.com, call me at 073 666 55 666, or find me on LinkedIn or Facebook. I might be wrong, but I am never uncertain, and I’ll certainly lend you an ear!

Rose Lee

January 21, 2022 by greenmellen

Rose Lee
Managing Partner, TechCXO – Fractional Chief Marketing Officer

Rose Lee is the Co-Managing Partner of TechCXO’s Revenue Growth practice. In this role, she offers strategic marketing leadership and go-to-market expertise to help businesses accelerate growth, optimize revenue operations, and drive market differentiation. Rose is a strategic and results-oriented Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (FCMO) with extensive experience accelerating the development of B2B companies across various industries. She specializes in developing and executing high-impact go-to-market (GTM) strategies, brand positioning, demand generation, and revenue marketing initiatives that produce measurable business outcomes.

With a proven track record of success, Rose has spearheaded marketing transformations for organizations providing SaaS solutions, managed IT services, financial services to the automotive industry, and government technology procurement software for local governments and municipalities. She has also spearheaded the GTM strategies for design and digital collaboration lifecycle software platforms for global iconic brands, optimized marketing for a reflective material and trim manufacturer, and developed thought leadership and content marketing strategies for a venture capital firm.

Expertise:
• GTM Strategy & Execution
• Demand Generation & Lead Nurturing
• Brand Positioning & Messaging
• Marketing & Sales Alignment
• Revenue & Growth Marketing
• Revenue Operations & Analytics
• Digital Transformation & Content Strategy

How Rose Has Helped Businesses Grow

• Fractional CMO – Accelerated Market Expansion for Value Management Software Firm
Developed and executed a data-driven go-to-market (GTM) strategy that repositioned the company as a reliable partner for mid-sized businesses. Implemented automated lead nurturing and content marketing, resulting in a 140% increase in average website engagement and driving double-digit revenue growth.

• Fractional CMO – Launched a revised brand positioning, messaging, and website for a global brands’ digital collaboration lifecycle software platform. Led the market introduction and product positioning of a cloud-based collaboration platform utilized by iconic global brands. Developed a multi-channel demand generation strategy, achieving a 40% increase in enterprise adoption and significantly accelerating the pipeline.

• Fractional CMO – Revitalized Marketing for a Reflective Material and Trim Manufacturer
Conducted a brand and market analysis, identifying untapped opportunities in the safety sectors. Developed an omnichannel marketing approach, increasing customer engagement by 35% and driving a record-high number of inbound sales inquiries.

• VP Product Marketing, Corcentric, Inc. – Integrated and spearheaded a comprehensive international go-to-market (GTM) strategy for a leading Source-to-Pay and Order-to-Cash software, advisory, and payment services firm. She repositioned a complex and sizable B2B four-way merger alongside an 8+ product portfolio of solutions and services aimed at highly targeted personas through campaigns, thought leadership, and strategic product development marketing.

• Chief Customer Officer & SVP Marketing, Determine, Inc. – Rose was responsible for the global marketing strategy, go-to-market initiatives, and customer relationships for a $30M+ enterprise SaaS software company. She and her team of 50 international marketers achieved a 150% increase in revenue and enhanced customer satisfaction advocacy.

• Vice President of Demand Generation and Customer Marketing, Youbet.com – Thanks to Rose’s effective B2C digital marketing, customer engagement, and win-back strategies, Churchill Downs, Inc. acquired this online gaming enterprise valued at over $500 million

Katherine Hunter Blyden

January 21, 2022 by Megan Esposito

Katherine Hunter-Blyden is a results-driven marketing expert, specializing in maximizing marketing ROI and increasing efficiency for her clients.  She leverages her P&L management experience, honed through roles with Fortune 500 companies, mid-tier businesses, and startups, to deliver data-driven, quantifiable results. Katherine’s expertise is frequently sought by boards, executive leadership teams, and investors for interim and fractional Chief Marketing Officer engagements.

With a strong analytical foundation and entrepreneurial spirit, Katherine brings a unique blend of discipline and resourcefulness to her client engagements. She provides honest, insightful feedback to business leaders, enabling them to craft and optimize high-performance marketing plans that align with growth objectives. She believes in focusing on what’s right and relevant for each business, rather than chasing fleeting trends.

Katherine’s career spans from founding startups to leading initiatives within multi-billion dollar corporations. This breadth of experience, coupled with her work coaching small business owners, has provided her with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities businesses face across various stages and industries.

Her track record includes developing multi-million dollar advertising campaigns at Ford Motor Company, driving significant revenue growth at Progressive Insurance, and turning around an underperforming $1.3 billion product line at Farmers Group, Inc.

Katherine is particularly passionate about helping small and middle-market businesses achieve stellar growth. For over a decade, she has consulted with organizations in diverse sectors, including software, legal, climate tech, insuretech, education, and non-profit.

Katherine’s skills include:

  • Marketing Budget Optimization
  • P&L Management
  • Customer Acquisition, Retention & Loyalty
  • Digital Marketing
  • Product & Brand Management
  • Strategic Marketing Planning

Drawing inspiration from Warren Buffett’s long-term investment philosophy, Katherine emphasizes sustainable growth strategies and builds lasting client relationships.  Her commitment to community work reflects this same dedication to long-term impact.

Katherine holds an MBA from Dartmouth College’s Amos Tuck School and an MS and a BS in Mathematics from Creighton University. She is actively involved in community organizations, including SCORE Greater Los Angeles, City of Hope, and the Pasadena Tournament of Roses.

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »
TechCXO Logo-Reversed
About TechCXO

People
Clients
Contact & Locations
News

Executive Focus

Finance
Revenue Growth
Product & Technology
Human Capital
Executive Ops

TechCXO HQ

3423 Piedmont Rd., NE
Atlanta, GA 30305

LinkedIn Facebook X

Copyright 2025 TechCXO
Privacy Policy | Accessibility