Movers and Shakers in Marketing, 2015

By Jim Lundy

It is a question I get asked often: Who are the movers and shakers in marketing—the ones who make a difference? In 2015, Aragon Research has identified new movers and shakers in marketing and they extend beyond Silicon Valley.

We interact with many people every day who are in marketing positions.  Not everyone gets noticed, but we watch and we observe who is doing what. This blog is about the new movers and shakers in marketing—some talented people who are making their mark.

These are executives to watch, in part because the demand for marketing professionals who make a difference is never-ending.

Kari Seas, Code 42

Kari Seas is the Vice President of Marketing, Enterprise Products at Code 42. I’ve known Kari for years and she is a proven powerhouse in the enterprise content management market, having helped Stellent (later sold to Oracle) rise to be a leader in ECM. Kari is a delight to work with and is always smiling.

At Code42, she is driving the enterprise story which keeps getting more robust, as the realization that backing up PCs on-premise or in the Cloud is becoming a more critical issue. Code42 has also just entered the mobile content management space and thanks to Kari, is driving the message to large and small enterprises.

Jason Corsello, Cornerstone OnDemand

Jason Corsello is the VP of Strategy and Marketing at Cornerstone OnDemand, one of the fastest growing firms in the HCM and talent management markets.

Jason has done what few others have: He made the transition from being an analyst (Knowledge Infusion) to being a successful senior executive at one of brands to beat in talent management.

While I go back much further with Cornerstone CEO Adam Miller, Jason has demonstrated that he can play the corporate game at the highest level. He does it with finesse as well, since he commutes across country to work at Cornerstone’s headquarters in Santa Monica, CA.

Michael Londgren, DocuSign

Michael Londgren is the VP of Product Marketing at DocuSign, one of the leaders in Digital Transaction Management (DTM).

Michael has helped build a world-class team in his short time at DocuSign. Today, thanks to the tireless efforts of Michael and the DocuSign team, DocuSign is quickly becoming a household name in the Digital Transaction Management market.

Before DocuSign, Michael had a very successful stint at Adobe where he helped lead the charge in both the Acrobat and the Adobe Connect Business units. One of the things that I observed about Michael, is that he has been a catalyst at every firm he has worked at—DocuSign is just the latest. Michael is also a native of Silicon Valley; he grew up in Gilroy.

Kristen Lauria, IBM

Kristen Lauria is the VP of Marketing, IBM Global Business Services, at IBM. I first met Kristen when we both worked together at Xerox. At the time, she was a young engineer and we got to know each other because we were both involved in bringing new products to market (Xerox Document Centre).

At IBM, Kristen has become a results-driven marketing professional. When I was still at Gartner, she developed some strong marketing campaigns for IBM and as a result of all her work, she is now one of the rising marketing VPs at IBM.

IBM has developed a strong portfolio of offerings in mobile and in 2014, Kristen helped drive the branding to IBM Mobile First. She is the real deal and we expect her to go far in her new role at IBM GBS.

Nicole Hall, Polycom

Nicole Hall is the VP of Corporate Marketing at Polycom, where she is leading the charge in messaging, branding, and overall market awareness. Niki is a proven veteran in marketing and analyst relations. Before her current role at Polycom, she worked at marketing firms that helped promote brands such as Porsche and BMW. However, it was her time at Cisco that put Niki on the map.

While at Cisco, Niki built one of the most revered analyst relations programs in high tech. It made an impact at Cisco and even John Chambers took notice. Niki is one of the people you want on your team when the going gets tough. She always delivers and excels at mentoring and developing team members.

Adrienne Whitten, Saba

Adrienne Whitten is the VP of Product Marketing at Saba. She has held similar roles at both Taleo and Success Factors, a subsidiary of SAP. Adrienne is a proven product marketing executive who understands the talent management space as well as anyone.

The messaging and marketing for the products and services that she has managed have been second to none. I had the opportunity to work with Adrienne at both Saba and while she was at Success Factors/SAP. Adrienne is one of the people you can count on and she is fun to work with as well.

Movers and Shakers Who Make a Difference

This 2015 list of movers and shakers in marketing is smaller than what we published in 2013, but it is quality, not quantity. So, when people ask me who are the ones to watch in marketing, I point at this and the other marketing lists we have published.