» A THOUGHT LEADER

A THOUGHT

Paige O'neill, Chief Marketing Officer, Sitecore has enjoying managing teams and helping them improve their skills

What made you choose this career path? How would you summarize your professional journey so far in terms of meeting expectations, both yours and the organization’s?

I studied political science degrees, and then spent a year in New York University’s Media Ecology Ph.D. program studying how technology impacts culture. During this period I got a part-time job working for a PR agency and ended up dropping out of the Ph.D. program, abandoning my idea of professorship and embarking on a career in PR and marketing. I have worked my way up through various companies, but the key for me has always been to challenge expectations. I don’t like doing the minimum as I want to do more, be my best, authentic self and help companies develop their best representation as well. I think that’s about having a bit of the teacher in me still! I also really enjoy managing teams of people, helping them to expand their skillsets. I feel it’s very important to be a visible role model for women in marketing, helping them to be confident in their abilities, and make their desires and ambitions known. People like me will always be there to point others in the direction of opportunity.

From your experience, is gender a differentiator in Marketing at all or are men and women similar in these roles in terms of the strengths they bring to these roles in conceptualizing and executing? Are women sufficiently recognized for their contributions?

We all arrive in a role on an equal playing field, but over time, that equality still, unfortunately, degrades. Everyone brings their individual strengths to their role, and it’s only by embracing a diverse range of thoughts, experiences and skills that organizations can truly address their broadest audience and realize their potential. We need to make sure we’re creating workplaces where young women know they can grow, and lead, in the way that is most authentic to them, and where their contributions are recognized and rewarded.

How has Hybrid work and accelerated digitalization challenged, changed and enabled your role in Marketing?

In March 2021, a survey my company commissioned from Advanis asked 402 U.S. marketers to reflect on the impact of Covid-19 and their priorities going forward. The results showed that marketers

were stretching themselves to the breaking point. The vast majority of marketers we polled (79%) said that the past 12 months were the most challenging ones in their careers. More than half (59%) considered quitting and that number was even higher among millennial marketers (65%). As sobering as those statistics were, they also illuminated a path forward. As we hope to emerge from a pandemic world, it is clear to me that marketers and enterprises as a whole should acknowledge the problem, leverage technology, focus on employee experience and provide mentorship.

Briefly highlight some of the standout milestones from your current role and over the past?

I like to think that I am well established as a thought leader in the Martech space, thanks to the programmes I’ve delivered over my career. I haveve won numerous awards recognizing my contribution to the world of marketing, including TopRank’s Top 50 Influential Women in B2B Marketing (Jan 2021), Finalist for Best Video Leadership (LinkedIn Video Series), CSuite Content (Jun. 2020), B2B Magazine’s Top 20 Female Tech Marketers Making an Impact in the Industry (Mar. 2019) and Forbes Top CMOs on Social Media (2018). Most recently, I am extremely proud of the Sitecore rebrand we have just completed.

What would be some of the goals that you have set for yourself in the years ahead in your professional journey?

I believe that companies are not going to be in business for much longer if don’t understand customer experience and what customers expect companies to deliver. My job is to help our customers understand how we can help them do that. When I joined, Sitecore was on an exciting growth trajectory. We're launching new products, we're acquiring companies, we're growing, we're solving critical business needs. My goal is to tell our story with fluency so that ambitious, innovative companies around the globe can understand how they can better connect with their customers, and build unforgettable experiences. Paige O'neill

Chief Marketing Officer, Sitecore

"Everyone brings their individual strengths to their role, and it’s only by embracing a diverse range of thoughts, experiences and skills that organizations can truly address their broadest audience and realize their potential."