Published on: 01 January 1970
After 20 years of working in innovation across technology, product, marketing, and e-commerce, Alice Fournier, IRG100 participant in 2022, is now the CIO for ISS’s Americas division. ISS is a true B2B brand that provides workplace experiences through cleaning, technical services, and catering to businesses in 30 countries. Considering her new role and deep experience in driving digital and technology strategies to promote growth outcomes, we asked her how CMOs can best connect and collaborate with their colleagues from IT.
“Nowadays, digital and technology touch every part of the business. That means marketers need to be skilled in having the right conversations with their technology counterparts. Having seen both sides, it is clear that marketers and IT leaders have much to learn from each other. They contribute very different skill sets, and the intersection of those skills is critical to driving growth and leading innovation.
For marketers, there is a key role in supporting their IT peers in considering a multi-stakeholder approach, as well as better selling ideas and products, internally and externally. For marketers, there is an opportunity to engage with technology leaders to better understand how to leverage data and analytics for impact and to align on a roadmap to successful digital transformation.
Collaboration between functions is critical to keep the organization safe, as marketers onboard new software and agencies. Every CMO would do well by understanding the technical side. But conversations are not just content-driven; they’re also a get-together of two brains. Truly listening and taking the time to understand each other's realm, remit, and strengths are key to succeed.”
Inspired by Alice Fournier, IRG100 participant 2022, CIO at ISS Americas.