Jo Lanzarone brings extensive experience as both a coach and an executive, holding leadership roles in sales and as a CMO/Marketing Director. With over 30 years in B2B Tech across the UK, Australia, and Asia, Jo’s expertise spans Cloud, SaaS, software, Telco, and IT services. Most recently, Jo served as VP of Marketing at Pluralsight, a technology workforce development company, where she played a pivotal role in scaling the business. Joining pre-IPO as one of the founding employees in the APAC region, she navigated the challenges of leading through public and private equity ownership. Prior to this, Jo held various positions at global tech giants like Microsoft and Cisco Systems, where she oversaw B2B and B2C product portfolios during Microsoft’s significant shift from software to SaaS models.
Jo earned a Master’s in Coaching Psychology from the University of Sydney in 2016 and was a founding coach at the Marketing Academy in Australia, where she has nurtured marketing talent for the past decade. Her journey has taught her that marketing leadership requires a unique blend of empathy, visionary thinking, and a deep understanding of success metrics.
Through her work in large organizations and tech startups, Jo learned that a successful marketing leader must be versatile, often working beyond the marketing function to build strong partnerships with sales, customer success, and product teams. Defining success in this context can be challenging, but understanding the strategic power of metrics is essential for any marketing leader, whether in B2C or B2B.
Jo advises marketing leaders to focus on metrics that drive growth and customer acquisition, rather than just impressions, events, and activities. While understanding the numbers is crucial, the ability to communicate and collaborate across the business is what elevates a leader. By keeping metrics simple, easy to understand, and staying open to feedback, leaders can ensure the whole team is aligned and motivated. Jo also recommends investing in offsite events to brainstorm and build a shared sense of ownership among team members. Additionally, she emphasizes the value of connecting with other leaders to discuss the metrics that matter most to them, blending insights from both consumer and business perspectives.
