Lessons from a first-time CMO

The CMO role offers a unique skillset and an equally unique ability to draw scrutiny. We talked to a first-time CMO about what he's learned.

By ,
Head of Content & Media
Published on April 15, 2026 • Last updated on April 15, 2026 • 2 minutes read

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    It’s an interesting time to be a CMO. Marketing spend is under scrutiny, as it so often is, buying habits are changing and AI is threatening to upend a number of aspects of sales and marketing we thought we knew.

    All of that adds more complexity to a leadership role that already requires people skills, an analytical mind and a healthy dose of creativity.

    In this episode of Conversations with MarTech, we’re talking to Steven Quach, CMO at Pipedrive, about his first few months as a CMO. 

     Episode guide

    1:11: Meet Steven Quach
    2:20: What did Steven learn in his first two quarters as a CMO?
    4:56: What was surprising about the CMO role?
    7:09: How is Steven approaching the role of AI in the marketing organization?
    13:20: How do Steven and his team use being a challenger brand to their advantage?

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    Mike Pastore
    Head of Content & Media

    Mike Pastore is the Head of Content & Media at Third Door Media, the publisher of the Martech and Search Engine Land websites and the producer of the SMX and MarTech Conferences. In nearly three decades in B2B marketing, Mike has worked as an editor, writer, and marketer. He first wrote about marketing in 1998 for internet.com (later Jupitermedia). He then worked with marketers at some of the best-known brands in B2B tech, creating content for marketing campaigns at both Jupitermedia and QuinStreet. Prior to joining Third Door Media as the Editorial Director of the MarTech website, he led demand generation at B2B media company TechnologyAdvice.

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