Join Vinnie and marketing leadership expert, Thomas Barta, as they chat about the role of AI in marketing, and whether AI is just a trendy distraction or a genuine game-changer in the industry.

This episode also covers...

• Fundamentals of marketing
• CEO and customer expectations
• Creative opportunities

About Thomas...

Thomas Barta is the world’s premier expert, author, and speaker on marketing leadership.

A “CMO-turned McKinsey partner-turned organisational psychologist”, Thomas conducts research, including the world’s largest study - involving over 68,000 assessments - on what makes for a successful marketer.

Thomas is the Managing Director of the Marketing Leadership Institute, the author of the #1 leadership book for marketers: The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader (with Patrick Barwise, McGraw-Hill), and the founder of the world’s #1 Marketing Leadership Masterclass.

Thomas has consulted and marketed for over 20 years, in 14 industries, in 45 countries. His clients include many of the world’s most prominent companies, including over two dozen from the Fortune 500. He holds an MBA from London Business School and a Master’s in Clinical Organizational Psychology from INSEAD Business School (France and Singapore).

Thomas is the leadership dean of the Marketing Academy CMO Fellowship and a Honorary Fellow of The Marketing Society. He writes for Forbes, Marketing Week, and his own TryThis.Blog.

He has given hundreds of keynotes and masterclasses for companies, associations, and universities--including Adobe, Cisco, Google, IBM, SAP, and Advertising Week.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Marketing Leadership Institute
• Seth Godin's Blog

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Hosted & Produced by Vinnie Romano, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth.

🚨 We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

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Joining Shahin and Vinnie is Marketing Director (ANZ) at HP, Ruben Ahmed. They got to chat about all things creativity and efficiency in marketing, and what marketers should be doing to stand out.

This episode also covers...

• Long-term vs short-term marketing focus
• Cultivating a niche
• The importance of understanding P&L
• How to build trust in your teams and with customers

About Ruben...

Ruben Ahmed is an award-winning marketer, speaker and the Director of Marketing for HP Australia & New Zealand, he oversees all areas across Consumer and Commercial divisions.

With a passion for emerging technology, he has had the privilege of building his career with Fortune 100 brands like HP, Telstra, IBM, and Sony.

Ruben is known across the industry for his uncanny ability to pick apart the tough problems, drive business growth, and culture an environment that leads with creativity.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• 10x Is Easier Than 2x - Dan Sullivan
• How Brands Grow - Byron Sharp
• Reforge
• Rory Sutherland

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Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Vinnie Romano, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth.

🚨 We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Or fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/ybDTyjEreR1WiUg16

And for all our other socials visit: https://mtr.bio/xgrowth

Joining Shahin on the podcast is CEO & Founder of hipages, Roby Sharon-Zipser. He spoke about the journey of this Aussie company; from the origin story, to getting through the COVID-period, and to where they are now, hipages continues to smash their growth targets.

This episode also covers...

• The role and evolution of being a CEO
• How to adapt to consumer behaviour and technology development
• Building company strategy
• The importance of company values and pillars

About Roby...

Roby is an entrepreneur who creates and invests in thriving and durable businesses that challenge the status quo.

With a passion for developing technologies that liberate others to free up their time for higher-value business activities, Roby instils this passion in the hipages Group team, driving the company’s purpose of transforming the trade industry, making better lives for everyone, and striving for continuous curiosity and professional growth.

Roby kickstarted the hipages Group journey in 2004, with the company’s founding business, hipages, inspired by the personal challenges of trying to renovate his own home.

Fast forward to today and not only does he have extensive insight into tradie businesses, but he is also at the helm of a data powerhouse for the trade industry.

With a strong background in numbers, Roby has led his team to harness this data to create a unique industry map of opportunities, known as the hipages Group tradie ecosystem.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Founder Mode - Paul Graham
• Open - Andre Agassi
• The Hard Things About Hard Things - Ben Horowitz
• Acquired Podcast
• The Contrarians
• 7 Powers - Hamilton Wright Helmer
• hipages annual reports
• hipages product vision video

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📚 Get your copy of the latest ABM in APAC Report here: https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth.

🚨 We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Or fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/ybDTyjEreR1WiUg16

And for all our other socials visit: https://mtr.bio/xgrowth

Director of Marketing (APJ) of Smartsheet, Laura Jenkins, shares with us her experience of being a one-woman marketing band in the Asia-Pacific region, and where her journey has led her today with the company.

This episode also covers...

• Regional differences with campaigns
• How to navigate working in a sales-led organisation
• How to deal with HQ being in a different region
• Collaboration and budget management

About Laura...

Laura Jenkins is an award-winning senior B2B marketing professional with 20 years of experience across technology, media, and professional services. She specialises in developing and executing strategies for both listed and unlisted companies, with expertise in brand, PR, performance marketing, events, and sponsorships.

A results-driven marketer and collaborative leader, Laura is also the host of In The Blend, a podcast helping parents and step-parents navigate life in blended families.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Deep Work - Cal Newport
• Essentialism - Greg McKeown
• Mini MBA - Mark Ritson
• The Marketing Leadership Masterclass - Thomas Barta
• Axel Sukianto
• SparkAI

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📚 Get your copy of the 2023 report here: https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/2023-report/

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth.

🚨 We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Or fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/ybDTyjEreR1WiUg16

And for all our other socials visit: https://mtr.bio/xgrowth

For his third appearance on the show, CEO of efex, Nick Sheehan joins Shahin in sharing the story of efex and how they've used mergers and acquisitions to grow their business into the national name it is today.

This episode also covers...

• The realisation that M&A can be a great growth channel
• The evolution of leadership
• Mistakes and fear
• Balancing life and a business

About Nick...

Nick Sheehan is the founder and CEO of efex, one of Australia's leading & fastest growing MSP's.

Under Nick's leadership, efex has grown exponentially since its inception in 2013 from 2 employees to over 300 across 22 Australian branches.

efex has successfully completed 12 acquisitions to date, with 3 more planned in FY25. In 2021 Alceon Private Equity purchased a 50% stake in efex.

Nick is driven by the belief that IT should be simple, scalable, and ultimately solve for tangible gains to productivity and efficiency of workforces. His energy inspires the team to deliver on this core focus, backed by a depth of decentralised capability and expertise, and an egalitarian, values-driven culture.

When Nick isn't building one of Australia's best IT companies, you'll find him indulging in his other passion - tending to his vineyards in the Adelaide Hills.

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📚 Get your copy of the 2023 report here: https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/2023-report/

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth.

🚨 We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Or fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/ybDTyjEreR1WiUg16

And for all our other socials visit: https://mtr.bio/xgrowth

On this episode, we chat to Kris Rudeegraap, Co-CEO & Co-Founder of Sendoso about approaching Influencer Marketing in the B2B space.

This episode also covers...

• How Sendoso built their influencer community
• How to balance transparency and professionalism
• The strategies and tactics of building a community
• The future of Sendoso

About Kris...

Kris has more than two decades of Go-To-Market expertise as an individual seller, sales leader, and CEO. Kris started Sendoso in 2016 out of a problem he faced first-hand.

Sendoso is backed by $150M+ in venture funding and has seen $250M+ spent on the platform with a global footprint across NAMER, EMEA, and APAC.

Kris is passionate about growth hacking, experimental marketing, and AI in GTM. Kris is a California native and currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Amp It Up - Frank Slootman
• Marc Benioff

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🗞 Join our newsletter: https://forms.gle/NaN6W8qj1qQsfpTe9

📚 Get your copy of the 2023 report here: https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/2023-report/

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth.

🚨 We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Or fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/ybDTyjEreR1WiUg16

And for all our other socials visit: https://mtr.bio/xgrowth

Join Vinnie and Ashley Faus, Head of Lifecycle Marketing at Atlassian, on their chat about what makes someone a Thought Leader and how you can be one.

This episode also covers...

• How to be a Thought Leader
• The difference between a Thought Leader, a Subject Matter Expert, and an Influencer
• Ashley's Thought Leader model and pillars

About Ashley...

Marketer, writer, speaker by day... singer, actor, fitness fiend by night!

Ashley has handled all aspects of marketing strategy and execution, from product marketing, to demand-gen, to content and events. She loves telling the high-level stories that resonate with an audience and connecting the dots between types of assets and distribution channels.

Her writing has been published on TIME, Forbes, MarketingProfs, and The Muse, and she’s spoken on various marketing topics for INBOUND, Harvard Business Review, and MarketingProfs.

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🗞 Join our newsletter: https://forms.gle/NaN6W8qj1qQsfpTe9

📚 Get your copy of the 2023 report here: https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/2023-report/

Hosted & Produced by Vinnie Romano, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth.

🚨 We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Or fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/ybDTyjEreR1WiUg16

And for all our other socials visit: https://mtr.bio/xgrowth