In this episode of CMOs Unscripted, host Lisa Martin sits down with Madhukar Kumar, a longtime CMO turned CEO and Co-Founder of Robynn, to explore how AI agents, automation, and generative search are redefining modern marketing. From his journey as a journalist in India to building marketing technology in Silicon Valley, Madhukar shares his unique perspective on how “agentic AI” will revolutionize marketing teams, why context and creativity still matter, and how leaders must evolve from managing people to mastering tools. This is a must-listen for every marketing leader looking to stay ahead of the AI curve.

Key Takeaways:

• From Reporter to CEO: Madhukar’s career spans journalism, software engineering, product management, and marketing leadership—culminating in his creation of Robynn, a multi-agent marketing platform.
  

• What Are Agents? Agents are the next evolution of large language models—intelligent systems that can not only understand context but also execute actions and collaborate with other agents to achieve goals.
  

• Reimagining the Marketing Stack: Traditional marketing stacks with dozens of disconnected tools are collapsing into AI-driven orchestration platforms, where agents handle tasks once spread across CRM, automation, and analytics tools.
  

• The New Marketing Team: The future marketing leader will act as an agent orchestrator, blending strategic oversight with technical fluency. The human role shifts from execution to creativity, quality control, and brand authenticity.
  

• AI and Authenticity: With the ease of AI-generated content, marketers risk losing authenticity. Kumar warns that “with great power comes great stupidity” and stresses keeping a human in the loop to maintain voice and taste.
  

• GEO vs. SEO: Kumar breaks down Generative Experience Optimization (GEO)—the emerging layer of visibility across chat-based search platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity—and how it complements traditional SEO rather than replaces it.
  

• The IC CMO Revolution: The most successful leaders in this new era will move from being managers to hands-on individual contributors, using AI tools to work smarter while maintaining a holistic strategic view.
  

• The Real Opportunity: Agentic AI is not about replacing marketers—it’s about augmenting their intelligence and efficiency, enabling them to do more impactful work faster and with better insights.

As marketing enters the agentic AI era, Madhukar Kumar reminds us that the future belongs to the curious, the creators, and the leaders willing to get their hands back on the keyboard. From integrating agents into marketing workflows to mastering GEO strategies that ensure brand visibility in generative search, this episode is a roadmap for forward-thinking CMOs who want to lead transformation, not chase it. Tune in to hear how humans and AI can truly collaborate to redefine what’s possible in marketing.

No matter where you are in your marketing journey, this episode delivers valuable insights and real-world strategies you can put into action. Don’t miss out, watch now on YouTube and subscribe for biweekly conversations with top industry leaders.

In this episode of CMOs Unscripted, host Lisa Martin sits down with Diana Eadington, chief marketing officer at FE fundinfo, for a candid deep dive into the evolution of B2B demand generation. From moving beyond MQL vanity metrics to working backwards from bookings, Diana unpacks the KPIs that matter, how to operationalize sales–marketing alignment (including owning BDRs), and why agility is now a cultural non-negotiable. She also shares practical AI use cases, from agentic AI in the BDR motion to SEO for AI engines—and explains how to tailor channel mix and content to relationship-heavy sectors like financial services.

Key Takeaways:

• Start with bookings, then build the funnel backwards. Measure marketing by bookings impact, then marketing-sourced pipeline, meetings required, ASPs, and sales cycle length.
  

• Shared goals beat silos. Company-level objectives set from the CEO/CRO down create “one team” accountability across product, sales, marketing, and finance.
  

• Own (or tightly align to) BDRs. Clear sales plays, clean target lists, and strong messaging are now increasingly supported by agentic AI, which expands capacity without ballooning headcount.
  

• Agility is a cultural imperative, not a project. Leaders must double down on honest performance readouts, double-down where winning, and pull back fast where not while keeping teams engaged through change.
  

• Channel strategy is sector-specific. In financial services, relationships and education (events, webinars, peer networking) outperform broad, digital-only plays.
  

• Personalization is table stakes. Build persona-level journeys and offers that make switching from the status quo obviously worthwhile, with proof of value/ROI baked in.
  

• AI is shifting discovery. Optimize for AI search/answer engines in addition to classic Google SEO, and use AI to accelerate original and derivative content development.
  

• Right-fit marketing org for growth. Core functions: product marketing, demand gen, marketing ops, brand/comms, BDR, and channel strategy, all tightly integrated with product and sales.
  

• Team sport mindset. The “win” is organizational; no functional heroics in isolation. And the scoreboard is pipeline quality and bookings velocity.
  

• Leadership principle: Be transparent about what’s working, pivot quickly, and maintain psychological safety so teams can iterate without fear.

Diana’s blueprint reframes modern demand gen as a commercial engine, not a campaign calendar. With bookings as the north star, shared objectives, and a culture of agility, CMOs can align teams, activate AI where it truly adds leverage, and meet buyers in the channels that matter. Bottom line: build the systems that reliably create a pipeline that converts and prove it with bookings.

No matter where you are in your marketing journey, this episode delivers valuable insights and real-world strategies you can put into action. Don’t miss out, watch now on YouTube and subscribe for biweekly conversations with top industry leaders.

Marketing’s impact is often won—or lost—in conversations with the CEO and the board. In this candid episode of CMOs Unscripted, Rico Andrade, General Manager of Commercial at Celigo (and longtime marketing leader), joins host Lisa Martin to unpack how CMOs and marketing execs can align to top-line priorities, communicate value without vanity metrics, and earn the political capital to secure budget, talent, and runway. From discovery-style onboarding with leadership to crisp, repeatable reporting and “a-ha” insights that build credibility, Rico shares the frameworks and tactics that actually move the needle.

Key Takeaways:

• Start with discovery, not assumptions. Treat your first weeks like a sales discovery: meet 1:1 with the CEO and key board members, review historical docs, and map their perceived pains and priorities before proposing plans.

• Separate CEO vs. board communications. The CEO wants the full story (vision + leading indicators + nuance). The board needs a high-level, consistent view tied to pipeline, bookings, CAC/efficiency, and revenue.

• Ditch vanity metrics at the board level. Keep MQL talk to a minimum unless directly connected to revenue. Anchor updates to outcomes and efficiency.

• Own your numbers—deeply. You don’t have to present every chart, but you must understand the data, limitations, and attribution fuzziness—and be ready to defend or clarify under scrutiny.

• Package complex work into 2–3 priorities. Inconsistent dashboards and shifting narratives erode trust. Decide the two or three things that matter and repeat them consistently across forums.

• Use proactive “a-ha” moments to build credibility. Don’t wait for leadership to spot issues. Bring insights (and solutions) first—especially when diagnosing channel dips, segment gaps, or campaign underperformance.

• Communicate often, not noisily. Over-communicate the same clear message in different formats until it becomes part of the company’s fabric.

Whether you’re a CMO, marketing leader, or aspiring exec, this episode offers a masterclass in earning trust at the highest levels and driving alignment, influence, and lasting impact. Watch or listen now and subscribe for biweekly conversations with top industry leaders.