The Modern CMO: Balancing Strategy, Storytelling, & Finance | Pranav Piyush (Paramark, Dropbox, BILL)
Marketing today should be a team sport. The companies that thrive are the ones who align product and brand around a shared mission.
In this week’s episode of Growth Talks, Pranav Piyush, CEO of Paramark, joins host Krystina Rubino to share leadership strategies for aligning product, marketing, and finance to drive business success.
As a former marketing leader at companies like BILL and Adobe, Pranav unpacks how to recognize growth plateaus, lead change with clarity, and foster high-trust relationships with finance.
From refining your brand-performance connection to activating your community as a true growth engine, this episode provides sharp insights for building a company that lasts.
🗝️Key Takeaways:
Product-market fit is everything. Great marketing teams solve a real problem first, then build strategy and messaging around it.
Stakeholders matter. CMOs don’t just lead marketing; they manage up, down, and across the organization. Influence is as critical as strategy and execution.
Plateaus test your strategy. The best leaders lean in, dig into the data, recalibrate fast, and unlock new levers for growth others miss.
Finance is your growth partner. CMOs who win long-term build trust with finance early. They connect brand marketing to revenue and sell the vision with numbers.
Think like your customer. Great marketers walk in their buyer’s shoes. They ask better questions, speak the customer’s language, and build experiences that resonate.
Test with intention. Smart teams don’t just run experiments—they learn from each one. Clear hypotheses and expectations drive better outcomes.
Community is a growth engine. Top brands turn their audience into advocates. Community builds loyalty, word-of-mouth, and lasting momentum.
⏰ Timestamps
01:45 Importance of Product Market Fit
03:33 Navigating Organizational Shifts
08:26 Leading Through Growth Plateaus
13:25 Stakeholder Management as a CMO
20:33 Partnering with Finance for Success
29:45 Bridging Marketing and Data Teams
37:08 Knowing When to Pivot in Marketing
41:08 Why the Best Marketers Learn From Every Test
44:05 Step Into the Buyer’s Journey
46:23 Community as a Growth Non-Hack
🔗 Mentioned in this episode:
Paramark: https://paramark.com/
PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/
Adobe: https://www.adobe.com/
BILL: https://www.bill.com/
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