Background
Many of you who have been following me, know all to well how I enjoy sharing my Salesforce knowledge. Regardless if this is on Trailblazer Groups, Salesforce Stack Exchange, or on this blog. I keep getting positive feedback, and as long as people out there see my contributions as something positive and helpful in their career growth, I will keep on sharing.
This is also why I committed, without much hesitation, to this interview with Anthony Lamot from DESelect.
The beginnings
We discuss my journey from my early days working with ExactTarget to my current role at Maersk, where I lead a global team focused on Salesforce Marketing Cloud and other cross-cloud projects. My background with ExactTarget laid a strong foundation in marketing automation, and this experience has been instrumental in shaping my approach to managing large-scale digital marketing operations today.
Build or buy
At Maersk, the challenge is balancing in-house development with third-party solutions, something I believe is critical for any company working with Salesforce Marketing Cloud and marketing technology as a whole. There’s always a temptation to build everything in-house, but partnering with vendors when it makes sense is often the smarter path. It allows us to focus on strategic initiatives rather than reinventing the wheel. The right balance helps us stay agile and responsive to the needs of our marketing teams and the broader organization.
Keeping up with Salesforce product development
One of the key aspects of success in this space is staying up-to-date with the rapidly evolving Salesforce ecosystem. Marketing Cloud is no longer just about email marketing—it’s about connecting data, personalization, and automation across a variety of channels. This is why Salesforce’s Data Cloud has been such a game-changer. It enables us to integrate data from different sources seamlessly, which is crucial for delivering personalized customer experiences at scale. Staying on top of these developments is vital, both for my team and for the organization as a whole.
Leadership of a global team
Leadership in a global context brings its own set of challenges, especially when managing teams spread across different time zones and cultural contexts. I find that clear communication and fostering a culture of collaboration are key to overcoming these obstacles. Having a team that feels empowered and connected, even when physically distant, is essential for driving innovation and efficiency.
As a leader, one of my priorities is ensuring that my team remains motivated and continuously develops their skills. The marketing technology landscape changes so fast that professionals need to be in a constant state of learning. I encourage my team to stay curious and seek out new learning opportunities, whether it’s through formal training or on-the-job problem-solving. This adaptability is critical in an industry where tools and best practices are continually evolving.
How to succeed strategically
Finally, a big part of our strategy revolves around understanding customer needs and delivering value through personalized experiences. Marketing today is not about blasting out messages; it’s about understanding the customer journey and delivering the right content at the right time. This is where Marketing Cloud excels, and I’m proud to lead a team that’s at the forefront of these innovations.
In summary, my career has been shaped by an evolving landscape of marketing technology, where success is determined by strategic planning, continuous learning, and a balance between building in-house solutions and leveraging external expertise. At Maersk, these principles guide our work as we push the boundaries of what’s possible with Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
Are you interested in more content about Leadership in Marketing Cloud? Gregory Gifford has published a series of articles on this topic, which can be found here.