On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Alastair Hussain is joined by Erin Gabrielson, CMO of Americas at IBM.
Erin’s path to marketing leadership was shaped as much by team sports and family values as it was by her corporate career. In their conversation, she reflects on the lessons she learned growing up on sports teams, the importance of leading with kindness and how an early job in an ice cream shop taught her the value of loyalty and customer relationships.
They also discuss the changing role of the modern CMO, why coherence across teams is essential for unlocking the potential of AI, and how marketing leaders must increasingly act as strategists, systems designers, and coaches. Erin also shares how being diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age gave her a powerful sense of perspective, without allowing it to define who she is.