On this episode of How to Grow a CMO, host Alastair Hussain is joined by David Crozier, Chief Marketing Officer at Appian.
David reflects on growing up in Sunderland during a period of industrial decline, and how watching his father work as a welder shaped his understanding of hard work, opportunity and respect. He discusses how cycling gave him a sense of freedom and sparked a lifelong love of travel, why an early computer led him towards the technology industry, and how he learned to overcome his natural shyness to become a confident public speaker.
They also explore David’s journey from technical consulting into marketing, the lessons he gained from two decades at IBM, and the challenge of bringing big-company discipline to a smaller, fast-growing organisation. David explains why AI must be embedded within coherent business processes to deliver value at scale, how customer interaction shapes Appian’s messaging, and why simplicity and consistency are essential in crowded markets.