From Employee #4 to CMO: The Path to Marketing Leadership with Sylvia Lepoidevin, CMO at Kandji
The Dave Gerhardt Show
Outro
Dave wraps the episode, invites listeners to Exit 5 community, and features a Knack sponsor message and final resources.
#283 Marketing Leadership | In this episode, Dave is joined by Sylvia Lepoidevin, CMO of Kandji, a leading platform for managing and securing Apple devices in the workplace. Sylvia shares her journey from employee #4 to CMO at Kandji, driving the company’s growth to a $850M valuation. She talks about her experience building efficient marketing teams, leveraging AI, and creating impactful brand experiences.
Dave and Sylvia cover:
- How AI is reshaping marketing roles and enabling smaller, more efficient teams
- Strategies for internal marketing that align and energize cross-functional teams
- Product launches and creative campaigns for brand-driven growth
Timestamps
- (00:00) - - Intro to Sylvia
- (05:55) - - From Marketing Hire to CMO
- (10:40) - - Understanding Equity and Financial Outcomes
- (13:22) - - Wealth and Career Growth
- (16:02) - - Why It’s Important to Have a Clear Career Narrative
- (20:54) - - Mastering Storytelling in Team Meetings
- (24:12) - - How to Engage Your Team
- (24:48) - - Leveraging Feedback Loops to Build a Successful Team
- (32:05) - - AI Is Enabling Smaller, More Efficient Teams
- (35:48) - - AI’s Impact on Marketing
- (38:48) - - How Kandji Is Expanding Their Team
- (41:39) - - Achieving 10x Growth Through Product-Led Strategies
- (45:19) - - Leveraging Competitor and Apple-Specific Keywords
- (48:43) - - Minimizing Hiring Risk: Test Roles First
Join 50,000 people who get our Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/
***
Today’s episode is brought to you by Paramark.
It’s November. 2026 planning is already here. And the stuff you’re doing right now will decide how next year plays out.
But here’s the problem: most teams are still planning next year's marketing strategy based on the WRONG DATA because of broken attribution and a misleading gut feel. And you can’t make smart budget calls if you’re just guessing what’s working, what’s not, and where to put your next dollar.
That’s where Paramark comes in. They help you replace the guesswork with actual insight backed by $2 billion in analyzed marketing data. They’ve figured out what actually drives incremental growth across every channel including LinkedIn, Meta, TikTok, Google, CTV, even OOH.
And right now, they’re offering a private 1:1 consultation with their CEO and CMO, Pranav and Sam, who have led marketing teams at companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Microsoft, and Shutterfly.
In this 45-minute strategy session, they’ll help you measure the real impact of every marketing dollar, pull insights from your current media mix, and design a 2026 roadmap that’s rooted in data, not gut.
This is a heck of an offer. And it’s real. And will go fast. So if you want to future-proof your marketing strategy for 2026, don’t miss out on this offer.
Grab your spot at paramark.com/brand-consult.
***
Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.
- They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
- Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
- Visit hatch.fm to learn more
The AI-powered Podcast Player
