From Employee #4 to CMO: The Path to Marketing Leadership with Sylvia Lepoidevin, CMO at Kandji
The Dave Gerhardt Show
From First Marketing Hire to CMO
Sylvia recounts her early marketing roles, motivations, equity learnings, and how she reinvented herself moving from execution to leadership as Kanji scaled.
#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
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