Passle CMO Series Podcast

Effective collaboration within a firm is built on a foundation of teamwork, communication, and trust. But how can a firm create and sustain this kind of culture? At Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, a leadership team led by a CEO and Chairman with 36 years at the firm, and a CMO who joined less than a year ago, is rising to this challenge and excelling in fostering a culture of collaboration. In this episode of the CMO Series podcast, Eugene McCormick is joined by Jim Newell, Chairman and CEO of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, and Liz Lockett, the firm’s Chief Marketing Officer. Together, they share their insights on building trust and teamwork within firm leadership to drive innovation, growth, and long-term success. Jim, Liz and Eugene Cover: Jim’s journey to becoming Chairman and CEO at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney and why collaboration is so crucial to the firm's culture How the firm's culture of collaboration and trust manifest in driving marketing and business development efforts How to ensure effective communication and alignment between the marketing team and other departments to create cohesive business development strategies The key initiatives to deliver the firm’s 5-year strategy How Buchanan's collaborative culture attract and retain top talent, and engage them in marketing and business development The biggest challenges and opportunities in legal marketing and business development, and how the collaborative leadership approach can help

A professional services firm's website is more than just a brochure; it's the storefront for showcasing the expertise and credibility of its professionals.  In Episode 4 of the CMO Series Digital Masterclass, we dive deep into the essential strategies for building a world-class website that effectively highlights your firm's strengths.  Drawing on insights from industry leaders featured on the CMO Series Podcast, we cover everything from how to kick off your project and engage the right stakeholders to the importance of setting clear goals for success.  We hear insights from Vicky Cunningham, Marketing Director at Efficio Consulting; Sivan Koenig Galinsky, Chief Marketing Officer at BFKN; Mikkel Keller Stubkjær, Head of Development at Novicell UK; and Crossley Sanford, Managing Director of Marketing at Ankura. Listen to the full discussions featured in this episode, listed below: CMO Series EP135: Vicky Cunningham of Efficio Consulting on Aligning Content with the Client Journey, Will Eke, Charlotte Knight, Samuel Page (passle.net) CMO Series EP142 - Sivan Koenig Galinsky of BFKN on Crafting an Award-Winning Website in a Mid-Size Firm, Charles Cousins, Charlotte Knight (passle.net) Composable - the future of digital infrastructure for professional services firms, Adam Elgar, Samuel Page (passle.net) Navigating an Enterprise Scale Website Build: Ankura's Story, Alistair Bone, Charlotte Knight (passle.net)

Menopause impacts half the population, yet it remains a taboo subject. In this CMO Series REPRESENTS episode, Yasmin Zand invites Lucie Allen, Managing Director at BARBRI International, and Silvia Van den Bruel, Marketing and BD Director at Hausfeld, to break this silence and urge organizations to acknowledge and adapt to the needs of women experiencing menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms.   Together, they introduce the #MenopauseMatters Guide - a resource designed to educate and provide practical advice for firms to break the stigma and better support women through this significant life transition.   Lucie, Silvia and Yasmin cover: Lucie’s driving factors that initiated the #MenopauseMatters movement How Silvia got involved and the first steps to getting started How to gain buy-in and trust for the movement to encourage involvement The experiences and struggles that face women affected by menopause/ perimenopause An overview of The #MenopauseMatters Guide and how it has been used What’s next for the campaign and how folks can get involved

Transitioning from CMO to Board-Level Strategist is a key career shift, expanding responsibilities and influence. In this episode of the CMO Series Podcast, Charles Cousins welcomes Leor Franks, Chief Business Development & Marketing Officer at Kingsley Napley, to share his insights on his career journey and transition from CMO to a Board-Level Strategist. With nearly 25 years of experience at top firms like Deloitte, EY, and FTI Consulting, Leor shares his insights on taking the next step up in professional services marketing. Leor and Charles cover: Leor’s career journey highlights including his current position at Kingsley Napley The evolution of the responsibilities and daily activities from CMO to a strategic board member role The most significant learning experiences whilst working as a board-level strategist How to approach organisational-wide business planning and how influential a marketing background is to business strategy at the board level The most challenging aspects of stepping up to a board role with examples of what the role entails  Advice to help prepare those who are interested in advancing to a board position You can catch Leor speaking at the following upcoming events: 26 September: Annual PM Forum Conference 27 September: The Lawyer’s Marketing Leadership Summit

While CMOs shape the marketing strategy and brand alignment for new programs, Business Development Managers (BDMs) have a unique insight into what will drive success when it comes to rolling them out. In this CMO Series episode, James Barclay invites Karen Wilcox, President of Marketing Speaks, to discuss the crucial role of BDMs in launching new programs and how CMOs can best support them. Karen and James Cover:  The role of a BDM in the successful rollout of a new program The degree of involvement BDMs should have in the early stages of a program change or rollout of a new initiative How can BDMs effectively gauge initial attorney interest to a new program or technology rollout Examples of projects where BDMs played a key role in the success of the project Implementation hurdles BDMs might face and how can CMOs help manage them Key tactics or strategies that help BDMs contribute most effectively Advice for a CMO stepping into a change management role

Welcome to Episode 3 of the CMO Series Digital Masterclass where we explore the best strategies from professional services marketers for building a world-class digital presence.  Our latest research found that legal marketing priorities are changing with digital media and thought leadership rising to the top. Today, we're focusing on how thought leadership determines digital success and positions firms at the forefront of their clients' and prospects' minds. In this episode, we’ll dive into the crucial role that thought leadership plays in enhancing digital visibility and credibility. We’ve gathered top digital advice from previous episodes of the CMO Series Podcast, offering actionable insights and proven techniques to help your firm stand out online.  Be sure to check out the full episodes featured, listed below: CMO Series EP82 - Judith McKay of McCarthy Tétrault on content and its importance in effective professional services marketing, Charlotte Knight, Charles Cousins (passle.net) Episode 95 - Angela Pandolfo Roy of Gibbons Law on Content Management: The Linchpin of Legal Marketing & BD, Charlotte Knight, Ed Lovatt (passle.net) CMO Series EP109 - Alison Janzen of Torkin Manes on Building an Integrated Approach to Content Marketing, Eugene McCormick, Charlotte Knight (passle.net) CMO Series EP112 - Ashley Horne of Womble Bond Dickinson on Taking a Campaign Approach to Legal Content Marketing, Ed Lovatt, Charlotte Knight (passle.net) CMO Series EP145 - John Neidecker of Norris McLaughlin on The Evolving Role Of Thought Leadership In Legal Marketing, Charles Cousins, Charlotte Knight, Sonali Badul (passle.net)

Law firm leadership requires a collaborative effort across all functions. Collaboration between lawyers, teams and practices can be pivotal to the success of marketing and business development.  In this episode of the CMO Series, Alistair Bone welcomes Clinton Gary to share his insights on how law firm CMOs and Managing Partners can effectively collaborate. With 25 years of experience as CMBDO in prominent law and Big 5 firms, Clinton is currently the Founder and Managing Partner of CREDO Consulting and has a focus on collaborative growth. Clinton and Ali cover: The meaning of collaboration and why Managing Partners and CMOs should prioritize it Clinton’s journey and experiences that have contributed to his expertise in collaboration The critical role of collaboration in marketing and business development Key signs or indicators that suggest collaboration needs to be improved within a firm Common challenges that firms face, hindering effective collaboration Identification of collaboration issues and the practical steps to improve it What Managing Partners and CMOs should focus on to enhance collaboration within their firms

Welcome to Episode 2 of the CMO Series Digital Masterclass. Today, we’ll explore how thought leadership can transform your firm’s online brand. We’ve curated top digital insights from our CMO Series Podcast - links to the full episodes are listed below.  Join us as we delve into essential tools and strategies for professional services marketers, revealing why thought leadership is becoming central to digital success. We'll share success stories from industry leaders who have made their firm's expertise the cornerstone of their online presence. Check out: CMO Series EP43 - One firm, your firm - Sophie Bowkett of Bird & Bird on building more human and more effective legal brands, Charlotte Knight, Charles Cousins (passle.net) CMO Series EP99 - Behind the Scenes of a Legal Rebrand with Erica Roman of Cole Schotz, Charlotte Knight, Charles Cousins (passle.net) CMO Series Podcast LIVE - Erin Stone Dimry on Positioning Your Firm as the Go-To Choice, Alistair Bone, Charlotte Knight (passle.net) CMO Series EP131 - Noni Garratt-Wall of Charles Russell Speechlys on The Art Of A Law Firm Rebrand, Will Eke, Charlotte Knight (passle.net)

Law firm budgets are under increasing scrutiny as firms face pressure to maximize efficiency, adapt to changing market conditions, and deliver more value to clients.  For CMOs, understanding and aligning the marketing budget with the firm's broader strategic goals is critical. A well-aligned budget ensures that marketing efforts directly support the firm’s growth objectives, enhance client engagement, and improve ROI for marketing activities. In this episode of the CMO Series Podcast, Alistair Bone sits down with Tim Mullane, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Wilson Elser, to understand how to align a firm’s budget with its growth strategy.  Tim and Ali Cover: The current trends impacting law firm budgets, and why CMOs should prioritize this issue What causes budget misalignment in law firms, and examples of the consequences when it happens How marketers can effectively align their budgets with their firm's strategic goals How to successfully amend budgets once new priorities are set The concept of “winners” in a budget allocation context and how to identify them The timeframes law firms should consider when setting budgets and how to evaluate the effectiveness of their strategies  The most important aspect marketers should consider when ensuring their budget aligns with their strategy

Welcome to the CMO Series Digital Masterclass, an exciting new sub-series of the CMO Series Podcast. This masterclass is designed to help professional services marketers build world-class digital platforms that enhance their firm's online presence and position them as thought leaders. The CMO Series Digital Masterclass is inspired by Passle’s latest research and the pressing needs of today’s marketing leaders. The goal is to provide actionable insights and best practices for developing robust online platforms that keep your firm front of mind for clients and prospects. To kick off this series, Charlie Knight, Marketing and Communications Manager is joined by Sam Page, Marketing Director at Passle, to discuss why creating a strong digital presence is vital for firms in today’s market and outline the first steps to getting started. In this episode, we cover: What the CMO Series Digital Masterclass is and how it came about Insights from the CMO Series Legal Leadership Report 2024, revealing the top priorities for CMOs and Managing Partners The importance of building your firm's online presence through thought leadership to attract clients Stay Connected To stay in the loop on all upcoming episodes and best practice content, subscribe to the CMO Series Podcast and visit passle.net/digitalmasterclass