Passle CMO Series Podcast

Developing an effective bid strategy is key to the success of any legal business development function, yet the process often goes into a black box and isn’t fully leveraged by firm leaders. On this episode of the CMO Series Podcast, Will Eke is joined by Deborah Fleming, Marketing & Business Development Director at Walker Morris, to discuss the critical role of a winning bid strategy and its impact on marketing and BD.  Deborah and Will explore: Deborah’s career journey to her current role at Walker Morris How bid experience can set you up for success in legal BD and the transferable skills it can offer What the bid process looks like end-to-end What success looks like when working on a winning bid strategy How to get lawyers and other firm members on board with the approach Walker Morris’s newly launched website for GCs, and how it came about What the landscape looks like for bids and where Deborah sees it going in the future Advice for marketing leaders looking to create a winning bid strategy and advice for those considering a move into bids

The role of Communications is the linchpin of effectively managing a law firm’s brand and reputation, not to mention being a key player in the development and success of a firm’s culture.  Today, Will Eke is lucky to welcome Allan Schoenberg, who is celebrating 3 years as Chief Communications Officer at Vinson & Elkins, to the CMO Series Podcast to discuss his unique career journey, and the pivotal role communications plays in today’s firms.  Allan and Will discuss: Allan’s career journey to his current role as Chief Communications Officer at Vinson & Elkins  The work dynamic he has with the Chief Business Development Officer and Chief Innovation Officer and the key to working together successfully How the role of Communications in law firms is evolving, and how the landscape has changed The key projects Allan wanted to get started on when he joined the firm How to demonstrate the value you're bringing through Communications to the managing partners and wider firm The greatest achievements in the role so far Advice for Communications professionals working within law firms  

While remote and hybrid working has become the norm for many, establishing real human connections can be a challenge. Creating a culture of meaningful connection and collaboration in a law firm requires intention.   Eugene McCormick is lucky to welcome someone who has not only created a culture of human connection within the legal marketing and BD team, but across the entire firm and multiple geographies. Melodie Tilley, Chief Client Development Officer at FordHarrison, joins the CMO Series Podcast to share her insights on how to do it effectively.   Melodie and Eugene discuss: The point in Melodie’s career she realized the importance of human connection and creating a culture that enables that to happen  How to successfully run internal and external events that build connections and collaboration  The challenges and barriers to success in getting those events off the ground How physical events align with content strategy and other marketing and BD activities How coaching programs are helping foster human connections across the business The impact on the marketing team and the wider firm  Advice for other marketing and BD leaders looking to create more opportunities for human connection in their firm    

On this episode of the CMO Series REPRESENTS Podcast, Yasmin Zand is lucky to sit down with Terra Davis, Chief Diversity & Talent Development Officer at Knobbe Martens. Terra joins the series to share her journey, why she started advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion, and the critical role of psychological safety in law firms. Terra discusses the strategies and programs she is working on to drive change and innovation to create a safe and inclusive workplace where everyone belongs, as well as advice for others looking to promote psychological safety within their firms. 

The Business Development function is becoming more professional and more valued by services firms, but there is still a need to modernise and bring global teams together to develop best practice approaches. On today’s CMO Series Podcast, Charles Cousins welcomes Karen Snell, Chief Business Development & Marketing Officer at Kennedys to discuss how she and her team are becoming more effective as a modern global BD function. Karen and Charles discuss: Why modernising and globalising a BD function is something Marketing & BD leaders should be thinking about How Karen came to her role at Kennedys, and when she realised that modernising and globalising the function was needed How to decide the priorities and what the focus is at this stage of the project The approach for incorporating data and client feedback How to ensure consistency and best practice across global regions that is recognisable across the firm What success looks like for the next 2-5 years Advice for marketing leaders wondering how they can build a more modern and effective BD function

Every law firm is at a different stage of professionalizing its approach to business development. Today, Will Eke has the pleasure of talking to Nicole Miles the Chief Clients & Markets Officer for Dentons Canada Region, to find out what it takes to build an effective, globally-minded approach to legal business development. Nicole and Will discuss: The importance of BD in today’s firms and what is driving that How Nicole came to her role at Dentons and how the role and approach to Legal Marketing and Business Development have progressed throughout that career journey Denton’s Global Growth Program and the goals for that initiative The biggest changes that clients and firms need to make to see the value of marketing and business development How to tailor the BD approach to suit a unique structure and the opportunities and challenges that arise from that Advice for marketing leaders wondering how they can build a more modern and effective BD function

In a people-driven business like a law firm, talent isn't just important—it's the linchpin for success. In this episode of the CMO Series, Eugene McCormick sits down with Sona Spencer, Chief Legal Talent Officer at Troutman Pepper, to explore her crucial role as a talent advocate and how talent becomes the driving force behind the firm's commercial achievements.   Sona and Eugene discuss: How Sona came to her role at Troutman Pepper and the moment in her journey she realised how critical talent was to the success of the firm The scope of Sona’s role as Chief Legal Talent Officer and how it connects to other functions such as HR The main challenges facing talent within law firms and the key considerations including DEI and generational differences  How to go about building a strategy for talent that will lead to success for the firm and its people How the recent merger of the firm affects Sona’s role in the short and medium-term The essential tools and skills of a talent officer Advice for others looking to advocate for and unlock the potential of the talent at their firm  

Marketers and Business Development professionals are crucial to the success of a law firm's strategy, yet for many, the way firms create their strategy remains a mystery.  On this episode of the CMO Series Podcast, Alistair Bone welcomes Brie Leung, Chief Strategy Officer at Much Shelist, to help demystify the strategic planning process and discuss the role of a Chief Strategy Officer in designing and executing an effective law firm strategy. Brie and Ali discuss: How a law firm strategy happens and the steps to creating one How Brie came to her role as Chief Strategy Officer, and the moment she realized she was able to add real value to a firm The ‘design process’ and why Brie refers to it in that way The definition of an effective strategy How to start implementing a strategic plan The process of keeping to the plan in the medium to long term How to tell if you are successful with a strategic plan Advice for those trying to improve the way their firm designs and executes a strategy  

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion landscape is ever-changing, but there is one critical aspect that is often overlooked - accessibility.   On this episode of CMO Series REPRESENTS, we are honoured to speak with Tim Dixon, Head of IT Architecture at Intertek, who has expertise in driving business value through Enterprise Architecture and a deep personal commitment to advocating for accessibility, particularly for people living with sight loss. Tim joins the series to share his sight loss journey, discuss the opportunities for marketers to solve the challenges he has experienced first-hand, and offer his guidance for those looking to up their accessibility game. 

The pursuit of an equitable and inclusive workplace is high on the agenda for most firms. Today, we shine a spotlight on Baker Donelson, a firm committed to redefining industry standards with its Women’s Initiative program. Yasmin Zand has the honor of welcoming Danielle Smith, the Women's Initiative Manager at Baker Donelson to the series to share her personal experiences that have fueled her commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion. Join us as we take a deep dive into the innovative programs and progressive family policies implemented by Baker Donelson, exploring how they are breaking new ground and setting a powerful example for the legal profession.