#54: Building a world-class brand from scratch with Maria Winans, Kyndryl
B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™: MarTech, E-Commerce, & Customer Success
Release Date: 07/29/2025
#76: Targeting B2B buyers like B2C consumers with Mark Connon, Bombora
B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™: MarTech, E-Commerce, & Customer Success
Why is it that B2C marketers can target someone who left a pair of shoes in their cart and follow them around the internet for a week, but that same level of precision just hasn’t been the same for B2B? Agility requires closing the gap between insight and action. It's not enough to know who your audience is; you need the capability to reach them precisely, wherever they are, at the moment it matters most. Today, we're going to talk about why B2B advertising has historically lagged behind its B2C counterpart in audience targeting and activation. We’ll explore the challenges of working with...
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#75: Alconost CCO Ilya Spiridonov on prioritizing localization in the B2B marketing funnel
B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™: MarTech, E-Commerce, & Customer Success
"Despite the global opportunity available to so many businesses, most are constrained by finite resources. So, the more interesting question isn't "what should we translate?" but rather, "what's the real cost of not localizing the right customer touchpoint, and how do you even begin to calculate that risk?" Agility requires more than just speed; it demands the sensitivity to know when a universal message fails and a local one is needed. It’s the capacity to pivot your entire customer experience to resonate in a new market, not just as a translation, but as a native conversation. Today, we're...
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#74: Maximizing the value of your partnerships with Peter Fogelsanger
B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™: MarTech, E-Commerce, & Customer Success
Are most of your channel partners producing very little value for your business? Agility requires more than just signing up partners; it demands a dynamic approach to activating and enabling the *right* ones. It's about ruthlessly prioritizing relationships that generate mutual value and being nimble enough to change or sunset those that don't. Today, we're going to talk about the often-unspoken reality of partner programs: the vast gap between the impressive number of logos on a partner page and the handful that actually contribute to the bottom line. We'll explore why so many partners become...
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#73: AI in the 'real economy' with Bassem Hamdy, Briq
B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™: MarTech, E-Commerce, & Customer Success
With all the talk about the business impact of AI, why aren’t more people talking beyond the most straightforward examples and more about sectors like construction, energy, and manufacturing where there is real potential for impact that has yet to be tapped? Agility requires a willingness to challenge the core processes of how work gets done, even in industries where "how it's always been done" is the default operating system. Today, we're going to talk about the practical, powerful, and often overlooked application of AI in what some call the 'real economy'—the foundational...
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#72: Concept to acquisition with Chris Tilkov, DocuSketch
B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™: MarTech, E-Commerce, & Customer Success
Many entrepreneurs dream of scaling a niche product, achieving market dominance, and ultimately securing a successful exit—but few actually make it happen. How do you take an idea from concept to acquisition, and what key lessons can other business leaders, including marketers, take from that journey? Joining me today is Chris Tilkov, General Manager at DocuSketch, an automated estimation and documentation platform that helps homeowners rebuild after natural disasters. Before joining DocuSketch, Chris founded Ask AiME, a platform that was successfully acquired. But his journey didn’t start...
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#71: Optimizing the handoff between marketing and sales with Gabe Lullo, Alleyoop
B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™: MarTech, E-Commerce, & Customer Success
We've spent a decade trying to align marketing and sales. What if the very metric we created to bridge the gap—the MQL—is actually the thing that's perpetuating the rivalry between them? Agility requires a willingness to challenge the foundational metrics we've built our go-to-market strategies on. It demands that we replace gut feelings and legacy processes with a ruthless focus on what actually generates revenue, even if it means admitting what we've been doing is wrong. Today, we're going to talk about one of the most persistent and costly problems in B2B: the handoff from marketing to...
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#70: Marketing measurement and the dark funnel with Chris Golec, CEO of Channel99
B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™: MarTech, E-Commerce, & Customer Success
This show is brought to you by Channel99, a B2B marketing technology company helping clients get more out of their spend with AI-powered decision-making. What if 99% of your target accounts see your marketing, but never click a single ad? How would you prove your value then? Agility requires a willingness to abandon outdated metrics, even when they’re comfortable, and embrace a more nuanced, realistic view of the buyer’s journey. It means adapting not just our campaigns, but our very definition of success. Today, we're going to talk about the massive blind spot in most B2B marketing...
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#69: How AI is Transforming Project Management with Alan Mosca, nPlan
B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™: MarTech, E-Commerce, & Customer Success
If you could eliminate one of the biggest roadblocks to successful project delivery in your organization today, what would it be and why? Agility requires not only the ability to adapt to change but also the foresight to anticipate it. This means embracing data-driven insights and leveraging technology to navigate the complexities of modern project management. Today, we're going to talk about how AI is transforming project management and enabling true agility in industries that haven't traditionally been known for their rapid pace of change. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome,...
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#68: Improving lead quality with Derek Gerber, Power Digital
B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™: MarTech, E-Commerce, & Customer Success
Are you getting lots of leads, but never enough good ones? Agility requires not only the ability to adapt to change quickly, but also the foresight to anticipate what's coming next, whether that’s top, middle, or bottom of the funnel in B2B lead generation. Today, we're going to talk about why so many B2B marketers are still struggling with poor lead quality, and what they can do to fix it. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Derek Gerber, Director of Growth B2B at Power Digital. About Derek Gerber With +15 years of experience in B2B sales and marketing,...
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#67: CMOs are shaping the messaging and the markets with Monica Kumar, Extreme Networks
B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™: MarTech, E-Commerce, & Customer Success
Is the Chief Marketing Officer becoming the Chief Market Officer? Are CMOs now responsible not just for messaging to the market, but for actively shaping and creating it? Agility requires not just reacting to market changes, but anticipating them and creating the future you want to see. It demands a deep understanding of customer needs, competitive dynamics, and emerging technologies. Today, we're going to talk about the evolving role of the CMO in a world of rapidly advancing technology, increasing customer expectations, and the ever-present need for agile marketing strategies....
info_outlineWhat if rebranding wasn’t just about a new logo and tagline, but about transforming an 80,000-person company’s entire culture and strategy? What if brand became one of your most valuable tools for business reinvention?
Today, I’m joined by Maria Winans, Chief Marketing Officer at Kyndryl. After nearly three decades at IBM, Maria took on the monumental task of launching Kyndryl as a stand-alone brand following its spin-off. With a workforce of over 80,000 people across more than 60 markets, Maria has redefined what it means to build a world-class brand from scratch—one that’s people-centric, culture-driven, and positioned for growth.
About Maria Winans
Maria B. Winans, Chief Marketing Officer at Kyndryl, is a recognized expert in data-driven marketing, brand engagement, and performance marketing.
Prior to joining Kyndryl, Maria amassed an impressive 29-year career at IBM, culminating in her role as the Chief Marketing Officer for IBM Americas. In this capacity, she held overarching responsibility for all marketing professionals and activities throughout North and Latin America. Maria's tenure at IBM was marked by pivotal contributions to global marketing endeavors across diverse disciplines and business units, notably including initiatives such as Smarter Commerce and Watson.
A native of Santiago, Chile, Maria serves as the executive sponsor of Kyndryl’s Hispanic Latin Community. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, the proud mother of two children and a certified fitness instructor.
Resources
Kyndryl: https://www.kyndryl.com
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