Caitlin Riordan is passionate about marketing technology and building high performing teams. She’s a proud generalist, having an esteemed career defined by fluidity, opportunity, openness and continued learning.
When Caitlin Riordan refers to herself as a generalist, she’s not kidding.
During her career she’s had different roles in sales, marketing and general management. As a result, she’s gained a breadth of experience across data quality, marketing communications, and marketing technology.
She’s nothing if not adaptable.
So, who better to talk about the ever changing industry of marketing technology?
A Crowded Market
Referring to Martech as a ‘competitive industry’ would be an understatement. As of this year, there are over 8,000 marketing technology solutions available. This is an increase of 5,233% from 2011!
Caitlin believes this number is likely to keep growing:
Certainly, from a technology perspective, it won’t stand still. The reason it won’t is because marketers are tied to revenue; they’re there to support topline growth of the business. So, the Martech that supports them has to keep fostering that revenue drive.”
– Caitlin Riordan
Working in Marketing Technology
According to Caitlin, if you want to work in Martech you need to choose between either working client-side or for a vendor. The kinds of experience you get will depend heavily on your choice.
Working for a client means you become entrenched in a singular brand. You’ll become highly knowledgeable about that brand’s technology ecosystem. This results in a great depth of knowledge.
However, If you work for a vendor or an agency you’ll get to work across multiple brands and technology platforms. As a result, your knowledge will become much broader.
Personally, Caitlin feels that a breadth of knowledge leads to a more rapid professional growth:
Those who work with vendors or agencies, their experience grows far more rapidly because they are pushed and pulled into different clients and their ecosystems. They are forced to learn along the way.”
– Caitlin Riordan
I had such a wonderful time chatting to Caitlin.
We talked for over an hour but I feel like I only skimmed the surface of her incredible pool of knowledge. So, trust me when I say you’re going to need a notebook for this one!
In this episode we cover
- Caitlin Riordan’s career journey from different sales roles, to General Manager, Data Quality and Targeting at Experian, to Vice President, Client Success and Services APAC at Cheetah Digital
- Caitlin explains marketing technology, and discusses the evolution of Martech over the last 10 years
- She also outlines the different roles in marketing technology, what experience is required to secure a job in MarTech, and the transferable skills leading tech organisations look for in marketing technology roles
- Caitlin shares her formula for creating a high performing team
- We discuss the difference between the male and female brain, and how that impacts the leadership style of both genders
- Caitlin shares her advice for women looking to get a job in tech and rise up the corporate ladder
- And so much more!
Episode Resources
- Caitlin Riordan on LinkedIn
- Cheetah Digital website
- Cheetah Digital on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook
- Book, Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
- Marketing Technology Landscape Supergraphic (2020)
[Full Disclaimer: Some of these links may be affiliate links, which means we receive compensation, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase through the link.]
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