build the system.

tell the story.

Blending storytelling, systems, & GTM clarity.
Based In NEW YORK CITY, USA
Strategic CMO for brand + demand systems
Keynote at TechHR Delhi

Story Systems Scale Clarity

Story Systems Scale Clarity

visual design concept art

visual design concept art

01

Think From Scratch

  • Solve root problems
  • Eliminate legacy bloat
  • Unlock new approaches
  • Deconstruct assumptions

MODEL: FIRST PRINCIPLES THINKING
When strategy stalls, don’t optimize. Rethink. Rebuild your GTM from the ground up by stripping away assumptions and designing based on fundamental truths. It’s how disruptors like Dollar Shave Club bypassed the retail machine entirely.

Photo Credit: Kelli Tungay
02

Clarity over Clutter

  • Simplify choices
  • Signal over noise
  • Reduce decision fatigue
  • Build confidence and momentum

MODEL: THE PARADOX OF CHOICE
More is not more. Too many options stall decision-making and reduce satisfaction. At Procter & Gamble, reducing shampoo SKUs by half led to a 10% sales lift—proof that clarity drives growth.

Photo Credit: Clay Banks
03

Don’t Do Dumb Things

  • Reduce friction
  • Ask "Why could this fail?"
  • Build with drop-off in mind
  • Avoid preventable mistakes

MODEL: INVERSION THINKING
Strategy isn’t just about what to do. It’s about what to avoid. Flip planning on its head by identifying failure modes first. Amazon used it to perfect one-click buying.

Upside down house
04

Make It Familiar

  • Pair with the familiar
  • Design for trust and comfort
  • Embrace unwillingness to change
  • Introduce incrementally, not all at once

MODEL: MAYA PRINCIPLE – MOST ADVANCED YET ACCEPTABLE
Too much innovation, too fast, creates rejection. Innovate within the customer’s comfort zone. Apple didn’t launch a buttonless iPhone in version one. Instead, Apple phased it in, earning adoption by making the new feel familiar.

Photo Credit: Jasmin Egger
05

Map to Reality

  • Avoid over-simplifying metrics
  • Stress-test with real feedback
  • Validate quantitative with qualitative
  • Use strategy as navigation, not script

MODEL: THE MAP IS NOT THE TERRITORY
A strategy helps you plan, but reality always wins. Data, strategies, and campaigns must be grounded in true customer experience and insights. When JC Penney misapplied Apple’s store model, they ignored the map-territory mismatch—and paid for it.

Antique maps
06

Simple ≠ Simplistic

  • Be clear and rich
  • Use simplicity to scale nuance
  • Avoid “lowest common denominator”
  • Remove complexity without losing meaning

MODEL: OCCAM’S RAZOR VS. OVERSIMPLIFICATION
Simple sells, but too much simplicity loses power. Pushes for clarity, while ensuring we keep depth. Think iPod’s “1,000 songs in your pocket.” Elegant. Specific. Memorable.

A paperclip

systems
in action

NARRATIVE FRAMING

Leveraging an Origin Story

Ceipal

Transformed an ambiguous, made-up brand name into a clear, memorable identity rooted in company DNA. Shifted from “CEIPAL” to “Ceipal” (rhymes with people), aligning pronunciation, positioning, and brand tone. Anchored the repositioning with a simple, human tagline—“The staffing software people”—to reinforce the company’s people-first values in an AI-forward industry.

Brand Positioning
Tagline Development
Internal Brand Alignment
FEAR OF MISSING OUT

Accelerating Pipeline

Ceipal

Introduced “meet here” launch events, achieving 3-4 months' worth of product demos into a single day. Immediately delivered unique sales opportunities, filling the pipeline.

Product Marketing
Event Marketing
Launch Campaigns
HALO EFFECT

Consolidating a House of Brands

Linxup

Consolidated five legacy brands under one unified identity, aligning B2B and consumer narratives. Redesigned the Linxup and MOTOsafety brands to modernize positioning, improve digital performance, and reinforce the Linxup parent brand equity. Led full visual refresh and web overhaul to simplify the experience and scale brand clarity.

Brand Architecture
Logo Redesign
Website Overhaul
SOCIAL PROOF

Making Customers Heroes

Ungerboeck

Replaced feature-heavy messaging with a co-marketing program that celebrated client success as a proof point of product value. Promoted customers through shared marketing activities to amplify reach, generate affinity, and reinforce category authority.

Co-Marketing
Customer Advocacy
Case Studies
SIGNALING THEORY

Rejuvenating a 30+yo Brand

Ungerboeck

Modernized a 30-plus-year-old, family-owned global brand as it transitioned from on-premise software to a cloud-based SaaS platform. Repositioned Ungerboeck as “the world’s event software,” refreshed the visual identity, and elevated brand perception across international markets.

Brand Refresh
Website Overhaul
Identity Repositioning
FEEDBACK LOOPS

Spinning Up a Velocity Engine

Apollo Global

Transformed marketing from a cost center into a scalable, revenue-generating function through a test-and-iterate framework tied to KPIs and conversion metrics. Deployed automation and lead nurturing strategies that cut response times by 60% and lifted conversion rates by 23%.

KPI Dashboarding
Conversion Optimization
Lead Nurturing

Shared Stages

Delhi
,
 India
TechHR India | "Lead Like a CMO"

The keynote provided HR leaders with a unique perspective on how marketing frameworks can foster agility, resilience, and strategic influence. Drawing on marketing experience, six core systems are translated into practical models that HR teams can adopt to lead in flux. The talk reframed HR as a narrative-driven, system-aware function built for complexity.

New York City
,
 USA
CMO Summit | "The CMO’s Toolkit for Resilience"

A strategic session on how modern CMOs can replace brittle playbooks with resilient, adaptable frameworks that flex with market conditions. Blending practical examples with leadership insight, this talk shared how to design systems that align brand, demand, and organizational clarity. Built for CMOs navigating volatility, growth, and reinvention.

Podcast
 
The C-Suite Sales & Marketing Perspectives Podcast | "How to Build Adaptive Frameworks for Changing Market Conditions"

The episode explores how adaptive, fundamentals-based frameworks help companies stay grounded and agile during times of rapid change. The discussion emphasized translating cross-functional insights, such as sales dynamics, customer behavior, and brand signals, into clear and scalable marketing systems... all while adapting to meet market volatility.

Scottsdale
,
 USA
TechServe Alliance Executive Summit | "Staying Ahead of the Curve"

This keynote focused on how IT staffing firms can use volatility as a catalyst for innovation and smarter operations. It offered practical strategies to increase business value, boost efficiency, and navigate economic uncertainty with confidence. Attendees left with actionable frameworks for building resilient growth systems in disruptive times.

Virtual
 
Event
CMO Alliance | "Data-Driven Brand Storytelling"

This session explored how data can fuel brand narratives that resonate with audiences and drive measurable outcomes. Attendees learned how to extract meaningful insights from raw data, translate them into compelling stories, and integrate storytelling into the broader marketing strategy. Case studies and tactical examples grounded the session in real-world execution.

Podcast
 
The Revenue-Driven CMO | "Brand Storytelling Meets Demand Gen"

This episode unpacks how blending brand storytelling with demand generation creates a unified marketing engine that drives growth across the entire buyer journey. The discussion covers attribution complexity, team structure, and the strategic use of “brand gen” to break down silos and align messaging with business outcomes. Listeners gained actionable insights into balancing performance and brand-building in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Podcast
 
The Ortus Club's CMO Chats | Andy Weiss

This conversation explored how storytelling and demand generation converge to form a cohesive marketing narrative—helping organizations navigate both uncertainty and opportunity. It reframed the CMO as a strategic “navigator,” steering through volatile markets, emerging tech, and the lure of shiny objects using rigorous frameworks. The session offered actionable advice on winning organizational influence and delivering real value through storytelling–driven systems.

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