The CMO Spotlight is a chance to get an inside look into the minds and journeys of high performing marketing leaders. 

Setup CEO Joe Koufman virtually sat down with Joanna Irwin, the Global CMO at Randstad. The full conversation covers her career path from agency-side to brand-side marketing, the challenges and learnings that come with being in a global role, how she gets buy-in across the company and with the C-suite, the value of collaboration and community within an organization, and more. 

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW AND READ THE RECAP BELOW. 

Q1 | Tell us about your career path.

Irwin graduated as a Film and Video Production and Psychology major and then transitioned into the agency world producing e-commerce websites for brands like Home Depot. After some time on the agency side, she worked for 15 years doing marketing, e-commerce, and digital marketing in the financial services industry. She later accepted a position at Randstad and has served as the Global CMO for the past three and a half years. 

“I was ready for a change and I wanted to do something at a global level and this opportunity at Randstad came forward.” 

Irwin explained that Randstad’s business is helping people find meaningful work, and they do that around the world as the largest HR services firm. “But there's two sides of this proposition - one side is more for the B2B side, so employers who are looking for people to work for them, right? And the other side is job seekers who are looking for their next job.” 

In the last year, they put 1.8 million people to work. Irwin described the campaigns they implemented - like their #NewWays program to support their clients - and emphasized how meaningful it is to work for a company that helps people, especially during a difficult time like 2020. 

Q2 | What is your super power? 

Throughout her career, Irwin has taken personality/strength tests that help teams focus on their strengths instead of weaknesses. 

“One is called maximizer. It's about wanting to take something good and make it even better, sharpen it and make it better. That's what brings me a lot of energy. Then communication and winning others over…” Her results have consistently showcased her strength as an influencer and a supporter of growth and change. 

Q3 | Is there a piece of advice that you would like to pass onto other marketers?

Like most CMOs in this interview series, Irwin urged other marketers to listen. She also stressed that it’s not necessary to have all the answers, and sometimes, a team effort is more effective when searching for a solution. 

“When you're kind of an up-and-coming professional, you feel like you have to be the one that comes to the table with the best answer and the best solution, and you've got it all figured out. It's better to have the conversation and to have it be more of a collaborative approach. You'll get a lot more buy-in if you take the time to listen and incorporate other people's ideas.” 

Q4 | What is the biggest challenge that you're facing in your current role? 

“The size and scale of the business,” she shared. Since Randstad is a big global organization, and has historically operated in a more decentralized way, Irwin has to influence and get buy-in from a number of experienced leaders in the organization. “So a lot of what I do is trying to not only have a great global marketing strategy and approach and agenda, but I have to make sure that they see that they're heard and understood and listened to, and that our marketing strategy is going to work for them.” Although this experience is challenging, she described it as exciting because she can make a bigger impact. 

Q5 | What are the most important values that you demonstrate as a leader, or that you may even demand from people on your team?

“A big important thing to me is collaboration,” Irwin stated. “I don't expect that I or any one individual person on my team is going to have all the right answers or the best ideas. I think there's so much power in community and trying to ask questions instead of giving answers.” She described that sometimes other team members may see a leader doing something a certain way and feel pressure to copy it, when that may not be the best route. 

Other highlights include Irwin’s love for Neutral Milk Hotel and how she collaborates with her international team and agency partners. 

For more marketing leadership advice and a view into the mindset of a marketing executive, be sure to watch the full interview with Joanna Irwin, and keep an eye out for more thought leadership from our CMO Spotlights.