Setup CEO, Joe Koufman, virtually sat down with Tim Minahan, the CMO and EVP of Business Strategy at Citrix. In the interview, Minahan shares how important it is to surround himself with people who have other perspectives and expertise, how the younger generation inspires him, and how his recent interest in historical figures has added to his career.

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Q1 | Tell us about your career path.

Minahan started his career in B2B publishing, initally working for a number of different publications on the technology side. Eventually, the Aberdeen Group recruited him to start a research practice on groundbreaking trends such as E-commerce, digital marketplaces, and supply chain. He then worked for Procuri as their SVP of Global Marketing where he learned about the emerging concept of “software as a service.” 

Ariba, a SAP Company, soon acquired Procuri and made Minahan CMO. Minahan attributed his role at SAP for leading to his opportunity as CMO and EVP of Business Strategy at Citrix. 

Q2 | Tell us about your role at Citrix.

Citirx is a large cloud computing and virtualization technology company. The CMO leads the global marketing team on everything including brand, demand generation, and customer advocacy.

As the EVP of Business Strategy, Minahan also leads the core research team and guides the company through strategic planning, strategy development, and providing the framework and guides for his teams to follow. 

Q3 | Is there any advice you’d like to share?

The shift in the corporate work model has Minahan feeling very optimistic. In the past, he has experienced a number of missed opportunities simply due to geographical challenges.

“If there's one iota of a silver lining to this crisis we've all been living through, it's certainly rapidly accelerated digital transformation, and it's caused businesses and employees to rethink outdated work models.” 

His advice to employers is to broaden their view of the “work model” and embrace flexibility as changes occur.

Q4 | What is your superpower?

Minahan easily interprets different data points and comes up with concepts or positioning for entire markets. He added that he’s good at “Being able to take a research-based approach to things and quickly assess the direction the winds are going while taking a moment to listen and observe.” These adaptable skills have served him well in his career.

Q5 | Where do you find inspiration?

Minahan likes to find his inspiration from a variety of sources. He has a keen interest in history and historical figures. He explained, “It's really interesting to understand how folks from George Washington to Benedict Arnold to pilgrims made decisions.” He uses lessons he learns from these trailblazers to apply to his work and leadership

For more marketing leadership advice, and a view into the mindset of marketing executives in various industries, be sure to watch the full interview with Tim Minahan, and keep an eye out for more thought leadership from our CMO Spotlights.

Watch the full interview to the right.