Conor Coughlan: Scaling CMO & GTM Advisor
A globally recognized, award-winning CMO & GTM executive known for consistently delivering hyper-growth and multi-billion-dollar valuations across Cybersecurity, FinTech, and BFSI sectors.
Transformational GTM Leadership
Conor Coughlan specializes in transforming organizations by delivering powerful GTM engines, achieving analyst category leadership, and ensuring critical alignment between sales, marketing, and customer success as firms deliver against key business milestones.
GTM Excellence
Building scalable go-to-market engines that drive efficient growth
Category Leadership
Achieving Gartner, IDC, and Forrester recognition
Team Alignment
Unifying sales, marketing, and customer success
Proven Track Record of Value Creation
A former general manager, founder, board advisor, and investor, Conor has held multiple P&L roles and helped scale organizations across North America, Europe, and Asia. His expertise is defined by measurable financial success and strategic GTM transformations.
25+
Years Experience
Senior management across marketing, strategy, and product
3
Continents
Scaled organizations across North America, Europe & Asia
$17B
Peak Valuation
Scaled SaaS firm to multi-billion dollar valuation
Scaling for IPO & Successful Exits
Cybersecurity Success
Scaled Cyber SaaS firm from $20M to $340M+ in ARR, increasing company valuation from $1 billion to $6 billion. His GTM strategy and playbook is central to firms preparing for future stock exchange listings and strategic exits.
FinTech Growth
Fueled FinTech's rapid scale, increasing valuation from €380M to €1.5B and driving sales from €12M ARR to €130M+ ARR.
Acquisitions & Mergers Expertise
01
Cybersecurity Integration
Acquired, integrated, and re-launched three firms in less than 18 months, increasing related revenues by $110 million in the first year
02
Strategic Exit Advisory
Advised on the sale of FinTech and capital market firms for successful exits to major strategics in the US
03
Platform Acquisition
Led acquisition of $650M FX trading platform and range of information services firms ($30-$150M) for major global brand
Scaling Division & SaaS Firms
Conor consistently delivers operational excellence and revenue growth through strategic marketing initiatives and efficiency improvements.
35%
Revenue Boost
Increased marketing accountable revenues for global risk divisions
30%
CAC Reduction
Reduced customer acquisition costs significantly
40%
Margin Improvement
Enhanced operating margins through efficiency
Improved NRR & GRR figures from 70 to 110, reduced CPL by 20-50%, and continuously focused on improving EBITDA while driving efficient scaling and growth.
Strategic GTM & Market Leadership
Category Creation
Renowned for driving Gartner, IDC and Forrester adoption of new categories including Cyber Exposure Management (CEM), Client Lifecycle Management (CLM), and Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM)
Brand Transformation
Orchestrated global rebranding of multiple SaaS platforms and vendors, positioning firms to stand out in cluttered markets
Channel Strategy
Drove strategic alliances with Salesforce, IBM, DXC Technology, Capgemini, AWS and Accenture, achieving greater than 3000% increase in channel revenues
Operational Excellence Through Innovation
Advanced Automation & AI
Repeated delivery of advanced automation and efficiency across multiple GTM organizations and teams. Early adopter of artificial intelligence (A.I.) to accelerate and optimize critical workflows, use cases and projects.
Global Centers of Excellence
Established multiple offshore/low-cost centers of excellence in Romania, Malaysia, Mexico, and Poland to drive higher operating margins (EBITDA).
Keynote Topics & Thought Leadership
A recognized top 10 Cyber, RegTech & FinTech Influencer and active practitioner, Conor provides actionable insights based on real-world execution and proven playbooks.
The GTM Interlock
Unlocking scalable, efficient growth through sales, marketing, and customer success alignment
AI in Marketing
Transforming customer engagement through advanced automation technology
The Road to IPO
Key milestones and objectives for successful public offerings
The GTM Interlock: Unlocking Scalable Growth
"Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success must be fundamentally interdependent, acting as interlocking gears in a single GTM engine, rather than separate silos."
Core Concept
The Go-To-Market Interlock is essential for scalable success. True GTM success requires shared goals, unified metrics, and mutual accountability.
Why It Matters
Misalignment leads to inefficient handoffs, inconsistent messaging, poor customer retention, and substantial revenue drain.
AI-Powered Marketing Automation
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing marketing automation by providing real-time analytics, advanced personalization, predictive modeling, and scalable campaign management.
Real-Time Analytics
Data-driven insights for immediate optimization
Advanced Personalization
Tailored customer experiences at scale
Predictive Modeling
Anticipate customer needs and behaviors
Marketers who strategically integrate AI can enhance campaign outcomes, optimize ROI, minimize manual efforts, and deliver more personalized customer interactions. Success requires effective change management, strong executive support, and integration within organizational processes.
Mastering Account-Based Experience (ABX)
ABX is the necessary evolution of Account-Based Marketing (ABM). It mandates aligning Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success to ensure the value proposition resonates throughout the entire customer journey.
1
Pilot Program
Start with beta projects to allow teams time to learn and adjust
2
Team Alignment
Integrate marketing, sales, and CS workflows
3
Scale Success
Expand proven strategies across organization
Award Recognition: Winner of the 2021 B2B Marketing Martech Award for 'Best use of marketing automation' with Adobe and Fenergo, demonstrating how innovative automation led to a 22% increase in revenue and 91% increase in lead engagement.
The Modern Chief Marketing Officer
Architect of Growth and Guardian of Credibility
The role of a Chief Marketing Officer has changed dramatically. In an age of AI, marketing pioneers are tasked with driving growth and scaling efficiently while ensuring they are protectors of their brand and builders of trust.
In an era of AI and generative search, top GTM executives focus on both scaling their businesses and ensuring their brands stand out. They understand the importance of trust and true differentiation, knowing that credibility is vital when barriers to market entrance are declining.
Innovating to Differentiate: B2B Marketing Strategies
Efficient Growth Focus
Prioritize efficient growth over new logo acquisition at any cost, emphasizing sustainable revenue expansion
Hyper-Personalized Content
Leverage AI/ML for data-driven ABM and personalized content marketing strategies
Community-Driven Initiatives
Build engaged communities that foster trust and long-term customer relationships
Crisis Management
Proactive positioning as trustworthy during industry crises with consistent messaging
Awards & Recognition
Conor is a highly decorated B2B SaaS leader with over 25 years of experience, recognized globally for innovation and excellence.
B2B Tech Marketing Innovators
2022 - B2B Marketing / Harvard
Selected as one of the 25 most innovative tech marketers globally
Top 100 Cyber Influencer
2022 - Onalytica
Ranked as one of the top 100 most influential people in cybersecurity
Best Marketing Automation
2021 - B2B Marketing
Global winner with Fenergo & Adobe for innovative automation use
Growth CMO Finalist
2020 - The CMO Club
Selected from global CMOs, competing against Zoom and GoPro
Speaking Engagements & Conferences
Conor is regularly invited to speak at public and private industry events, passionate about sharing knowledge, expertise, and guidance.
Cyber Marketing Con 2025
Keynote speaker for CMO Summit in Austin, Texas focusing on building brand and credibility in the AI era
CMO Network Podcast 2025
Analysis of essential priorities and key insights for pursuing a Chief Marketing Officer role
Forrester EMEA Summit 2020
Presented approach to Account-Based Marketing as a leading CMO and optimization strategies
B2B Marketing Ignite 2018
Influencer marketing myth busting and candid discussion about the role of influencers in B2B
Published Works & Thought Leadership
AI-Powered Marketing Automation (2025)
Featured in OpenReach.AI article on personalizing customer journeys at scale with AI agents
The Rise of AI in Marketing (2025)
Marketing Tech News interview on how technology is redefining customer engagement
Key SaaS Growth Inflection Points (2025)
LinkedIn series on scaling from $20M ARR to $1B ARR based on personal experience
The GTM Interlock (2025)
LinkedIn article on why sales, marketing, and customer success are fundamentally interdependent
Forbes Council Articles (2022-2023)
Published on AI in marketing and B2B marketing trends with top seven focus areas
Industry Leadership & Judging
Committed to recognizing, rewarding, and mentoring new talent, Conor regularly supports B2B professional organizations as a judge.
B2B Elevation Awards
Judge for Americas awards in 2024 & 2025, among the most prestigious in North America
ANA B2 Marketing Awards
2025 judge celebrating innovative and impactful business marketing campaigns
Rising Star Award
2023 judge for best emerging B2B marketer focused on new talent
Investment & Advisory Focus
Conor is a recognized investor and advisor for a range of firms, providing consulting services for companies seeking to scale or breakthrough key inflection points.
FinTech
TradeTech
Biotechnology
Artificial Intelligence
Renewable Energy
Mobility-as-a-Service
InsureTech
WealthTech
Aviation
Direct-to-Consumer
Aerospace & Defence
HealthTech
Professional Advocacy & Social Impact
Beyond GTM strategy, Conor is committed to social impact, integrating advocacy into his professional profile and speaking topics.
Talent & Mentorship
Passionate about talent management, diversity, and inclusion. Actively mentors external professionals and contributes to educational programs.
Women in Technology
Champion of women in technology and business, ranked by Korn Ferry in the upper quartile of managers.
Social Justice
Active advocate for LGBT+ equality and social justice. Former non-executive director of Galop, the UK's leading LGBT+ anti-violence charity.
Research & Advocacy
Author and recognized researcher of hate crimes, contributing to important social justice initiatives.