Home > Companies > C-Suite On Deck > Q&A with Tara Ryan, Chief Marketing Officer at Incorta

Q&A with Tara Ryan, Chief Marketing Officer at Incorta

Media 7 | April 15, 2020

global marketing for technology businesses
Tara Ryan, Chief Marketing Officer at Incorta has over 25 years experience and success in global marketing for technology businesses in ERP, mid-market, SMB, security, industry offerings and has driven fast growth for multiple SaaS , IPO and public companies. 

Ryan works with executives and board on planning, creation and execution of global branding, communications, sites, field programs, public relations, investor relations and demand generation.

MEDIA 7: When did you first start working and what was it?
TARA RYAN: My first job for a real paycheck was at 15 when I worked at a deli in Fresno, CA where I grew up.

M7: With over 25 years of experience in global marketing for technology companies, how has the demand generation for tech firms evolved, and how do you see it changing in future?
TR: Marketing used to be a stand alone, unautomated function and in all honesty, a bit of a mystery. Now marketing is threaded through every single thing we do in business and with technology innovations, there is a real understanding of it, the programs we run, the expected outcomes and even the real time analysis of successes and failures. We used to plan a campaign, process out the creative, media and execution and wait to see effectiveness – now we do all at once. I see the future going back to simplification and less is more. We have added so many tools and ways to analyze. 


"The transformation or amazing shift into the customer experience economy is the biggest challenge CMOs face today."

M7: As a Data Analytics platform, Incorta simplifies and processes data to provide meaningful information at speed that helps make informed decisions. How crucial is it from a value delivery point of view, and how does that help Incorta to stand out?
TR: Incorta is special in that it allows business users to ask the same complex and meaningful questions of their data that typically require many IT people and data scientists to get the answers they need to improve their line of business. At the digital pace of business today, that can mean millions of dollars for business leaders in finance, supply chain or even marketing. Speed is a key differentiator for Incorta in that rarely has anyone been able to query billions of rows of data in seconds for a line of business owner. In the world of Big Data, AI, Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics, this is important. In other words, someone in charge of supply chain for a major food brand can reduce millions in wasted orders if they understand in real time what customers are ordering across the globe on any given day or hour. In times like and especially with Covid, the amount of data an organization can automate, organize, ingest and analyze against can mean millions in savings and efficiencies. The direct link between data, analytics and business impact is something I get really excited about.



"The B2B buying cycle is becoming much more consumer like and the B2C marketing journey is now adapted to a tech driven one, mostly by mobile and in app activity owning the minute by minute attention of all."

M7: What are the biggest challenges for a CMO these days?
TR: I think the transformation or amazing shift into the customer experience economy is the biggest challenge CMOs face today. I see a merge of B2B and B2C and a learning exchange for CMOs with experience in both. The B2B buying cycle is becoming much more consumer like and the B2C marketing journey is now adapted to a tech driven one, mostly by mobile and in app activity owning the minute by minute attention of all. TV has shifted to OTT, radio to subscription, Direct to push and email and website to search and content syndication and it goes on. CMOs must check our pride at the door and acknowledge that adaptation is now our constant.

M7: How should companies prepare for continuous disruptions in martech?
TR: I think the Martech stack has reached a point of saturation. The best way to prepare and analyze all that is new is to ask the question around revenue. How will any given innovation contribute to new revenue and will the new revenue cover the costs for said innovation. I see way too many start ups spending money on automation for the sake of automation.

M7: The outbound marketing scene is transforming rapidly. Which trends do you believe will sustain, and what are you excited to experiment with?
TR: I call it “all bound” efforts as marketing and sales fused efforts can happen in real time now. I get excited about high quality campaigns driven with AI and Machine Learning that deliver such personalization and relevance that the sales cycles gets condensed like never before. I think the trend of ABM will stick around in theme even if not technology tools as it helped us get back to realistic target audiences and database integrity, I am excited about  faster time to value and lower cost of entry innovators like Drift or Bombora. They quickly excite both marketing and sales teams and prove value in revenue driven efforts. I love when my teams come to me and have been able to experiment and bring a vendor onboard in days vs months.


"CMOs must check our pride at the door and acknowledge that adaptation is now our constant."

M7: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your work - what day to day processes have you had to re-tool to be able to pull them off remotely? What does your remote tech stack look like?
TR: Covid has presented an unexpected opportunity for marketing and sales teams to get access to prospects and customers with some undivided attention that is otherwise difficult to garner. It has presented a challenge in that we really don’t want to waste anyone’s time and value propositions and content should align to Covid C-Suite priorities around employee security, wellness, business continuity and creative ways to forecast and plan against an unknown future. Of course Zoom and video conferencing has become important but added weight on data integrity around SFDC, mobile apps, recordings and web based journeys have moved to center of conversations. Some groups have done a great job of hopping on event and field marketing and retooled for virtual based live events – it is very impressive.

M7: Do you think we will constantly be looking over our shoulders, and need to have a remote plan ready?
TR: My marketing teams have moved to more work at home over the past few years, especially at global companies. This sure comes in handy now. Digital marketing is also the lion share of all of our budgets so, especially in B2B, we should weather through but continue to judge on measurable value form our campaigns or marketing investments.  Moving forward, I thing entire marketing categories or mediums will shift, such as trade shows, outdoor, billboard, sport marketing, sponsorships – but I think those areas have been evolving anyway. I always insist that my team never put too much weight on any one medium, such as field events and that balance has paid off during times like now with Covid.

M7: What piece of advice would you give your younger self?
TR: No one ever wakes up in the morning thinking about your career other than you. You will need to ask for what you want and promote yourself -  don’t be afraid to that. Also, trust your instinct and don’t be afraid of change. Change can be a good thing, really!

ABOUT INCORTA

Incorta is the only Unified Data Analytics Platform powered by Direct Data Mapping. Purpose-built to help companies stay ahead of the accelerating rate, volume, and complexity of modern enterprise data, the platform delivers unmatched speed and visibility. Incorta is built with open standards and integrates with cloud-friendly tools and platforms, making it easy to consolidate data in the cloud and extract meaningful insights. By making any data source continuously available for analytics, the platform helps data engineers, data scientists, data analysts, and business leaders make more accurate, timely, and transparent decisions with faster access to richer data sets. Backed by GV (formerly Google Ventures), Kleiner Perkins, M12 (formerly Microsoft Ventures), Telstra Ventures, and Sorenson Capital, Incorta powers analytics for some of the most valuable brands in the world. Visit www.incorta.com.

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GXO Drives Operational Excellence in U.K. Logistics with AI Innovation

GXO Logistics, Inc | September 20, 2023

GXO Logistics collaborates with Datasparq to successfully deploy AI solutions, boosting operational efficiency and reducing environmental impact through transportation route optimization. The company's partnership with industry leaders like Körber's Operator Eye solution transforms its warehousing operations, focusing on automation efficiency, picking accuracy, and streamlined processing times. GXO's AI-driven route optimization delivers significant environmental benefits, exemplified by its partnership with U.K. retailer Iceland. Reducing road miles, fuel consumption, and carbon emissions underscores GXO's commitment to sustainability. GXO Logistics, a leading pure-play contract logistics provider, has unveiled the successful deployment of artificial intelligence solutions in its operations. Collaborating with Datasparq, the company has leveraged AI to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and mitigate its environmental footprint through route optimization in transportation. Additionally, GXO is transforming its warehousing operations by partnering with industry leaders like Körber's Operator Eye solution to improve automation efficiency, enhance picking accuracy, and streamline processing times. This strategic integration of AI underscores GXO's commitment to operational excellence and prioritizing the safety and well-being of its workforce. This collaboration yields remarkable results, particularly in tailored route optimization tools, exemplified by the operations transformation for renowned U.K. retailer Iceland. GXO expertly manages four distribution centers across three temperature ranges, diligently serving over 1,100 stores nationwide on Iceland's behalf. Applying cutting-edge AI technology within this complex network, spanning over 50 million kilometers annually, has delivered substantial benefits. Steve Pennington, Supply Chain Director of Iceland, stated, “Iceland was the first food retailer internationally to join the Climate Pledge, a commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040." [Source – Globe Newswire] Minimizing road miles and reducing fuel consumption across their fleet without compromising customer service. Steve further mentioned that, with the incorporation of new technologies like AI and through their strong partnerships with GXO and Datasparq, they were progressing towards this goal. GXO Logistics has positioned itself as an industry leader in automation, with approximately 30% of its revenue originating from automated solutions, a substantial increase compared to the industry average of 8%. In the first quarter of 2023, the company set a remarkable record by achieving a 64% year-over-year increase in total technology and automated solutions deployment. This demonstrates GXO's unwavering dedication to harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to optimize its logistics operations comprehensively. GXO remains on top of technological changes in the logistics industry, and keeps giving its customers more value by improving its speed, accuracy, and service quality. Iceland's commitment to sustainability is underscored by the reduction of over 900,000 kilometers driven from a single depot each year, leading to a remarkable decrease in diesel consumption by more than 25,000 liters and a substantial overall carbon emission savings of over 720 tonnes. In addition, this strategic AI implementation empowers GXO drivers to allocate more time to high-value tasks, significantly enhancing productivity and job satisfaction. This success story exemplifies GXO's dedication to innovation, efficiency, and sustainable logistics solutions.

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Supply Chain

Ryder Named a Top 10 3PL in 2023 Readers’ Choice Excellence Awards by Inbound Logistics

Ryder System, Inc | September 27, 2023

Ryder System, Inc., a leader in supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions, announces it is named among the Top 10 3PLs in the 2023 Readers’ Choice Excellence Awards by Inbound Logistics for the second consecutive year. Considering nearly 12,500 votes cast by supply chain decision-makers from some of the world’s best-known brands, the Inbound Logistics audience shortlists the top ten 3PLs they trust most to solve supply chain challenges. “World-class 3PLs offer innovative and efficient ways to wring every ounce of productivity from enterprise operations,” says Felecia Stratton, editor of Inbound Logistics. “We’re pleased to recognize Ryder for making the investment in the solutions and expertise that empowered logistics, supply chain, and transportation excellence for customers in 2023.” To fully optimize supply chain and transportation networks, Ryder continues to build on $1.3 billion in strategic investments it has made over the past five years to develop, acquire, and invest in innovative customer-facing technologies, products, and services. In August, the company announced the establishment of Baton, A Ryder Technology Lab based out of Silicon Valley. Led by some of the brightest minds from the world’s most respected tech firms and learning institutions, the lab’s first mission is to create a first-of-its-kind, AI-powered digital platform and optimization engine that facilitates a new, integrated approach to managing transportation networks for customers where seasonality and fluctuating demand inhibit the continuous use of resources. In July, Ryder rolled out Torque by Ryder™, a first-of-its-kind retail mobile maintenance service that fleet owners can access via desktop, smartphone, or tablet to schedule, receive, track, and pay for mobile maintenance solutions at their place of business – all without a contract. And, in May, Ryder announced RyderElectric+™, a turnkey solution to help customers navigate the electric vehicle landscape, inclusive of developing a transition roadmap with electrification advisors, vehicles, charging, telematics, and maintenance. In addition, Ryder announced plans to introduce up to 4,000 BrightDrop electric vans to its lease and rental fleet through 2025. “By strategically investing in and piloting new technologies, Ryder is uniquely positioned to ensure our customers have access to the innovations that will keep their supply chain and transportation networks ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving environment – and, just as importantly, access to implementation expertise as well as data scientists to turn analytics into actionable insights,” says Karen Jones, chief marketing officer and head of new product innovation for Ryder. “We strive each and every day to ensure our customers can deliver on their promises to their customers, so to be recognized for that in such a prestigious way is priceless.” As a fully integrated port-to-door transportation and supply chain logistics provider, Ryder provides supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions to some of the world’s most recognizable brands representing more than 20 industries. By combining cutting-edge technology and business intelligence tools with nearly 90 years of operational know-how, Ryder custom-engineers solutions around its customers’ operations rather than trying to fit them into a one-size-fits-all formula. About Ryder System, Inc. Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R) is a leading logistics and transportation company. It provides supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions, including warehousing and distribution, e-commerce fulfillment, last-mile delivery, managed transportation, professional drivers, freight brokerage, full-service leasing, maintenance, commercial truck rental, and used vehicle sales to some of the world’s most-recognized brands. Ryder provides services throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In addition, Ryder manages nearly 260,000 commercial vehicles and operates approximately 300 warehouses encompassing more than 95 million square feet. Ryder is regularly recognized for its industry-leading practices in third-party logistics, technology-driven innovations, commercial vehicle maintenance, environmental stewardship, corporate social responsibility, world-class safety and security programs, military veteran recruitment initiatives, and the hiring of a diverse workforce. About Inbound Logistics Inbound Logistics, the demand-driven logistics magazine, is the leading multi-channel content provider targeted toward business logistics and supply chain managers. Inbound Logistics’ mission is to provide the information and solutions enabling companies of all sizes to become demand-driven enterprises by speeding and reducing inventory and supporting infrastructure, and better matching demand signals to supply.

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