TheCconnects: Can you tell our readers a little about your professional journey & how did you come to your current role/position?
Prayukth K V: I began my career as a journalist before drifting into marketing. During this journey, I was lucky enough to work on some of the most interesting projects in new areas for instance I was among the first social media marketers out there in 2007. I also got to work on a unique AI project in 2011. Its thanks to such projects and experiences that I have been able to grow. I have also had the opportunity to work with some of the best people I have known throughout my career and this is something that helped shape my professional career and the direction I eventually took.
TheCconnects: Who has influenced you the most in life and why?
Prayukth K V: My parents. My dad was an army officer and my mother was a teacher. They were very encouraging and motivated me and they gave me the courage and belief to stand by my convictions at all times. They never missed an opportunity to instill the importance of learning at all stages in life and this was not about learning for sake of learning but learning for sake of the evolution of oneself.
They gave me a firm foundation to base my personal and professional journey.
TheCconnects: What are the biggest challenges you have faced in your life & how did you overcome them?
Prayukth K V: I have failed at many things in my career. In fact, there are still goals I have failed at consistently over the last decade. In some instances, I have failed after coming painfully close to achieving my goals. In all instances, I have gotten up, dusted my sleeves, and moved on. It’s become more of a routine now. When you lose at something after putting in much effort and coming very close to getting it could be extremely demotivating. I have not traded my enthusiasm for disappointment yet. You have to learn to move on to newer goals and horizons else, life might just pass you by.
TheCconnects: What lessons you have learned from your professional career?
Prayukth K V: Never stop learning. If you are able to learn on the job, nothing like it else search for challenges to solve so that you can learn in a hands-on manner. Never allow your career to be at the mercy of headwinds, tailwinds, or the whims and fancies of the market out there. Instead, make sure that you are always on a strong footing as far as learning goes and capitalize on every opportunity to implement your learning.
TheCconnects: What do you see as the biggest challenge for brands in the digital space?
Prayukth K V: Creating a unified experience across touchpoints and interactions. Though over a thousand books have been written on it, over a million frameworks created and we have 1000s of experts who have spoken about the need to keep customers engaged through predictably memorable experiences, many brands are consistently failing in this endeavor.
TheCconnects: How your product/solution can help to resolve the pain points of your customers?
Prayukth K V: We are a cybersecurity company that secures infrastructure connected with Information Technology, the Internet of Things, and Operational Technology. With rising cyberattacks and loss of data and revenue attributed to hackers, we work to secure our customer’s infrastructure from such attacks. In addition to solutions, we also offer threat intelligence feeds that help in threat hunting and rapid and early detection of threats. As defenders of cyberspace, revenue and value, we are among the few companies that offer protection against the widest array of threats while also helping customers detect and address vulnerabilities in their infrastructure.
TheCconnects: Do you have any advice for those who want to become chief marketing officer?
Prayukth K V: CMOs are knowledge, market, and trend-driven. They are the barometers of an organization and often inform senior leadership about market changes due in the days to come. To evolve into a CMO, a marketer needs to first have a working knowledge of all aspects of marketing including demand gen, digital marketing, content marketing, go-to-market strategies, and fine-tuning these to ensure maximum positive revenue impact. That’s the place to start. A CMO can have a forte but should also be able to see the larger picture in terms of the outcomes of every unit of marketing effort and align that with overall KPIs associated with revenue and new logo addition.
So here are my top suggestions to CMO aspirants:
- Invest energy and attention in becoming good communicators. Learn to communicate value and empathy
- Draw a roadmap with well-researched milestones to identify your path to marketing leadership
- Build a strong network within and outside your organization. Your networking skills should be exemplary so keep working on it
- Learn to wear your brand on your shoulders and inspire confidence among your teammates. Inspire them to take pride in the brand as well
- A CMO can only be as good as her/his team. Learn to work together as a team and bring the best out of your teammates
- Identify a CMO as your mentor and take guidance from them to build your career
TheCconnects: Have you ever started or have been part of a start-up?
Prayukth K V: I have been part of a few start-ups (not technically but logically). In 2020, I was part of the team that launched MyBookWorks, a start-up that works for ensuring intellectual wellness for corporate employees. I am happy to share that MyBookWorks has an approval rating of 97 percent among its customers after two years of operations. I would encourage corporates to check this unique start-up out.
Lastly, while it is good to have dreams, it is essential to work towards achieving them as well. So plan your career roadmap and give yourself timelines and milestones to achieve and keep alternate paths to leadership ready as well. Invest in developing your leadership skills (including the ability to inspire) and learn how to get things done with minimal resource expenditure.
