In this episode, we speak to Leila Modarres, the CMO of Apexon, a digital-first technology services firm focused on accelerating business transformation and delivering human-centric digital experiences. We talk about how Leila reached the CMO suite, her experience rebranding the company, working with Gen Z, and bringing human into customer experience.  For over 18 years, Apexon has been meeting customers wherever they are in the digital lifecycle and helping them outperform their competition through speed and innovation.At Apexon, Leila pioneered a marketing-as-a-service approach where she harnessed the expertise of her expertly curated team to deliver value to customers and give them another reason to choose to work with Apexon. That has included the creation of the award-winning YouTube channel, DTV, where she interviews customers, partners, and other luminaries to profile their thought leadership and digital expertise.Leila oversees Apexon’s global branding and communications, covering everything from market positioning and awareness-building to employer branding and demand generation initiatives.Prior to Apexon, she headed marketing at Cumulus Networks where she helped launch the company and define its position in the emerging software-defined networking market. Before that, Leila was the VP of Marketing at DeviceAnywhere, a pioneer in mobile application development and testing. There, she helped establish DeviceAnywhere’s category leadership and subsequent acquisition by Keynote Systems. Additionally, Leila has held key roles at emerging technology companies Virtual Iron (acquired by Oracle) and PanGo Networks (acquired by InnerWireless).Leila regularly speaks at events and has received industry recognition for leadership, marketing best practices, and mentoring of female leaders. She was recognized as a Woman of Influence by Silicon Valley Business Journal in 2020.Leila holds a BA in communications from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.(updated)Learn more about Leila ModarresLearn more about ApexonFollow Peter Mahoney on Twitter and LinkedInLearn more about PlannuhJoin The Next CMO CommunityRecommend a guest for The Next CMO podcastProduced by PodForte