Customer Marketing Ones to Watch in 2025
With 2025 firmly underway, it's our absolute pleasure to shine the spotlight on the trailblazers revolutionizing customer marketing.
Customer Marketing Alliance proudly presents this year's lineup of extraordinary professionals who aren't just participating in the customer marketing space but are reshaping it from the ground up.
These innovative minds are crafting the future of customer engagement, turning traditional strategies on their head, and pioneering approaches already defining the next era of customer marketing and advocacy.
Want to know who's driving the most exciting transformations in customer marketing this year? You're in exactly the right place. These are the visionaries whose work will be inspiring our industry conversations throughout 2025.
A standing ovation to our featured leaders – now, let's meet the game-changers who are making customer marketing magic happen!
#1
Catherine Staite
Head of Customer Advocacy
Catherine has revolutionized customer advocacy at GoCardless, with her team earning industry recognition for their strategy and innovative measurement methodology.
As Head of Customer Advocacy and Engagement, Catherine has woven customer stories into the very fabric of GoCardless through masterful relationship-building and constantly refined processes.
A trusted mentor in the UK customer advocacy scene, Catherine's leadership style combines results-driven excellence with genuine people-first values, making her an inspirational force for both her team and industry peers alike.
#2
Emily Crouch
Customer Marketing Manager
At CoreView, Emily Crouch drives high-impact marketing initiatives that boost acquisition, retention, and revenue.
Since starting customer marketing in 2023, she has achieved a 325% increase in G2 badges and over 40 new customer reviews in 2024.
Her Account-Based Marketing yielded 8 cross-sell opportunities, and the "12 Days of CoreView" festive campaign generated 43 MQLs.
In 2024, Emily published 8 new customer case studies and founded the CoreView Customer Advisory Board and CoreCommunity platform, enhancing interactions and increasing CoreView's market presence.
#3
Hannah Baldwin
Global Customer Story Manager
Meet Hannah Baldwin, Siemens' storytelling virtuoso who's revolutionizing how customer voices are heard. As Customer Story Manager, Hannah has transformed Siemens' customer story process into a comprehensive program spanning multiple industries and products.
Blending technical challenges with client success stories, Hannah creates compelling narratives that go beyond basic testimonials.
With an unwavering commitment, Hannah builds strategic relationships that turn customer experiences into powerful brand stories. Her customer-centric approach and passion for authentic storytelling are reshaping how Siemens connects with its audience.
#4
Cara Peterson
Customer Advocacy Program Manager
Cara Peterson is redefining what it means to amplify the customer voice. She transforms customer experiences into powerful advocacy opportunities, delivering compelling testimonials, case studies, and peer-to-peer connections that drive engagement and influence pipeline growth.
With a keen eye for thoughtful storytelling and a deep understanding of customer needs, Cara builds scalable advocacy programs that celebrate diverse achievements across industries.
Her resilience and creativity stand out in the complex world of cybersecurity, where she thrives on turning challenges into opportunities for meaningful customer connections.
#5
Jennifer Krieger
Senior Customer Engagement Manager
Jennifer Krieger is a powerhouse in community building and engagement. As moderator for a thriving community of over 35,000 customers and industry experts, she’s driven a 35% year-over-year increase in engagement.
Jennifer launched the Solution Ambassador Program, celebrating customers who elevate peer support, and worked cross-collaboratively to build a network of over 300 Champions.
Her Coffee Chat program connects users to share insights, reducing churn and showcasing value. By aligning passion with business goals, she’s decreased support cases and amplified customer satisfaction.
#6
Nick Venturella
Customer Advocacy Engagement Manager
Nick Venturella, Customer Advocacy Engagement Manager at Workday, has been on fire this year! Since joining, he’s helped supercharge the Customer Advocacy program, growing membership a phenomenal 8x.
Nick’s knack for innovation led to a game-changing reference customer identification process, now fueling over 70% of net new references. He’s helped drive 3,500+ acts of customer advocacy and boosted participation in a personal branding initiative by 40% in just four months.
Beyond Workday, Nick is a powerhouse for the CMA community—sharing insights, sparking connections, and championing success through content, courses, and industry events.
#7
Colleen P. Reidy
Director of Global Customer Marketing & Advocacy
Colleen P. Reidy, is a dynamo in the world of customer marketing. From building Veracode’s customer advocacy program from scratch—driving $100 million in closed revenue last year—to helping secure Gartner Customers’ Choice recognition four years running, Colleen transforms customer insights into business impact.
Her passion for authentic customer stories inspired programs like Progress Software’s 'App Innovation Awards,' amplifying success stories across the market.
A CMA Top 100 honoree and Veracode Way Award winner, Colleen is a mentor, speaker, and lifelong learner dedicated to customer-led growth and collective success.
#8
Jenny Sowyrda
Manager, Community Strategy & Operations
Since helping launch the HubSpot Community in 2016, Jenny Sowyrda, Manager of Community Strategy & Operations, has been its backbone, driving growth and evolution for eight years.
Whether crafting unforgettable moments for individuals or leading campaigns that impact thousands, Jenny’s work leaves a lasting impression. She’s renowned for championing her team and Community Champions, always putting their success in the spotlight.
Recently, Jenny’s been spearheading the development of new communities on Connect.com, with big plans set to make waves in 2025.
#9
Kelly Brenneman
Director, Customer Lifecycle Marketing
Meet Kelly Brenneman, a customer marketing powerhouse who turns happy customers into vocal brand champions.
With a knack for driving engagement and revenue, her innovative digital customer success strategy improved customer engagement by 56% in the first 30 days, while her revenue-generating campaigns contributed to 30% of the Sales Closed Win pipeline.
Her revamped "always on" NPS program and customer advocacy initiatives have created a 10x surge in third-party reviews on platforms like Gartner Peer Insights and G2. She's mastered the art of authentic customer advocacy.
#10
Kyra Hennessey
Head of Customer Marketing
Meet Kyra Hennessey, Redis' customer marketing maestro who turns brand stories into gold. As Head of Customer Marketing, she's driven a 25% increase in customer lifetime value while boosting social media engagement by 30%.
Her global executive briefing centers have boosted deal acceleration by 40%. A true partnership virtuoso, Kyra's remarkable career includes collaborations with iconic brands like Marvel and the San Francisco 49ers, plus high-stakes sponsorships with F1 and PGA.
From IPO initiatives to global rebrands, she's the powerhouse turning customer success into measurable magic at Redis.
#11
Maria Colusi
Global Customer Advocacy Specialist
Meet Maria Colusi, the organizational wizard keeping Siemens' customer advocacy engine running smoothly.
As Global Customer Advocacy Specialist, she's the steady heartbeat of this award-winning program, masterfully coordinating excellence across the vast Siemens landscape. Since joining in 2024, Maria has transformed everything from dashboards to case studies, making customer advocacy operations sing.
Whether she's fine-tuning reference programs or polishing reporting processes, Maria's fresh perspective and operational prowess are already making waves. Watch this space – she's just getting started!
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#12
Leslie Barrett
Director of Customer Marketing
Driving innovation with AI, Leslie Barrett is revolutionizing the way customer stories are scaled, tripling output and redefining efficiency. She’s also leading the charge in building a thriving new community for advocates, strengthening connections, and elevating customer voices.
With a deep background in client relationship management and the customer journey, Leslie’s passion lies in showcasing the true value of customers. By crafting exceptional advocacy experiences that enhance satisfaction and drive revenue,
Leslie’s new AI customer approach is exploring new standards in 2025, making her a clear ‘One to Watch’!
Take a bow, customer marketing champions – your work continues to light the way forward! And a heartfelt thank you to everyone in our community who took the time to nominate and vote for these outstanding professionals.
Join the conversation! Whether you're celebrating these leaders or have perspectives to share, we'd love to hear from you. Connect with us on social, dive into the discussions in our community Slack channel, or share your thoughts in our interactive community hub.
Here's to another groundbreaking year in customer marketing!
