A candid perspective on AI-driven marketing, leadership evolution, data integrity, and trust as the foundation of long-term growth.
Kris, as the Chief Marketing Officer at OutSystems, what experiences or perspectives have most shaped the way you lead modern marketing organizations today?
Throughout my decades-long career, a recurring theme has stood the test of time: companies succeed when they invest in people—their employees, customers and partners—and earn their trust. I’ve applied this truth in my previous roles, building community, supporting developers and helping people grow their careers, and it will be the core to my leadership approach at OutSystems.
Our customers trust OutSystems with critical parts of their business, and developers rely on our platform as the foundation for their careers and skills development. Marketing has to honor that, and celebrate the innovations and breakthroughs our people are achieving every day. It means showing up as a company that empowers people and pushes them forward in the age of AI, proving that we’re a long-term partner they can rely on.
Internally, I share the same belief that strong communities foster strong teams. When people feel supported and connected, they do their best work. A combination of trust, community, and empowerment guides my approach as CMO.
In what ways is the role of the CMO being redefined as AI, automation, and advanced data capabilities become core to marketing operations?
AI is redefining roles and practices across organizations, and marketing is no different. It’s no longer enough to understand brand and storytelling—CMOs must also understand how AI and automation shape every part of their marketing engine. But in a moment when everyone is racing to roll out AI, the companies that truly win won’t be the ones with the flashiest features—they’ll be the ones customers actually trust, and the ones delivering real impact. In the age of AI, we have to be honest. Being clear about what your AI can’t do often makes customers believe you that much more when you tell them what it can do.
CMOs must be adept at leading teams through constant change. Similarly, they must be prepared to step up as their own role evolves — from storyteller and growth driver to strategic operator, AI transformation leader, and steward of trust. The CMOs who thrive in this next chapter will be the ones who can balance speed with substance and automation with authenticity.
As you look toward 2026, what strategic priorities rise to the top for CMOs navigating an increasingly AI-centric landscape?
As AI is increasingly embedded into our systems and workflows, one of my biggest priorities as CMO is maintaining and championing real, human connections. People want to get together, and in-person experiences are becoming even more important as digital engagement becomes more automated. A key strategic focus should be creating more ways for humans to connect with humans—customers, builders, partners, and teams.
Another imperative for 2026 is leading with trust. Trust takes a long time to earn and can be lost in an instant. One overhyped claim, one promise that doesn’t quite land, and that credibility takes a hit. Company leaders are more critical than ever when considering who to do business with, and for good reason: AI washing, overpromising and underdelivering are rampant in the tech industry. In the end, it’s not about being perfect, it’s about being real.
Tech vendors that want to scale successfully must take a trust-first approach to marketing — communicating verifiable and measurable value, establishing mutually beneficial relationships with decision makers and users alike, and clarifying data usage and security postures up front. That trust becomes the foundation for brand loyalty, adoption, and long-term growth.
How do you guide your teams in striking the right balance between creative exploration and the disciplined use of data, especially when developing a forward-looking technology roadmap?
I guide teams by giving them the space to explore while grounding every decision in data and trust. AI lets us test ideas and iterate quickly, which fuels creativity. But we balance that with the metrics that matter—speed, time to value, and real customer impact. Because trust is so critical in the AI era, we stay disciplined about accuracy and responsibility. For me, it’s about adapting alongside the technology while staying anchored in governance, trust and measurable value.
How is AI transforming the way marketing teams extract insights, tailor customer experiences, and accelerate both strategic and tactical decisions?
AI is reshaping marketing by dramatically increasing the speed and quality of how we learn, act, and personalize. The biggest shift is in how quickly teams can extract insights. What once took weeks of manual analysis now happens in minutes, which means we can move from idea to decision far faster. Speed has always been a core metric, and AI is pushing it to an entirely new level.
It also changes how we tailor customer experiences. AI helps us understand intent, behavior, and preferences in real time, allowing us to deliver more relevant content and meet customers where they are. That leads to better engagement and a clearer path to value.
AI also makes it easier to test ideas, learn from what works, and adjust quickly. It allows us to “try and fail” faster without slowing the business down. That velocity—how quickly teams can move, refine, and improve—is becoming one of the most important measures of impact.
Ultimately, AI helps marketing teams make smarter strategic decisions and execute them with greater precision. It accelerates time-to-value, strengthens customer understanding, and gives teams the space to be more creative, not less.
Can you share an example of a customer or organization that achieved meaningful transformation through AI-enabled marketing?
One example that stands out is our work with The Pokémon Company International. They needed a faster, more intelligent way to connect players with live events around the world—a challenge that required both speed and precision. Using OutSystems, their team was able to pivot quickly and build a specialized event locator experience that could scale globally.
In just 10 days, they met the security and performance standards required for a brand as large and beloved as Pokémon. Within a month, the solution was live, supporting seven languages, handling high traffic loads, and helping more than 14,000 players discover and join events. The impact significantly improved customer satisfaction and created a more personalized, engaging experience for fans.
AI-enabled development accelerated the entire marketing cycle. Pokémon could test, refine, and launch a tailored customer experience far faster than traditional methods would allow. It’s a great example of how AI can help brands move with the speed of their audience and deliver meaningful value in a very short amount of time.
What performance indicators best capture the true business impact and return on investment from AI-powered marketing initiatives?
Speed will always be a core indicator of AI impact. AI can dramatically shorten the time it takes to ideate, test, and launch campaigns.Work that once took months can now happen in minutes, accelerating time to value, providing customers with more timely and relevant campaigns, and freeing marketers up to take on higher-impact work.
AI gives teams the room to experiment and the speed to course-correct in real time. That constant cycle of testing and refining is a key driver of meaningful marketing impact.
How do you view marketing’s responsibility in governing high-quality, compliant, and ethically sourced data to support enterprise-wide AI systems?
Marketing has a critical role in setting the tone for how a company approaches AI. At the end of the day, trust is the currency of modern technology, and trust starts with the quality and integrity of the data behind your AI systems.
Marketing has a critical role in setting the tone for how a company approaches AI. At the end of the day, trust is the currency of modern technology, and trust starts with the quality and integrity of the data behind your AI systems.
If customers can’t rely on the data powering your technology, they won’t rely on the technology itself.
That means marketing must model responsible data practices—using accurate, compliant, and ethically-sourced data, and being clear about how it shapes the experiences we deliver.
We also have a responsibility to bring our customers along with us. Technology is moving fast, and part of our job is to help people understand what’s changing, why it matters, and how we’re ensuring their trust is protected. Our customers are at the forefront of everything that we do. By prioritizing trust, we can become long-term, stable partners that inspire them to build a better future.
Why do you believe marketing data plays such a central role in AI outcomes, and what steps should CMOs take to ensure it is used transparently and responsibly?
Marketing data is essential because it captures the real signals of how customers think, engage, and build. With the help of today’s technology, marketing data has never been as clear and measurable as it is now. AI models rely on those outcomes to deliver results that are relevant and human-centered.
At OutSystems, trust is the foundation of our AI strategy. We work closely with our data teams to ensure the marketing inputs feeding our systems are accurate, compliant, and responsibly used. For our customers—especially for the builders who are betting their careers on our platform—that diligence matters. Strong, well-governed marketing data ensures our AI reflects reality, supports better decisions, and reinforces the trust they place in us every day.
As marketing and sales functions become more interconnected, how do you help create shared accountability, align pipeline expectations, and ensure teams remain focused on revenue and customer value rather than superficial metrics?
Shared accountability starts with a single source of truth. At OutSystems, we bring all of our data into one governed funnel so sales, marketing, and product teams are working from the same accurate, measurable information. That alignment helps us focus on the KPIs that actually matter—pipeline quality, time to value, and revenue impact—rather than surface-level activity metrics.
As AI becomes part of day-to-day processes, governance becomes even more important. We ensure our AI systems operate safely and predictably through centralized human oversight and clear guardrails. That consistency gives teams confidence in the insights they’re acting on.
When everyone trusts the data and understands the same goals, it’s much easier to stay aligned on what drives real customer value. It keeps the entire organization focused on outcomes, not noise.
For more expert articles and industry updates, follow Martech News
Kris Lande, Chief Marketing Officer, OutSystems
Kris Lande is Chief Marketing Officer of OutSystems, where she leads global marketing strategy and brand growth. With more than two decades of experience driving marketing for high-growth SaaS companies, Kris brings deep expertise in product marketing, category creation, and community-led growth. Before joining OutSystems, Kris spent over 13 years at Salesforce, where she led teams across product marketing, developer relations, and Trailhead. Earlier in her career, she led marketing at Escapia, a SaaS startup later acquired by Expedia. Kris holds a degree in Business Administration and International Business from Washington State University. LinkedIn.
