Marketing leader · Author · Speaker
More than ten years of building brands, demand and reputation for technology companies across Switzerland, Germany and France. Today Chief Marketing Officer and Member of the Executive Board at Swiss GRC. Always a marketer first.
Studied, worked, judged and recognised at
Who I am
From cloud infrastructure and digital health to governance, risk and compliance software: I have rebuilt brands and websites, taken lead generation up tenfold, opened new markets, launched media partnerships and grown industry events to record attendance.
International is where I come from, not a line on my CV: a family with a long history in Mogadishu on both sides, diplomats on one, engineers and teachers on the other, and a childhood between languages. I work in German, English, French, Somali and Arabic, and I am at my best in an international environment.
Since 2022 that work has been for Swiss GRC, where I lead global marketing and communications as Chief Marketing Officer and Member of the Executive Board. Beyond the day job I write, speak and judge: three books, close to a hundred articles, podcasts, conference stages and startup juries.
Impact
Four companies, four starting points. The pattern is always the same: make the promise clear, make it visible, make it credible, then let the market come to you.
Rebranding, corporate identity and messaging that a buyer, an auditor and a board member all read the same way. At Swiss GRC, MiSANTO and n'cloud.swiss I rebuilt the brand from positioning through visual identity to a user-focused website.
Search, content and campaigns built around what customers actually look for. Lead generation grew tenfold at Swiss GRC, organic visibility moved to the first page, and at n'cloud.swiss the shift from offline to digital marketing built a reputation the sales team could lean on.
Thought leadership as a discipline: three books, close to a hundred articles, podcasts and conference stages, plus media partnerships with Handelszeitung and Computerworld. A certified GRC professional writing about GRC is more persuasive than any banner.
SWISS GRC DAY grew to record participation under my lead, from concept and speakers to promotion and hosting on the day. Events turn a category into a community.
Building and leading marketing teams, agencies and freelancers, with KPI frameworks and budget discipline that make the next decision easier rather than louder. Marketing on the executive board means answering for the numbers.
Go-to-market in German, English, French and Arabic, from the DACH region to France and the Middle East, including a right-to-left platform experience for Gulf customers. International is a working method, not a slide.
Marketing on the executive board is not a reporting line, it is a vote. I bring the market view into strategy, pricing and partnership decisions, and I take the numbers that follow with me.
Working inside a governance company teaches you what auditors, regulators and enterprise buyers actually check. I build brands that hold up when someone looks behind the promise, which is what shortens enterprise sales cycles.
What I do
Marketing that survives scrutiny from customers, regulators and the board.
Rebranding, messaging and web presence that make complex software understandable and desirable, in five languages and across cultures.
Data-driven demand generation that fills the pipeline with the right conversations, not just more of them.
A certified GRC professional writing and speaking on governance, AI and marketing leadership, so the brand earns authority instead of buying attention.
Working together
Three ways I usually work with companies. If your situation looks different, let us talk about it: the most useful arrangements have rarely started as a standard package.
A marketing voice in the boardroom for companies whose growth depends on trust: brand, go-to-market, reputation and the governance questions that come with them. Board of directors and advisory board mandates in Switzerland, Germany and France.
Independent advice for founders and executive teams: positioning, go-to-market, building a first marketing function, or a second opinion before a large investment. Sparring by the session, or a defined project with a clear end.
Talks, panels and moderation on trust as a growth strategy, AI in marketing and governance, and what changes when marketing sits on the executive board. In English, German and French.
Not sure which of these fits, or thinking of something else entirely? Tell me about the situation and I will say honestly whether I am the right person for it.
Discuss the optionsInsights
In conversation
A conversation with the CMO Alliance on the CMO Convo podcast: which technologies genuinely change how customers experience a brand, what marketers should adopt now and where a healthy dose of scepticism is warranted.
Career
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) & Member of the Executive Board, previously Head Marketing & Communications, Head Business Development & Marketing
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Chief Marketing Officer, previously Fractional CMO
Mentor & Judge
Chief Marketing Officer, previously Head of Digital Marketing, Sales Executive and International Business Developer
Recognition and credentials
Being named a "CMO to Watch 2024" by the CMO Alliance is a prestigious honor that recognizes outstanding innovation, leadership, and impact in the marketing field.
The Top 100 Marketer Award is a peer voted award that is determined by peer observation of work.
Thinkers360 is the world’s first open platform for thought leaders to share opportunities, promote and advance their expertise.
Books
A broad, integrated perspective to marketing management
Analysing the implications of managerial decision making
The not-invented-here (NIH) syndrome: Origins of the not-invented-here syndrome and organizational factors that nature innovation
News desk
Headlines on GRC, AI, marketing and leadership, refreshed several times a day.
Let us talk
Keynotes, panels, podcasts, advisory conversations and partnership ideas. I answer personally, usually within a working day.
