Most Visionary Officers
From Metrics to Momentum
Why is a Chief Revenue Officer Essen al for Growth?
Catalyzing Growth How CROs Are Leveraging Next-Gen Technology?
From Metrics to Momentum
Why is a Chief Revenue Officer Essen al for Growth?
Catalyzing Growth How CROs Are Leveraging Next-Gen Technology?
Intoday’svolatilebusinesslandscape,sustainable growthdemandsmorethanjustambition—itrequires vision,agility,andanunwaveringfocusoncreating value.AttheheartofthistransformationstandChief RevenueOfficers(CROs),thedynamicleaderswhobridge thegapbetweenstrategyandexecution.Theyarenotjust revenuedrivers;theyaregrowtharchitectsshapingthe futureoforganizationsacrossindustries.
InthisCIOLookspecialedition, Most Visionary Chief Revenue Officers Accelerating Business Growth, 2025 we celebratethetrailblazerswhoareredefininghow businessesgrowinanagemarkedbydigitaldisruption, customer-centricity,andconstantinnovation.TheseCROs areforgingnewpathswithdata-drivenstrategies,crossfunctionalcollaboration,andarelentlesspursuitof excellenceinbothcustomerexperienceandorganizational performance.
Throughexclusivefeaturesandinsights,weexplorethe journeysoftheseinspiringleaders—theirchallenges,their pivots,andthebolddecisionsthathavehelpedthemlead withimpact.Theirstoriesreflectnotjustindividual success,butabroadershiftinhowleadershipitselfis evolving:moreintegrated,moreadaptive,andmore visionary
Asyouturnthesepages,wehopeyougainnotonlya deeperunderstandingofwhatittakestoleadrevenue growthin2025,butalsoafreshappreciationforthe leaderswhoaremakingithappen—onestrategicmoveat atime.Here’stothevisionariestransformingrevenueinto resilienceandresults.
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Architect of Revenue Excellence and Cultural Transformation
From Metrics to
Catalyzing
PoojaMBansal Editor-in-Chief
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Deputy Editor Anish Miller
Managing Editor Prince Bolton
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Sales Execu ves Tim, Smith
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FeaturedPerson
AlexandreNasrinfar ChiefRevenueOfficer
AndyKean ChiefRevenueOfficer
CompanyName
OrangeCyberdefense orangecyberdefense.com
BenjaminLevaillant ChiefRevenueOfficer
Valos valos.ai KlsEU kls-desk.com
KarlTurnbullCert. ChiefRevenueOfficer
Freemarket wearefreemarket.com
NicholasSheehan ChiefRevenueOfficer
AfterguardLtd afterguard.co.uk
Brief
Cybersecurityleadercommittedtoenhancingbusiness protectioncapabilities,leveragingpartnershipsandadvanced threatintelligencetodeliverrobust,efficientsecuritysolutions.
ExperiencedSaaSsalesexpertwithadecadeinPropTech, recognizedfordrivingambitiousgrowth,buildinghighachievingteams,andlaunchinginnovativebusiness developmentstrategies.
Trilingualsalesleaderknownforadaptability,adventurous spirit,andapassionformixingchallengeswithhappiness, excellingacrossdiversesectorsandindustries.
Certifiedprofessionalwithabackgroundinrevenueoperations, bringingexpertiseinfinancialservicesandbusiness developmenttodynamic,growth-focusedenvironments.
Financespecialistwithastrongbackgroundininvestment bankingandprivateequity,focusedonFinTechandB2B software,holdingadegreeinbusinessadministration.
Chief Revenue
Officer (CRO)
Kls
“If something is toxic, even if it brings cash in the short term, it’s going to end up costing you more in the long run.”
Amidst the constantly transforming European business environment, there are some leaders who emerge not necessarily because of business success alone, but because they are able to inspire, align, and transform organizations from within. These leaders offer strategic vision, operational excellence, and a people-first leadershipstyle,establishingnewstandardsforwhatittakes to be successful in growing a business in a competitive market. A leader with the zeal to overcome all odds and delivermetamorphicoutcomesisBenjaminLevaillant.
Benjamin's career is founded on an entrepreneurial spark discovered in the early stages of his life. Before he even learnedentrepreneurship,Benjaminstartedhisfirstbusiness, fullyimmersedintherealitiesofownershipforalmostthree years.Thisinitialexperiencegavehimaprofoundrespectfor independence,determination,and constant striving to create value.Evenashemovedintothecorporatearena,Benjamin consciouslyaimedforpositionsthatrequiredhighdegreesof responsibility and gave him the freedom to innovate—skills thatwouldbecometrademarksofhisleadershipstyle.
The subsequent decade of Benjamin's career was spent workingalongalineofsalespositionswithinthedataandIT sectors, six of these years within consulting firms before the turningpointtosoftwarefirms.Inthesepositions,Benjamin consistentlyfoundhimselfattractedtopositionsthatrequired not just technical ability, but the ability to fill gaps between variousteams.
These positions enabled Benjamin to recognize a common issue:lackofalignmentamongkeydepartments.Marketing, sales,pre-sales,anddeliveryteamstypicallyoperatedinsilos from each other, resulting in inefficiencies and internal disharmony. Marketing complained about the poor managementofleadsbysales,whilesalescomplainedabout the poor quality of leads provided by marketing. Pre-sales staff would complain about poor meeting preparation, while delivery teams complained about overpromised client expectations. Instead of being bound by these silos as rigid, Benjamin was keenly interested in the practice of aligning cross-functionalteams.Fromwatchingoverthistime,hewas preconditioned for his eventual transition to the revenue operations arena. Here, he could think innovatively in depth onthesesystemicproblemsfromthegroundup.
Overthelasthalfdecade,Benjaminhascommittedtothecraft ofrevenueoperations(RevOps),aspacethatneedsstrategic stewardshipandoperationalagility Hisforayintothisspace wasmotivatedbyabeliefthatsustainablegrowthismorethan genius sales strategy—nevertheless, it involves frictionless integration of all functions that come into contact with customerexperience.
Benjamin'sappointmentas Head of Revenue wasthestartof this new chapter He set the tone very quickly by adopting a single-channel model of revenue generation and retention, making marketing, sales, pre-sales, onboarding, care, and support operate as one unit. This alignment philosophy and sense of common purpose would be the hallmark of his incumbency.
Benjamin'smovetoChiefRevenueOfficer(CRO)atKls,a B2BSaaSFintech,markedboththeculminationoftheseries ofexperiencehehadaccruedthusfarandafresh,toughstart. Coming aboard Kls in its make-or-break launch period, he wastaskedwithbuildingtheentirerevenueorganizationfrom scratch. Benjamin has trained every aspect of the revenue function, including marketing and sales management, customer service, and technical support, over the last 18 months.
Hisstrategyismarkedbyanunwaveringemphasisonprocess optimizationandtechnologicalempowerment.Byembracing cutting-edge technologies like HubSpot CRM and AI solutions for team increased productivity in Sales, customer support, and product feedback, Benjamin has seen that all customer-confronting functions have the equipment they require to excel. The implementation of Modjo's AI-driven platform, most notably, has been revolutionary — streamlining communication, cutting through unnecessary work,andgeneratingactionableinsightsthatguidestrategyas muchasoperation.
Leadership Philosophy: Empowerment, Accountability, andHumanity
Benjamin's leadership is founded on learning and empowerment. He encourages an open culture that supports experimentation and the seeing of failure as a means of learning.Hismanagementphilosophyistheincarnationofthe oldsaying:"Giveamanafish,andyoufeedhimforaday
Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." This philosophy is evident in every aspect of his management style,fromteamtrainingtoproblem-solving.
For Benjamin, dysfunctional behavior by star performers or high-producing customers ultimatelyleads to organizational misery Heisoftheopinionthattoleratingsuchbehaviorcan compromiselong-termcorrosivedamagestoteammoraleand organisationalhealthwhichcouldnotbecompensatedbyany short-termadvantages.Byespousingrespect,teamwork,and safety,hehasestablishedaculturewhereexcellenceissought aftertogetherandpersonalaccomplishmentneveratthecost ofteamworkandcohesion.
Theshiftfromearlystartuptogrowthbusinessisaminefield ofchallenge,andBenjaminhastraversedthispathwithhope andflexibility Hismostdauntingchallengewaslikelyteambuilding. With an employee roster poached from a wide diversity of backgrounds and frequently with no direct experience in their new role, Benjamin has committed not a smallamountsofeffortandtimetodevelopingtalent,creating confidence,andnurturingaunifyingsenseofsharedpurpose.
His style of leadership has been highly workplace-realitybased,whereremotework,intergenerationaldifferences,and flexible working hours are the order of the day Benjamin's leadership style is a setting-the-example type—avoiding pyramidal structures for accessibility, justice, and an actual investment in the professional and personal development of hisstaff.
Benjamin'sideaof revenueisfarbeyondtheoldmeasureof sales He disregards the old separation between "key functions" and "support functions". Instead, he looks for a systems view of revenue as a system where all the wheels mustturntogether.Thissystems-thoughtwayissummarized in his going beyond the old surface-reporting analytics to explore the "why" behind every business choice—why a featureships,whyaprospectconverts,whychurn.
Benjamin's leadership is the core of communication According to him, communication is not about giving instructions but communicating vision, being open, and havingopenlinesofcommunication—particularlyintimesof ambiguity. With every department operating under a shared set of universal goals and values, Benjamin keeps Kls agile, strong,andreadyforfutureexpansion.
“Go beyond dashboards-stop with the how much, the what, the when, and spend more time focusing on the why.”
With Benjamin at the helm of Revenue, Kls has grown remarkably, both in terms of market coverage and revenue streams His data-driven decision-making together with marketforceshaveallowedthecompanytoinvestinpotential opportunitieswhilemitigatingrisks.Benjamin'scooperative management style has reinforced inter-department relationships, improving innovation as well as operational effectivenesswithinthecompany
He believes in emphasizing the reasons behind business results, compelling teams to look beyond metrics and numbersdashboards.ToBenjamin,understandingthe"why" behind customer behavior, product adoption, and churn is vitalindevelopingstrategyandsustainablerelationships.
TheRoadmapforExcellence:LookingAhead
Benjamin's plan for Kls is ambitious but realistic. As the company transitions into its next stage of expansion, he is leading efforts to further professionalize the revenue organization through the addition of specialized SalesOps recruits, growth of the sales force to drive European rollout, andbuildingoutsalesenablementassets.Newfundingplans are also in the offing for a new funding round, which will financenew,innovativeproductrolloutsandfurtherestablish Klsasaleaderintheindustry
The future is filled with challenges and potential, but Benjamin's ability to think ahead strategically, and his unshakeable commitment to alignment, position Kls for future success. His leadership ensures that each project is supported by a sharp sense of direction, rigorous implementation, and an unwavering commitment to the company'sfoundationofcorevalues.
Benjamin's impact is well beyond the coast of Kls. His leadership philosophy—based on empathy, empowerment, and defying toxicity—is a template for today's business leaders who wish to create strong, top-performing organizations.Byencouragingacultureofongoinglearning and mutual accountability, Benjamin has demonstrated that sustainable success happens not by heroics, but by the concertedeffortofagoodteam.
“Synchronising everyone as one team, working together with common processes and tools, is what I’m the proudest of.”
HisownpathfromyoungstartupfoundertoveteranCROisa living example of adaptability, vision, and values-based leadership. As Kls goes from strength to strength under his leadership, Benjamin's legacy, too, will be one not of the revenueshehashelpeddrive,butofexcellence,integrity,and humanity culture that he has nurtured throughout the organization.
Withhisexperience,Benjaminprovidesthefollowingadvice toaspiringrevenueleaders:
Ÿ Treatrevenueasacombinedoutcomeoftheaggregateof allbusinessfunctions,notsales.
Ÿ Breakawayfrommeasuresonthesurfaceandgodeeper intowhybusinessistakingplaceandwhatcustomersare doing.
Ÿ Useplainlanguageforobjectivesandstrategy,providing visionandtransparency,especiallyinperiodsofdoubt.
Benjamin's revenue leadership at Kls is a testament to the importanceofalignment,innovation,andpeople-friendliness increatingascalableandsustainablebusiness.Hisemphasis on systems thinking, technology integration, and building talent is a lessons-in-action for organizations looking to convert and excel in the changing business environment of today.
Inthisdayandageofhigh-levelcomplexityand
competition,growingsustainablyrequiresaligned strategy,coordinatedexecution,andongoing innovationacrossfunctions.ThisiswhereaChiefRevenue Officer(CRO)comesin–notjustimportant,but imperative.TheChiefRevenueOfficeristheorganizational cornerstoneresponsiblefordrivingrevenuegrowth throughouttheorganizationbycoordinatingeffortsofsales, marketing,customersuccess,andbusinessdevelopment. Thepositionhascomeaboutasaresponsetogrowing needsforintegratedrevenueplansfortheentirecustomer lifecycle.ACRO'smainroleistoidentifygrowthareas, destroydepartmentalconflict,andhaveeveryteamworking towardsasinglesharedgoal:revenuegrowth.Thatimplies gettingacomprehensiveoverviewofthecompany'smarket position,customerbehavior,salesprocess,andcompetitive forces.
PerhapsthegreatestvalueaChiefRevenueOfficercan bringishisorherabilitytobridgesilosbetween departmentstraditionallytreatedasdiscrete functions—sales,marketing,andcustomersuccess.Inside mostcompanies,thesedepartmentsareorganizedunder separateleadershipstructures,resultingindisconnected strategiesandmisalignedincentives.ACRObringsthese activitiestogetherunderonerevenuestrategy,suchthat marketingcampaignsarecorrectlytargetedandgenerate qualifiedleads,salesteamsareequippedandalignedto closethoseleads,andcustomersuccessteamsare positionedtodriveretentionandupsell.Alignmentis essentialintoday'scustomer-centricworld,wherebuyers insistonseamlessinteractionsacrosstouchpoints.
ACROcanhelptodevelopandimplementcustomer journeymappingandlifecyclemanagementplansthatturn first-timecustomersintorepeatclients.Withallrevenuedrivingteamsunderaleader,organizationscanmore readilyidentifypipelinegaps,refineleadqualification criteria,andcreatebetterfeedbackloopsbetweenteams. Thisalignmentequatestogreaterefficiency,reduced customeracquisitioncosts,andultimately,moreconsistent revenue.Besides,theCROenforcesalignmentofstrategies beyondthelimitsofquickcampaigngoalsand encompassesallpartsofthecustomerlifecycle,from awarenessthroughadvocacy
OneofthemostcriticalareaswheretheCROdelivers immensevalueistheapplicationofdataanalyticsand innovationtodrivestrategicdecisions.ThemodernCROis notamererevenuechaser—sheorheisdata-driven strategistswhounderstandhowtoleverageinformationto propelgrowth.Fromcustomeracquisitioncostandpipeline metricstolifetimevalueandchurn,theCROusesallthese metricstodecidewheretooptimize,tobetterforecast revenue,andtofindnewopportunitiesinthemarket.
InnovationintheCROdirectionalsotypicallyextends beyondmetricsandintogo-to-marketstrategy,pricing models,customersegmentation,andproductdevelopment. Forexample,byanalyzingcustomerbehaviordata,aCRO canidentifyanuncoveredsegmentthatcanbeaddressedby aspecificmarketingcampaignoridentifyacross-sell opportunitythathasgoneunnoticedforsalesteams.The CROcanalsoleadtheadoptionofrevenueoperations (RevOps)platformsandtechnologiesthatautomate workflows,providereal-timeinsights,andenable continuousoptimizationoftherevenueengine.Ina businessecosystemthatisdigital-first,thesetypesof innovationsarethesolutiontooutpacingcompetitionand reactingtomarkettrends.
Otherthantheirstrategyandoperations,theCROhasa centralroleinbuildingaperformance-basedculture sustainableforgrowth.ByestablishingpreciseKPIsand associatingthegoalsoftheteamswiththebusiness objectivesatlarge,theCROensuresthateveryteamplayer knowshisorhercontributiontothesuccessofthe company.Itnotonlyincreasesaccountabilitybutalso increasesemployeeengagement,sincetheywillseehow
theirworkaffectsrevenueresultsindirectterms.Havinga CROalsoencouragesagrowthmentalityacrossthe organization.
Ratherthanfocusingonquarterlysales,theCRO encouragesalongerviewincludingcustomerretention, brandloyalty,andmarketexpansion.Thisforward-thinking mindsetpreventsbusinessesfrombeingshort-termoriented andputstheminthedirectionoflong-termgrowth. Besides,theCROisalsoaleaderandmentorwhocan developinternalcapabilityandcreatecross-functional collaboration—keyattributesthatspurresiliencyand innovationinfluctuatingmarkets.Thisculture-forming functioncomesinhandyamidstchangeoruncertainty,such asmergers,productshifts,orleadershiproles.TheCRO keepsteamsonmission,motivated,andresults-driveneven asexternalconditionsshift.
TheroleoftheChiefRevenueOfficerhasquicklybecome thehallmarkofmodernbusinessstrategy Theirabilityto aligndepartmentsunderasharedvisionofrevenue,drive dataintobetterdecision-making,anddevelopan accountableculturemakesthemirreplaceableto organizationsthatdesiretoscaleeffectivelyand sustainably Asmarketscontinuetofillandcustomer expectationscontinuetorise,companiesthatlackaCRO willfallbehind.Byaligningcross-functionalteams,driving innovationfromfacts,andbuildingacultureof performance,theCROdeliversnotonlyimmediateresults butalsolong-termbusinessresiliency.
Intoday’srapidlyevolvingdigitallandscape,ChiefRevenue Officers(CROs)arenolongerconfinedtotraditionalsales andmarketingroles.They’retakingcenterstageinshaping thefutureofrevenuegenerationbyembracingnext-gen technologyasakeydriverofbusinessgrowth.
Asorganizationsstrivetostayaheadinanincreasingly competitiveandcustomer-centricmarketplace,CROsare reimaginingstrategies,aligningcross-functionalteams,and adoptingcutting-edgetoolstounlocknewopportunitiesand delivermeasurablevalue.
Historically,theroleoftheCROwaslargelyfocusedonaligning salesandmarketingtomaximizetop-linegrowth.However,in today’shyper-digitalera,thisrolehasexpandedsignificantly. CROsarenowresponsibleforcustomersuccess,pricing strategies,partnerships,dataanalytics,andoverallgo-to-market alignment.Thisbroadermandatedemandsadeepunderstanding ofboththecustomerjourneyandthetechnologiesthatcan transformit.
Tomeetthesedemands,CROsareturningtonext-gen technology—asuiteofadvancedtoolsandsystemsthatinclude artificialintelligence(AI),machinelearning,automation, predictiveanalytics,cloudcomputing,andcustomerdata platforms.
CROsareusingnext-gentechnologytobreakdowndatasilos andenablereal-time,data-drivendecision-making.Withaccess tounifieddatafrommarketing,sales,customerservice,and productteams,theygainaholisticviewofthecustomer lifecycle.
AI-poweredanalyticsplatformscanprocessmassiveamountsof customerdata,identifypatterns,andofferactionableinsights. TheseinsightsallowCROstoanticipatecustomerneeds, personalizedengagement,andtailorstrategiesthatimprove retentionandincreaselifetimevalue.
Predictiveanalytics,acornerstoneofnext-gentools,is beingusedtoforecastrevenuetrends,optimizepricing models,andpinpointhigh-conversionleads.Thisproactive approachtogrowthenablesCROstomakesmarter investmentsandreducerevenueleakages.
Personalizedcustomerexperiencesarenolongeroptional —they’reexpected.CROsareleveragingAI-driventools suchaschatbots,sentimentanalysis,andnaturallanguage processingtodelivertailoredexperiencesatscale.
AIenablescompaniestosegmentaudienceswithprecision andautomatestargetedmessagingacrossmultiplechannels. ToolslikeconversationalAIhelpcreatemeaningful,realtimeinteractionswithcustomers,enhancingsatisfaction andloyalty
Marketingautomationplatformsarealsoplayingapivotal role.Byautomatingrepetitivetaskssuchasemail campaigns,leadscoring,andcustomeronboarding,CROs arefreeinguphumanteamstofocusonhigh-value activitiesthatdirectlyimpactgrowth.
Next-gentechnologyisenablingCROstofostertighter integrationbetweendepartmentsthattraditionallyoperated insilos.UnifiedCRMsystems,enabledbycloudcomputing andAI,allowteamstocollaboratemoreefficientlyand sharevaluablecustomerinsights.
Forexample,salesteamscanbenefitfrommarketing’s engagementdatatotailortheirpitch,whilecustomer successteamscanproactivelyaddressconcernsflaggedby sentimentanalysis.Thisalignmentnotonlyimproves customerexperiencebutalsodrivesbetteroutcomesacross therevenuefunnel.
TheCRO'sroleasaunifyingforceisamplifiedbythe capabilitiesofnext-gentechnology,whichprovidesshared dashboards,KPIs,andcommunicationplatformsthatensure alignmentandaccountabilityacrossfunctions.
Speedtomarketiscriticalintoday’sbusinessenvironment. CROsareleveragingnext-gentechnologytoshorten
productdevelopmentcycles,improvemarkettesting,and rapidlyiteratebasedonfeedback.
Cloud-basedcollaborationtools,real-timeperformance tracking,andadvanceddatamodelingallowteamsto launchandadjustcampaignsquickly Thesetechnologies reducetime-to-valueandempowerCROstopivotstrategies inresponsetodynamicmarketconditions.
Inaddition,AIishelpingCROsidentifywhitespace opportunities—unmetcustomerneedsorunderpenetrated markets—thatcanbetappedforincrementalgrowth.By combininginnovationwithinsight,CROsareleadingthe chargeintonewrevenueterritories.
Whilethepromiseofnext-gentechnologyisimmense, implementationdoescomewithchallenges.CROsmust ensurethattheirteamsareequippedwiththerightskillsand mindsettoadoptnewtoolseffectively Thisofteninvolves investingintraining,fosteringacultureofinnovation,and buildingcross-functionaltechfluency
Anotherchallengeismanagingthevastamountofdata generatedbydigitaltools.Withoutpropergovernanceand strategy,datacanbecomeoverwhelming.CROsarenow workingcloselywithChiefDataOfficersandITleadersto ensuredataintegrity,security,andcompliance.
TheCROoftomorrowisastrategic,tech-savvyleaderwho understandshowtoblendhumaninsightwithdigital intelligence.Asthelinesbetweensales,marketing,and customerexperiencecontinuetoblur,next-gentechnology willbethegluethatholdstherevenueenginetogether
Intheageofdisruptionanddigitalacceleration,CROsare notjustreactingtochange—theyareleadingit.By leveragingnext-gentechnology,theyaretransforminghow businessesengagecustomers,generaterevenue,andscale sustainably TheorganizationsthatempowertheirCROs withtherighttools,vision,andautonomywillbetheones thatthriveinthisnexteraofgrowth.
Astechnologycontinuestoevolve,sowillthepossibilities forCROstoshapeasmarter,moreconnected,andrevenueresilientfuture.