How Can Marketing Leaders Scale AI from Experiment to Strategy? — Christine Royston, Wrike

Christine Royston is a marketing leader who began her journey on the front lines of sales, selling software to Wall Street. That direct customer engagement became the foundation for her career as Chief Marketing Officer at Wrike, an intelligent collaborative work management platform. Today, Royston leads a global team focused on one goal: helping companies like Siemens and Jaguar Land Rover optimise their most complex workflows. For her, marketing is a fascinating blend of creativity and data. It is a discipline that requires constant evolution to keep pace with a buyer who is more informed and tech-savvy than ever before. Her perspective reflects the realities facing CMOs operating at a global scale, where staying ahead increasingly depends on access to high-quality insight and peer exchange.

How did a career in Wall Street sales lead to global marketing leadership?

Royston reflects on her transition from sales to an MBA and on why she chose marketing to gain early global exposure in her career.

“I actually started my career in sales, selling software to Wall Street. I loved the direct engagement with customers. However, I was looking for a more global career, so I went back to get my MBA. During that time, I realised marketing would give me global exposure early in my career, without waiting until I was an SVP.

Of all the roles I’ve held, I always go back to where I started. Demand generation. I love the combination of creativity and numbers. You think about the experience you want to deliver, then you dig into the data. What worked? What did not? That balance of experimentation and measurement really appeals to me.”

How do you differentiate a horizontal product in a crowded AI market?

By moving away from broad messaging, Royston explains how Wrike uses vertical and functional storytelling to solve specific customer pain points.

“Externally, it is about positioning our AI capabilities in a very crowded market. We differentiate through deep industry expertise built over many years of hands-on customer work. Although we are a horizontal product, we focus on vertical and functional storytelling rather than broad generic messaging.

For example, when speaking to marketing teams, we explain how we support campaign operations. When speaking to manufacturers, we focus on product life cycle operations. Internally, I want to strengthen cross-functional collaboration. We created cross-functional pods aligned to specific outcomes to ensure everyone understands their role in delivering growth.”

Why is the informed buyer the biggest challenge for marketers today?

With AI-driven research at their fingertips, buyers are further along the journey before they ever speak to sales, requiring a shift in how information is delivered.

“The biggest challenge is keeping up with rapid changes in buyer behaviour while delivering a consistent, high-quality experience. With AI, buyers are more informed. They conduct extensive research before speaking to sales. It is a fascinating time to be a marketer, but the market is changing quickly.

We need to hold to our brand while adapting. I am doing a lot of reading with our executive team to understand these shifts. AI allows us to automate routine tasks, but what has not changed is the importance of thought leadership and a people-first strategy. We must focus on individual customers and build long-term relationships. Customers are your best marketers.”

How do you move AI from a team experiment to a scaled operational reality?

After setting a 15% efficiency goal that was easily surpassed, Wrike is now focusing on practical, trustworthy scaling of AI tools.

“Last year, we set key results requiring each team to run an AI experiment to improve efficiency by 15%. That target turned out to be too low. The results were stronger than expected. This year is about scaling AI. Last year was about experimentation; now it is about a practical, trustworthy scale that improves effectiveness.

Personally, I also want to use AI as a daily thought partner. It helps optimise workflows and free up time for strategic thinking. In the future, we may see AI specialists or go-to-market engineers, roles combining marketing expertise with technical knowledge-sharing. AI is definitely a priority.”

Why is agility the single most important word for a CMO?

In an environment of rapid shifts, the ability to pivot and move away from rigid planning is what separates successful leaders from the rest.

“If I had to describe the role of the CMO in one word, it would be agility. As marketers, we constantly adapt. We monitor external trends, competitors, and technology. Planning has shifted from rigid quarterly cycles to an always-on approach. Things will change throughout the year.

The best preparation is to be ready to pivot with the right systems and tools. My advice to those starting out? Be curious. Marketing is diverse. Understand how your organisation delivers value. How it makes money and why customers care. That understanding helps you drive differentiation.”

Join the Conversation: The Ortus Club’s Executive Network

Across conversations with global CMOs, a consistent pattern is emerging: the most effective leaders are not operating in isolation. They are actively engaging in high-trust, peer-level discussions to pressure-test strategy and stay ahead of market shifts. What Christine describes reflects a broader shift among senior marketing leaders: a growing reliance on smaller, high-trust environments where real strategic conversations can happen. While technology like AI can automate the mundane, it cannot replace the kind of executive dialogue where leaders openly share real challenges, compare decisions, and learn what is actually working in-market. Participation is deliberately limited to ensure every discussion remains relevant, candid, and commercially valuable.

At The Ortus Club, we specialise in these executive roundtables and curated events. This is the kind of environment Royston’s perspective points toward. One that allows you to move past the generic and into the kind of focused, peer-level discussions where leaders openly share challenges, compare approaches, and uncover the strategic insights that define market leadership. Join our network to access the conversations that are shaping how marketing leaders are actually navigating this shift.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are cross-functional pods in marketing?
A: They are agile, mini-teams composed of members from different departments (e.g., product, sales, and marketing) who work together toward a specific goal, such as a product launch or market expansion.

Q: How is AI changing marketing roles?
A: AI is leading to the creation of hybrid roles like Go-to-Market Engineers or Content Engineers who combine traditional marketing strategy with technical AI and automation expertise.

Q: Why is vertical storytelling more effective for AI products?
A: In a crowded market, generic AI features are ignored. Vertical storytelling speaks directly to the unique pain points of specific industries (like manufacturing or finance), making the value proposition more credible.

Q: What does it mean to scale AI in marketing?
A: Scaling AI in marketing means moving beyond isolated experiments and embedding AI into core workflows, decision-making, and strategy. It involves using AI consistently across teams to improve efficiency, enhance insights, and support more strategic, data-driven execution.

Q: Why are peer-level conversations important for senior marketing leaders?
A: Peer-level conversations provide a space for senior leaders to exchange real-world insights, validate strategic decisions, and learn from others facing similar challenges. Unlike broader industry events, these discussions enable more candid dialogue and practical takeaways that can directly impact business outcomes.