Rachel Conlan, Global CMO at Binance, talks to The Ortus Club about the mission to onboard one billion crypto users, the playbook for building trust in nascent industries, and why high-level executive dialogue is essential for translating complex technology into human impact.
To watch Conlan’s interview, you can subscribe to our CMO Chats interview series on YouTube. You can also listen to the interview on Spotify, or pour yourself a cup of coffee and read the full interview below. Subscribe to the CMO Chats Newsletter on LinkedIn to keep up-to-date on our conversations.
Watch the interview
Listen on Spotify
Executive Summary: Key Takeaways
- The Billion-User North Star: Success at Binance is about achieving everyday integration and reaching the critical milestone of one billion global users.
- Trust Through Translation: The CMO’s primary role is as a storyteller and translator, breaking down complex blockchain mechanics into tangible benefits that build confidence.
- The Experiential Playbook: Moving beyond traditional spectator marketing, Binance focuses on high-frequency community meetups (over 2,000 annually) to foster personal, face-to-face trust.
- The Power of the GOAT: Strategic partnerships with global icons like Cristiano Ronaldo (CR7) transcend demographics, bringing brand DNA into the hearts of mass audiences.
- Real-Time Responsiveness: Modern CMOs must leverage social channels and AI to listen and respond to users in real time, bypassing traditional filters to build deeper, unfiltered connections.
Rachel Conlan brings 20 years of experience across marketing, media, and entertainment. Now leading a global team of over 230 marketers across 100 countries, she sits at the high-stakes intersection of innovation and adoption. For Conlan, crypto is a tool for financial inclusion. Her mission at Binance is to strip away the industry’s man-made complexity and replace it with a narrative that is understandable, accessible, and deeply human. Moreover, she argues that “fortune-telling,” such as anticipating user needs before they arise, is the only way to steer a brand toward long-term growth.
Do you lead a global marketing engine for the world’s largest exchange?
Rachel Conlan discusses her dual focus on brand strategy and grassroots relevance in markets ranging from Africa to Pakistan.
“Binance is a global ecosystem designed to make crypto accessible, trusted, and useful for everyone. As CMO, I oversee everything from shaping our brand to driving high-impact partnerships in sports and entertainment.
Our role is to ensure Binance is not just the largest exchange, but the most locally relevant one. On any given day, that could involve launching a grassroots education program in Kenya or scaling influencer campaigns. My personal motivation for joining this industry was to make it more human to those who still didn’t understand it. We are currently at 262 million users, but our North Star is reaching a billion. That’s when we hit the milestone of everyday integration into life.”
Why is building trust the ultimate opportunity in the crypto space?
Breaking down the challenges of a nascent industry, Conlan explains the need to debunk myths through clear, transparent storytelling.
“I don’t like talking about challenges. I prefer talking about opportunities. Building trust is both. Binance is only seven years old. How do we build trust in a space that is still not understood by everyone?
As marketers, we need to be translators. We need to debunk myths and translate complex technology into ‘reasons to believe.’ We’re moving faster than the comprehension levels of our audience, so we must stay grounded in clarity. Bridging that gap is what ensures the sustainability of this business for the long term.”
Why does Binance prioritise 2,000 community meetups over Web2 spectator marketing?
Conlan reveals the Binance Playbook, which swaps passive advertising for experiential, face-to-face engagement to drive loyalty.
“Binance built the marketing playbook for crypto, and it’s very different from the spectator approach Web2 marketers use. It’s experiential. Last year we hosted 1,600 community events, and this year we’re on track for 2,000.
These meetups allow us to engage in personal, face-to-face situations. They foster direct dialogue that helps us understand what we need to do to drive more loyalty. Our referral campaigns are equally vital. Most people, myself included, take recommendations from friends. That insight drives huge growth and allows us to foster deeper connections with our users than any billboard could.”
How do global icons like Cristiano Ronaldo shift brand DNA?
The partnership with ‘CR7′ is about aligning the brand with the values of resilience and high performance to reach people’s hearts.
“Influence transcends borders. Partnering with Cristiano Ronaldo, the GOAT, has been incredibly powerful. People ask why we did it. It’s because everything he stands for, Binance stands for: resilience, hard work, and speed.
This partnership brings the Binance brand name into people’s homes in a different way. It’s brought us into people’s minds and hearts. While you can’t attribute every single user to one partnership, it has fundamentally shifted how broad audiences perceive our brand DNA.”
What was the watershed moment for “Binance Blockchain Week” in Dubai?
The 2024 event proved that high-level executive dialogue can turn industry momentum into mass-market understanding.
“Binance Blockchain Week in Dubai was a watershed event. We had ETF approvals and Bitcoin at all-time highs. It was an opportunity to bring global founders, regulators, and builders together to discuss the future.
We had over 4,000 physical attendees and over a million people streaming the content. Many ‘newbies’ felt they finally started to understand the industry through those two days of programming. We even documented the ‘making of’ and distributed it on Amazon and YouTube. It showed that when you bring the right people into the room, the energy for what’s next becomes incredible.”
How can a CMO act as a “Fortune Teller” for their community?
Conlan’s advice for the modern leader is to stay humble, obsess over the user, and cut through complexity.
“The role of a CMO is like being a fortune teller or a mind reader. You have to see what’s next and steer your brand to meet future expectations before others do. This means removing ‘man-made’ blockers and simplifying what we often make too complex.
My advice? Stay endlessly curious. Be a student of culture and technology. Don’t be afraid to fail fast. I have plenty of examples where we failed, but we used those to understand our audience better. Most importantly, stay humble. What worked yesterday won’t necessarily work tomorrow. Stay user-centric and obsessed with your future users at every stage.”
Join the Conversation: The Ortus Club’s Executive Network
Rachel Conlan’s emphasis on experiential dialogue and face-to-face connection is the core philosophy of The Ortus Club. In an industry as complex as blockchain, static data isn’t enough. You need the high-level executive dialogue that occurs when founders, regulators, and builders meet in a neutral space.
Our executive roundtables create the kind of unfiltered dialogue that Rachel highlights as essential for navigating complex industries. By joining our network, you step away from the complexity and into the strategic conversations that define market adoption.
FAQs
Q: What is the “one billion users” goal?
A: It is Binance’s long-term vision to move crypto from a nascent investment tool to a globally integrated financial utility used by a billion people.
Q: Why does Binance use referral campaigns?
A: Referrals leverage the highest form of trust: personal recommendations between friends. This Web3 approach is more effective for adoption than traditional mass media advertising.
Q: What is “Binance Blockchain Week”?
A: A flagship global event that brings together the most influential voices in Web3, finance, and regulation to shape the future of digital assets through transparent dialogue.
Are you ready to share your perspective with a global network of peers?
More Interviews
