Marketing automation provider, Marketo appointed Greg Higham as the company’s first CIO—a position created due to Marketo’s global expansion in the last year, says Fred Ball, CFO of Marketo.
“We have been growing quickly—over 100% last year, and over 70% this year,” says Ball, who states that much of the growth has been domestic, but that with marketers in other parts of the world looking to drive revenue and acclimate in a marketplace “that is so much different than it was 10 years ago.” Marketo has since branched out internationally, Ball says, with presence in Dublin, Ireland. The company will unveil its Sydney, Australia location later this summer.
“As we’ve grown we’ve faced scalability challenges and have to integrate complex systems [into our technology],” says Ball, adding: “We needed to bring someone to the table with class technology experience and a lot of experience in integrating systems.”
Marketo relied on a recruiter to scout for the new position, Ball says, but Higham was no stranger to the company. “Greg did some work for us in our early days in operations and in helping support our operating infrastructure,” Ball says, declining to disclose the name of the recruiting agency Marketo used.
Looking to fill the new role of CIO has been a priority of Marketo’s for a while, and Ball says he spent “the better part of a year” seeking the right fit. He notes Marketo looked at other people as potentials and chose Higham not only because of his past success with the company, but also because of his experience both in software as a service deployment models, Ball says.
As CIO, Higham, who Ball says started in late June, is working on a number of infrastructure projects to accommodate Marketo’s growth, Ball says, noting that Higham reports to him. Prior to signing on as CIO of Marketo, Higham served as CIO at FrontRange Solutions.
In the next six to 12 months, Ball expects more hires at Marketo.
