Ana Villegas knew early on that she wanted to be a CMO and achieved that goal by staying focused on gaining the skills necessary to do so. As the recent CMO at NI, she oversaw everything from “brand to demand,” including corporate communication, ESG strategy, and ensuring NI’s values manifested in the marketplace.

In this episode, Ana and I talk about how her experience as a successful female business leader informs the way NI is increasing diversity in its engineering talent. We also discuss what she is doing to help modernize the company’s purpose and impact strategy and how the company is being intentional in shaping the future of the industry. At the time of this recording, Ana was with NI and has recently become the new CMO at Affinipay.

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

  • How Ana is helping to modernize and rebrand an established company
  • The three pillars NI has established to drive its corporate impact strategy
  • Ways to directly impact the pipeline of talent and improve diversity in technology

Key Highlights 

  • [04:20] Ana’s path from being an engineering student in Peru to CMO at NI 
  • [09:35] How is the CMO role defined at NI
  • [10:55] Why does NI classify ESG under the marketing umbrella
  • [12:30] The way corporate impact manifests in the marketplace
  • [14:30] The unique position NI is in to shape the future of engineering 
  • [18:15] What NI is doing to “change the faces of engineering”
  • [23:15] The important role women play in business leadership
  • [24:50] Practical ways Ana is focusing on diversifying the workforce
  • [26:30] The importance of being mindful of leadership succession plans  
  • [30:00] The impact Ana’s grandmother had on who she is today
  • [33:15] Shifts in marketing towards being more multidimensional 
  • [35:00] Which companies are leading efforts to get more women into STEM
  • [37:45] The benefits of being agile in the way we engage customers

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*Note: at the time of this recording, Ana was with NI and is now the CMO at Affinipay*

Alan B. Hart is the creator and host of “Marketing Today with Alan Hart,” a weekly podcast where he interviews leading global marketing professionals and business leaders. Alan advises leading executives and marketing teams on brand, customer experience, innovation, and growth opportunities. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies but is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine companies.