Sitecore Names Kathie Johnson as CMO, Focuses on Growth in Composable and Commerce Offerings

This week, Sitecore – a leading digital experience platform (DXP) – welcomed Kathie Johnson to its leadership team as Chief Marketing Officer. 

Johnson assumes the new role at a pivotal time for Sitecore as the company rides a wave of growth and product innovation. In early October 2023, the company announced the launch of XM Cloud Plus, an extended digital experience solution that combines content management, AI-powered search, personalization, customer data management, and analytics. 

This followed the unveiling of XM Cloud, the industry's first fully-native cloud CMS solution, which quickly became the company's fastest-selling SaaS product with over 100 major brand adoptions. 

As the company looks to mine continued growth in key areas, marketing will be central to the strategy – which is where a strong CMO comes in. With over 25 years of experience building brands in the B2B technology sector, Johnson brings deep knowledge and insight from an industry perspective. This will undoubtedly benefit Sitecore as it looks to unlock the full potential of a composable, SaaS-based future.

"Kathie's track record as a marketing leader speaks for itself," said Steve Tzikakis, CEO of Sitecore. "Her formidable background securing brand expansion and delivering incredible digital experiences will massively contribute to Sitecore's efforts to disrupt, accelerate and innovate digital experience delivery. Sitecore's compelling message offering SaaS-based, composable solutions will be greatly aided by this wonderful addition to our leadership. On behalf of Sitecore, we are thrilled to welcome Kathie to our team."

Johnson will drive Sitecore's marketing efforts from the company's San Francisco headquarters. 

A marketing leader with proven industry experience

Johnson's marketing chops are second to none, honed over decades of focus in the digital space. Most recently, she served as CMO for Talkdesk, a leading global contact center platform. During her tenure, Johnson led the firm's marketing organization through a transformative growth period, taking the company from #66 in the Forbes Cloud100 list in 2019 to #8 in 2022 and 2023. 

As Talldesk's first CMO, Kathie helped create and launch a vertical approach as part of the company's evolving marketing strategy. She also supported its expansion into EMEA, APAC, and Latin American countries while extending the product portfolio.

Prior to her time at Talkdesk, Johnson spent almost four years at CRM giant Salesforce as Senior Vice president of Marketing. In this role, she was responsible for driving significant gains in revenue across the full marketing funnel for seven key industries, including Financial Services, Healthcare Life Sciences, Retail Consumer Goods, Manufacturing, Automotive & Energy, Public Sector, Communications & Media, and Travel, Transportation & Hospitality – which were also comprised of 18 subverticals. Before leading industries for Salesforce, Johnson also served as VP of Marketing for Salesforce's Commerce Cloud.

"I am excited to join Sitecore because of its innovative technology that is a true game changer for CMOs and CDOs who seek to differentiate their companies through superior digital experiences," said Kathie Johnson, CMO of Sitecore. “Sitecore is a leader in its space and continues to innovate by prioritizing a roadmap focused on SaaS-based, cloud native tools built on composable architecture. I am thrilled to be part of Sitecore's journey and look forward to working with our customers, partners, and employees around the globe.”