In this edition of Marketer of the Week, Ignite Visibility spotlights Suzanne Kounkel, Chief Marketing Officer at Deloitte.
Ignite Visibility applauds her and the Deloitte team for winning the ITR’s “Americas Tax Technology Firm of the Year” award.
Additionally, Deloitte won the “2020 North America Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year” award and the “Tax Compliance and Reporting Firm of the Year” award.
The ITR awards highlight accomplishments that demonstrate innovative, complex, and impactful transactions.
“Accelerating globalization, growing regulatory and business complexity, and the evolution of tax technology is creating ever-increasing expectations for tax executives,” said Steve Kimble, chairman and chief executive officer, Deloitte Tax LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte US. “At Deloitte, we serve some of the most prestigious clients in the world as trusted business advisors. They rely on us to incorporate best-in-class technology while efficiently managing increased workload and complexity. Winning the title of ‘Americas Tax Technology Firm of the Year’ delivers on Deloitte’s commitment to be at the forefront of driving digital transformation in tax, as we help our clients shift from doing digital to ‘being’ digital.”
Kounkel, as CMO, helps coordinate marketing for Deloitte subsidiaries such as Deloitte Tax LLP.
Suzanne Kounkel’s Journey
Earlier in her career, Kounkel led the Deloitte US Customer marketing initiative. That’s when she established the company’s Next Gen CMO Academy.
More recently, she served in a dual-role capacity as CMO of Deloitte Consulting and CMO of Deloitte US. That probably kept her busy.
As current CMO of Deloitte US, she says she works to drive customer-focused business plans while creating innovative collaborations across teams.
A Woman in Tech
Years ago, Kounkel led the Women’s Initiative in Consulting. She says that she’s most proud of that work.
Kounkel claims that her efforts there “helped to significantly increase the percentage of female leaders in market-facing roles.”
Nowadays, she offers the following gems of advice for women in business:
- Be proud – Take pride in what you’ve accomplished and where you are today. Too often, Kounkel says, women are too hard on themselves.
- Be bold – Avoid clipping your own wings. The world needs to hear the voices of women, so don’t be afraid to speak up. To illustrate this point, Kounkel quotes from Coco Chanel: “The most courageous act is still to act for yourself. Aloud.”
- Be better – Push ahead. Keep learning. Listen more.
- Always laugh – Keep a sense of humor. She says that laughter is “therapeutic, freeing, and infectious.”
- Be kind – Practice generosity towards yourself and others.
That “always laugh” advice shouldn’t be ignored. Even if it does mess up the alliteration.
Facing the Pandemic
When Suzanne Kounkel was asked by Martech about her experience with how global brands handled the pandemic, her response can be summed up in one word: preparedness.
Companies that were built to embrace change not only weather the recent economic storm, but they emerged from the pandemic stronger than before.
She said that she’s worked with brands that tackled “seemingly insurmountable roadblocks.” However, with the right perseverance and a proactive approach to uncertain futures, those companies are now ready to face even stronger challenges.
Keeping the Faith
Suzanne Kounkel is also a firm believer in transparency as a way to build trust with customers.
As evidence, she cited Deloitte’s Global Marketing Trends study that gathered info about how consumers respond after a company reported a data breach. The research found that customers were 2.8 times more likely to stick with that brand if the company was open and honest about what happened.
Kounkel, CMO at Deloitte, also said that customers are savvy. They know if management’s response to a challenge is sincere or not.
Part of that knowledge is based on the customer’s experience with the brand in the past. That’s why it’s best for management to ensure consistent responses to economic challenges, bad PR, and other adverse news.
Wrapping It Up
Deloitte is a private company, so I can’t tell you anything about its stock price. Still, it’s a fixture in the history of B2B consulting.
And it looks like it’s no danger of losing market share. That’s especially true with Suzanne Kounkel as CMO.
