Above the Clouds: Stories from the Boardroom

When "Too Expensive" Really Means "I Don't Understand Your Value"

Asit Goel, VP of Marketing at UniFirst, joins Richard Byrd to make the case for marketing as a strategic function — not a cost center. Asit picks the raven as his company's spirit bird: intelligent, adaptive, and working quietly in the background of every industry, from food processing to semiconductors to oil and gas.The conversation digs into the challenge most B2B marketers never say out loud: defining marketing's value and getting the rest of the organization to believe it. Asit and Richard cover why customers use price as a crutch when they don't understand value, why the decision-maker is always a human driven by emotion, and why marketing — not just sales — owns the job of articulating differentiation. Along the way: building in-house teams versus leaning on agencies, where pricing belongs, the limits of attribution, the surprising power of direct mail, and the one piece of advice Asit gives anyone starting out — stay curious, and form hypotheses, not opinions.

Rhonda Taylor, Managing Director, DSG Global

Rhonda Taylor, Managing Director at DSG Global, has seen the full cycle: high-volume staffing, enterprise executive search, market booms, market busts, and now a front-row seat to the AI-driven transformation reshaping how companies find (and keep) the leaders they need. In this episode, Rhonda and Richard Byrd dig into why getting a leadership hire wrong costs you far more than the search fee, how sales and marketing finally ended their long Cold War, and why the firms — and professionals — who will win over the next decade are the ones building relationships before they need them. Whether you're scaling a team, growing a business, or just trying to figure out why your pipeline feels stuck, this one's for you.

Patrick Corcoran, Global Head of Marketing and External Relations, Hitachi Digital Services

What does it take to lead marketing for a global brand that spans industries, regions, and constant change?In this episode of Above the Clouds: Stories from the Boardroom, Richard Byrd sits down with Patrick Corcoran, Global Head of Marketing and External Relations at Hitachi Digital Services, to unpack the realities of modern B2B marketing at scale.Patrick shares how Hitachi Digital Services approaches global growth with precision and focus, why aligning marketing with sales is non-negotiable, and how today’s marketers must balance deep expertise with broad capability to stay relevant.They also dive into the evolving role of AI, the challenge of breaking through digital noise, and why the future of marketing isn’t about replacing people, but reshaping how they work.From nearshore beginnings to leading a global team, Patrick’s story is a masterclass in adaptability, relationship-building, and staying one step ahead in a rapidly changing landscape

Shelly Crabtree Linkerhof, Head of Marketing Communications, Americas, Clariant,

Marketing in a technical, global industry is not about pushing content. It is about understanding complexity and turning it into clarity. In this episode of Above the Clouds: Stories from the Boardroom, Richard Byrd sits down with Shelly Linkerhof, Head of Marketing Communications, Americas at Clariant, to break down what it takes to lead marketing across multiple industries, regions, and stakeholders. Shelly shares how her team navigates long sales cycles, highly technical products, and global dynamics, all while staying focused on what matters most: the customer. They unpack: * How to translate complex science into clear, compelling marketing * Why curiosity is the most important skill in technical marketing * How to influence stakeholders without formal authorityThe shift from brochures to data-driven, multi-channel strategy * How AI is changing the way marketing teams work * Why customer understanding should always come before channel selection

Ken Proctor, Founder, The Grey Pointe Group

Leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about asking the right questions. In this episode of Above the Clouds: Stories from the Boardroom, Richard Byrd sits down with Ken Proctor, Founder of The Grey Pointe Group, to talk about the lessons that come from decades of leadership, career pivots, and helping executives think more clearly about the challenges they face. Ken reflects on his journey from a long career in the shoe industry to building and selling his own company, and how those experiences shaped the work he does today guiding leaders through peer groups and executive coaching. The conversation explores why curiosity is one of the most underrated leadership skills, how strong peer networks create accountability, and why the quality of your questions often determines the quality of your decisions.