Episode 107 - Shade Vaughn of Akin on The Role of Changemaker for Legal CMOs: Driving Actual Change

The last few years have accelerated the need for CMOs to be changemakers. More than ever, CMOs are able to drive much-needed transformation both within the marketing team and across the wider firm.

This week on the CMO series, Alistair Bone is fortunate to be joined by Shade Vaughn, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, to discuss the role of the CMO as a changemaker and what driving change looks like in practice.

Shade and Ali discuss: 

• Shade’s career journey and how he came to his current role at Akin
• The point in that journey that driving transformation became integral 
• The importance of ‘intent’ and Shade’s previous experience in this area
• How that approach translates in Shade’s work at Akin and how that aligns with the marketing efforts at the firm
• The next technology Shade has set his sights on
• The biggest mistakes CMOs make in driving change
• The sub-skills and experience that marketers looking to become CMOs should develop now
• Advice for others looking to be a changemaker across their legal marketing career