Fujitsu’s marketing chief Simon Carter on why it's vital CMOs are represented at board level
Fujitsu’s appointment of marketing director Simon Carter to the company’s executive board is a significant move for the sector and will help break the “homogenous” nature of the IT industry, Carter has said.
Appointment: Simon Carter
Speaking to The Drum after news of his new role was announced, Carter said Fujitsu’s decision to embrace marketing on the board was a rarity in the sector and that marketing input at senior board level will help the company stand out among competitors.
“I think that IT and B2B generally has the potential to be a really exciting sector,” he said. “It hasn’t done much marketing particularly in the past, but this is the time to do that and I’m really looking forward to being at the forefront of doing that.
“As a career-long marketer myself, I strongly believe that marketing should be at the start, middle and end of everything a business does, all the way from market insight, understanding the customer and understand the market through to supporting the selling process.”
Carter, who has been with Fujitsu for four years, added that the role of marketing within companies was central to building the company’s brand and furthering its growth targets.
“Certainly in B2B that’s around engaging with the right customers, understanding their markets properly and their language, and ensuring relationships are very positive,” he said. “The measurement of that activity is also important, as is the marketing communications side in terms of delivering a consistent brand message to the customer.
“All of those things are in the marketing role and I think to have that at board level is a great move. Other companies have recently taken marketing off the boards and I think that’s a very retrograde step. It’s great that Fujitsu are doing the opposite.”
Announcing his appointment, Fujitsu said the role of a “strong” marketing voice at board level has become “increasingly important” and said the company was aiming to set itself apart from its competition.
“My personal view is that this appointment is very significant for a number for reasons,” Carter continued. “My background is not from the IT sector, historically I’ve worked for a number of other big brands where marketing is on the board. In the IT sector it’s quite rare to find it, so it really does demonstrate the commitment that Fujitsu is placing the role of marketing in helping us meet our growth plans and build the brand. To do that by appointing marketing to a board position I think is very significant.
He added: “You also have to remember that IT is a fairly homogenous sector so to stand out you have to be different, and I think Fujitsu has taken a very brave step to say it wants to stand out and it wants the world of marketing to help it do that.”