NetSuite has hired former Microsoft Dynamics GM Fred Studer as its next CMO.
Mr. Studer will take on the marketing responsibilities held by the company's CEO, Zach Nelson, who ran marketing after the departure of the company's previous CMO, David Downing, in March 2013.
"The biggest problem NetSuite's had for years is it has never really had a good CMO," said Paul Greenberg, author of "CRM at the Speed of Light." Mr. Greenberg said Mr. Studer will fill that hole, bringing in deep expertise in marketing strategy, a good sense of humor and a strong public presence. "He provides the solution to a problem they've had for an awful long time."
Though he spent the most recent part of his career working in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, Mr. Studer said he was "genetically created" for the CMO role at NetSuite, a Enterprise Resource Management (ERP) software company. ERP combines many financial software tools such as accounts payable and order management into one hub. Mr. Studer studied finance and accounting at University of Colorado Boulder and has worked as a controller.
Like NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson, Mr. Studer once worked in marketing under Oracle CTO Larry Ellison. He said the marketing-obsessed Mr. Ellison's approach still influences him today.
Mr. Ellison's personal obsession with marketing -- he once approved every Oracle ad -- was also passed along to Mr. Nelson, who took over marketing at NetSuite for over a year, and spearheaded an advertising campaign blasting NetSuite's competitors.
Mr. Studer said he does not expect Mr. Nelson's passion for marketing to get in the way of his own efforts. Mr.Greenberg agreed. "Zach is not an overriding egotist," he said. "He's a good CEO."
