In the Shoes of a CMO

Chiraz Hassen (ePackPro): “A great CMO must have their head in the stars and their feet on the ground.”

Appointed CMO of ePackPro in September, Chiraz Hassen leads the marketing strategy of a SaaS B2B software company that helps restaurants, food professionals, hospitality businesses and public institutions digitise hygiene compliance and regulatory management processes.

With over 15 years of experience in marketing leadership, she began her career within a major French professional training group, where she led large-scale modernisation and organisational transformation projects. She later moved into high-growth SaaS B2B scale-ups, joining Partoo and then Planity, further strengthening her expertise in performance marketing, growth strategy and commercial alignment.

At ePackPro, she manages a 25-person international marketing and SDR team across France, Spain and Italy. The organisation is strongly business-oriented, operating within a 300-employee company generating nearly €40 million in annual revenue. Her role sits at the intersection of marketing performance, lead generation, brand positioning and revenue growth.

What are your main challenges today as a CMO?

Chiraz Hassen:
The first challenge is clearly doing more with less. Performance pressure is constant. Expectations around growth, lead quality and revenue contribution are high, while marketing resources remain constrained. In this context, a CMO must demonstrate measurable business impact — even on upstream topics like brand awareness and positioning, which are inherently harder to quantify in the short term.

The second challenge is balancing strategy and execution. I really like the metaphor used by our CEO and Sales Director: having your head in the stars and your feet on the ground. It perfectly captures the modern CMO role. You must define a clear vision, translate the company’s strategy into an actionable marketing roadmap, and at the same time stay deeply connected to operations — supporting teams and diving into execution when needed.

Finally, the relationship with the executive committee, particularly the CEO and sales leadership, is critical. Especially when stepping into the role. The quality of dialogue, mutual challenge and educational alignment largely determines marketing’s effectiveness within the organisation.

Your team includes SDRs. How does that change marketing?

C.H.:
It naturally brings marketing closer to revenue and sales performance, but it also introduces complexity. Friction can arise, especially when targets are missed. Intellectual honesty is key — acknowledging your own improvement areas before pointing out others’.

Having SDRs within the marketing perimeter makes the function highly business-oriented. Our team routines are structured around KPIs, pipeline performance, market signals and continuous performance analysis. This data-driven mindset directly influences lead generation strategy, content marketing, events and messaging.

How are you using AI today?

C.H.:
We do not have formal AI objectives, but artificial intelligence is already embedded in daily operations. My primary focus is on AI use cases related to SDR performance and sales enablement.

AI helps analyse lead qualification, compare pre- and post-demo conversations and identify potential misalignment in the sales process. We are also developing tools that improve meeting preparation, enabling sales teams to arrive better prepared and more efficient in demos.

On the marketing side, AI accelerates content production, SEO optimisation and performance analysis. For me, AI is a productivity accelerator and decision-support tool — not a substitute for human value.

However, as AI adoption increases, change management becomes critical. The challenge is not only technological implementation, but team adoption and long-term integration without fear or resistance.

How do you manage international marketing between central and local teams?

C.H.:
The first step is accepting that a mature market cannot simply be replicated elsewhere. The instinct to say “let’s copy what works in France” is tempting — but risky. Every European market has specific dynamics, even within SaaS B2B.

My approach is to test locally, understand what works and what doesn’t in each country, and then build a scalable global framework. The goal is convergence, not forced uniformity. Pushing standardisation too early often slows growth.

In terms of team management, remote work enables operational efficiency, but it does not build strong relationships. In-person collaboration remains essential to create collective momentum. I place high importance on structured routines: meetings must be prepared, balanced and participative. A meeting where only one person speaks creates no value.

What do you look for in external marketing partners?

C.H.:
First, expertise and perspective. I value partners who have experienced different industries, business models and organisational structures — and who bring strategic insight beyond our internal perspective.

I also look for true sparring partners. Not only on tactical marketing topics, but on broader CMO leadership challenges: executive alignment, CEO relationships, board-level positioning or personal decision-making moments. An external, unbiased viewpoint creates significant value.

What qualities do you prioritise when recruiting?

C.H.:
Technical skills are essential, but not sufficient. I pay close attention to alignment, authenticity and clarity of expectations. I take time to explain my management style and understand what candidates expect from their manager, team and company.

I am also attentive to generational differences, especially regarding work-life balance and professional expectations. The goal is not to judge, but to understand and ensure long-term collaboration sustainability.

If you were your CEO, what mandate would you give your CMO?

C.H.:
I would place strong emphasis on brand strategy and reputation management. The sales-led engine is operational and efficient, but brand equity is fragile by nature. Online reputation shifts quickly, market perception evolves, and without continuous brand investment, positioning can deteriorate.

Branding should not be an annual project. It must become an ongoing strategic priority, embedded in daily operations and focused on differentiation within an increasingly competitive SaaS B2B environment.

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