People, Purpose, and Performance with Melissa Puls of Ivanti

EPISODE SUMMARY

After 30 years in marketing, Melissa Puls, CMO and SVP, Customer Success & Renewals at Ivanti, has seen it all: the highs, the lows, and the evolution of marketing itself. In this episode, she shares how she’s built her career around people-first leadership, purpose-driven strategy, and performance that actually moves the business forward. Melissa breaks down why B2B and B2C are outdated concepts, why it’s time to think “business-to-human,” and how aligning marketing, customer success, and renewals can transform growth. She also opens up about lessons learned from failure, how AI is reshaping efficiency and personalization, and why transparency and data-driven decisions are a CMO’s real superpowers. Whether you’re a rising marketing leader or a seasoned exec, this episode delivers practical insights on building teams, earning trust, and driving measurable impact across the entire customer lifecycle.

GUEST BIO

Melissa Puls is Ivanti’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Senior Vice President Customer Success and responsible for all aspects of the Ivanti customer journey, from initial awareness to purchase, adoption, expansion and renewal – ensuring organizations maximize the value of Ivanti’s solutions for greater outcomes.

Melissa is passionate about all phases of the customer experience and brings decades of experience to Ivanti with a strong track record of fueling growth through a customer-centric approach and integrated marketing strategies for acquired companies. She was most recently senior vice president and CMO at Avid. Prior to this role, Melissa also held CMO and marketing leadership positions with Optanix, Progress, Iron Mountain and Infor.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and psychology from Franklin Pierce University.