In a move to leverage Steve Lucas’ stellar record leading SAP and other multi-billion dollar businesses to unprecedented growth, marketing automation software pioneer Marketo Inc has appointed him as chief executive officer.
Lucas joins the Marketo team from his most recent position as SAP’s president, enterprise platform and analytics, where he drove innovative strategies to accelerate enterprise and analytics offerings from inception to market. During his SAP career, he held progressively more senior global leadership positions in their business analytics database and technology, BusinessObjects, and corporate strategy and market development organisations. Lucas was previously the force leading growth and expansion at Salesforce.com as senior vice president, platform marketing and Force.com.
“I am excited to join the company as Marketo accelerates its growth through enterprise expansion, its unprecedented next-generation marketing platform, and its robust partner ecosystem,” said Lucas. “I look forward to leading this incredible organisation and enabling anyone using these market-leading solutions to innovate faster and accelerate their digital transformation through marketing, all with a firm commitment to Marketo’s unique culture that champions diversity, inclusion, and social responsibility.”
The move cements San Mateo-based Marketo’s commitment to accelerated growth and innovation in engagement marketing software and solutions designed to help marketers develop long-term relationships with their customers. The company is looking to leverage Lucas’ extensive experience in selling data analytics, cloud services, database, and mobile applications.
Marketo’s founder and current CEO Phil Fernandez is stepping down immediately, after 10 years during which he led the company through launch, a successful IPO and the recent acquisition by Vista Equity Partners.
“I founded Marketo with a bold vision that marketers would take on a powerful new role within their organisations, owning customer engagement and digital transformation,” said Fernandez. “I am confident that the Marketo team under Steve’s leadership will maintain and extend our commitment to innovation, integrity and customer success, as well as to the thousands of successful, passionate individuals who are the heart of the Marketing Nation.”
Martin Taylor, principal at Vista Equity Partners and Marketo director said,”I want to welcome Steve to the leadership team as Marketo CEO and thank Phil for his instrumental role pioneering a new industry and building Marketo into a world-class brand that serves nearly 5000 customers and more than 650 partners around the globe.”
