Twelve years after launching Demandbase, CEO and founder Chris Golec will move into a chief strategy officer role. Chief Revenue Officer Gabe Rogol will become CEO and join the board.
Rogol joined Demandbase, a B2B account-based marketing vendor, in 2012 to lead its go-to-market sales strategy. He will use his skills in operations, execution and sales to lead the company to its next phase of growth.
Demandbase’s 2019 earnings will hit $100 million, with a mix of software-as-a-service and advertising revenue. To capture more dollars in the multibillion-dollar B2B market, it’s focusing on growth over profitability.
“There is a huge opportunity in front of us,” Rogol said.
Moving into the top strategy role at Demandbase will allow Golec to “focus on what I’m most passionate about – product innovation and customers,” he said.
In addition to product innovation, Demandbase will also prioritize operational and customer success expertise.
“B2B marketing is changing so rapidly that the skill set B2B marketers need to utilize tech, account-based marketing and work seamlessly with sales is still emerging,” Rogol said. “We think Demandbase will be a key, definitive partner to our customers.”
In May 2017, Demandbase raised $65 million, for a total of $150 million. The company envisions itself as a marketing cloud, with capabilities that include a B2B-focused DSP, proprietary data, a platform to manage audiences, site personalization and a “conversions” product that gives sales teams insights about their prospects. It led the Forrester Wave for account-based marketing.
Though a number of smaller DSPs have consolidated or shut down due to the high operational costs, Demandbase says it’s bucking that trend. “That’s one area where B2B is different from B2C,” Rogol said. “The ads are more targeted, it’s not spray-and-pray, and the margins work out a bit better.”
Golec will retain his seat on the board and sees opportunity in the change to a different role. “The company’s been wildly successful,” he said. “This is a reflection of where I want to focus my time for the next stage of growth.”
