This episode features a fireside chat with Aprimo CEO Erik Huddleston about the importance of a structured operating model for driving strategic execution, recorded live on stage at the 2024 Accelerate Conference. Read Deidre's companion blog article on driving peak performance with operating rhythm and rigor.
Erik Huddleston is the CEO of Aprimo, an AI‑powered content operations platform, and a 25‑year veteran of marketing technology and B2B SaaS. A deeply customer‑focused operator, he specializes in go‑to‑market and product strategy and uses OKRs to keep teams locked on growth, differentiation, and the right segments.
Before Aprimo, he was President at Cision, CEO of PR analytics pioneer TrendKite, and a senior leader at Dachis Group and Inovis, with earlier work helping shape marketing tech in the 1990s. Across roles, his pattern is consistent: build data‑driven teams, stay outcome‑obsessed, and turn complex markets into durable growth curves.
Deidre Paknad has founded and led three tech startups, acquired companies and been acquired, and led a high-growth business as an executive at IBM for several years; this affords her a unique perspective on using both speed and scale to drive growth. In her role as CEO at WorkBoard, she works with senior leadership teams at some of the world’s largest companies to clarify, align, and drive strategic priorities with greater speed and agility. She is a frequent speaker on Outcome Mindset™ and tapping into ambition.
Deidre has over a dozen patents and has twice been inducted into the Smithsonian Institution for innovation. Goldman Sachs named her one of the 100 most intriguing entrepreneurs of 2019. Deidre hosts The OKR Podcast, which focuses on accelerating outcomes and fostering an outcomes culture.