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Arash Behjo is a well-known Iranian marketing leader and lecturer with particular expertise in omni-channel campaigns, product management and development, growth and performance management, and process improvement. Based in Tehran, he is the CMO of Goldiran, a large and diversified consumer electronics holding company. Previously, Arash was the CMO of Tehran Internet (*780#) and Hamrah Lotus, and the marketing manager at Golrang. He has a strong ability to drive cross-functional collaboration on long-term projects and high-potential products, along with a proven capability to conduct in-depth analysis of market opportunities. A personable and charismatic leader, Behjo possesses the communication skills needed to forge partnerships with key decision-makers at all organizational levels across various industries. In addition to his marketing leadership, he has served in CEO and board member roles for several enterprises in the Middle East. He is also a lecturer and faculty member at University of Tehran MBA courses.

CMO COUNCIL: What market shifts and trends are impacting customer and competitive dynamics in your industry?

BEHJO: Technology advancements, media and social media trends, government policies, and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) are significant market shifts impacting customer and competitive dynamics in our industry.

CMO COUNCIL: Which digital marketing innovations are most enabling your go-to-market process, customer value creation and campaign effectiveness?

BEHJO: Targeting and retargeting tools, business intelligence tools, KYC tools, social media, and IoT features are the digital marketing innovations that most enable our go-to-market process, customer value creation, and campaign effectiveness.

CMO COUNCIL: How do you describe your leadership style?

BEHJO: I work alongside my colleagues, empower people, practice and educate, support them, involve them in decision-making, share knowledge, and avoid micromanagement. My 22 years of experience in marketing, along with a Master's and Doctorate in Marketing, have prepared me well for the CMO role. I have managed a $500M marketing budget and overseen advertising agencies for more than seven years. In terms of organizational change, my priorities include the company's strategic and annual plan, my team, and the marketing annual plan.

CMO COUNCIL: What factors contribute most to your success?

BEHJO: My long-term experience, staying up-to-date, data-driven decision-making, and deep understanding of psychology, sociology, customer and consumer needs, market trends, and behavioral economics contribute most to my success.

As a marketing lecturer at the University of Tehran, I believe in empowering team members through education. We have established a marketing academy within the company, inviting successful CMOs, marketing professionals, and university professors for workshops. We also financially support our team members' educational courses. This year's topics include digital marketing, digital transformation, AI tools, branding, marketing research, and international marketing.

CMO COUNCIL: What are some of the secrets to better collaboration with peers in the C-suite and lines of business?

BEHJO: Understanding their needs and goals, shaping expectations based on mutual interests, and finding allies based on shared ethics and friendship are key to better collaboration with peers in the C-suite and other business lines.

CMO COUNCIL: What has been your biggest accomplishment in the last 12 months?

BEHJO: We became the market leader in the monitor market, created several committees based on team leaders in different sub-industries, aligned campaigns across these sub-industries, and achieved significant sales targets.

CMO COUNCIL: Marketing is undergoing a progressive digital transformation. How is this fortifying and quantifying marketing value in your organization?

BEHJO: We have initiated several digital transformation projects, including AI-based BI, AR in marketing, customer behavior analysis hardware and software, and IoT, which are fortifying and quantifying marketing value in our organization.

CMO COUNCIL: What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given? Or what career advice would you give to emerging marketing leaders?

BEHJO: Develop a deep understanding of consumers' needs, stay in touch with customers (especially in retail), maintain close relationships with other business lines, continually upgrade your leadership skills, and learn how to use Excel and BI tools.