When a company promotes someone to Chief Marketing Officer just a year after joining, it usually means they’ve shaken things up—for the better. That’s the case at Highspring, which today announced Katie Strout as its new CMO, following her rapid ascent through the organization after spearheading a sweeping brand overhaul.

From Brand Transformation to Growth Engine

Strout didn’t waste her first year. She streamlined Highspring’s go-to-market identity, modernized its brand architecture, and aligned marketing operations with the company’s long-term strategy. The result: a marketing function no longer seen as a back-office service, but as a central growth driver.

As CMO, Strout will now oversee enterprise-wide marketing across Highspring and its talent solutions arm, Vaco by Highspring. Her mandate? Drive large-scale demand generation, build deeper market connections, and keep marketing firmly embedded in business strategy.

“Marketing has become a high-impact partner to our business units under Katie’s leadership,” said Highspring COO Steve Kass. “Her promotion is both well-earned and critical to our next chapter.”

A Track Record of Modernization

Strout isn’t new to high-stakes marketing. With nearly two decades of experience across professional services, gaming, and technology, she’s led teams where brand, digital, and demand intersect. Before Highspring, she served as VP of Performance Marketing at a Fortune 500 professional services firm, where she drove measurable results across brand campaigns and revenue-focused initiatives.

Her career also includes senior marketing roles in gaming and tech—industries where agility and customer engagement aren’t optional. That background seems to be informing her approach at Highspring, which emphasizes adaptability and data-driven execution.

Why It Matters

Highspring is betting big on marketing as a lever for growth—something not every professional services organization gets right. In an industry where marketing often plays second fiddle to sales, Strout’s elevation signals a shift: marketing isn’t just about polishing the brand anymore, it’s about fueling pipelines and scaling demand.

The move also reflects broader trends in B2B services. Firms are under pressure to modernize their marketing engines with digital-first strategies, brand clarity, and performance metrics to match. Rival organizations are making similar moves—EY recently restructured its global marketing leadership, and Accenture has doubled down on demand-generation functions in recent years. Highspring’s appointment fits neatly into this industry narrative.

Looking Ahead

For Strout, the new role is about maintaining momentum. “We’re building a brand and marketing approach that matches the scale and opportunity of this organization,” she said. That scale is significant: Highspring operates across 50+ countries, supporting more than 10,000 professionals worldwide.

The company’s challenge will be translating its brand transformation into measurable business impact—especially as professional services firms race to differentiate in a crowded, digital-first market. If Strout’s track record is any indication, Highspring’s next chapter could see marketing sitting at the head of the table, not just the sidelines.

Get in touch with our MarTech Experts.