Caroline Japic ─ growth driver, customer champion, capability builder, innovation catalyst, and chief storyteller.
October 28, 2020 • 2 Minute Read
Caroline Japic
Senior Director of
Revenue Marketing
Cisco
&
Chief Marketing Officer
Kenna Security (now part of Cisco)
If you are looking for a growth driver, customer champion, capability builder, innovation catalyst, and chief storyteller, we know one person that fits the bill — Caroline Japic.
Caroline Japic is the Chief Marketing Officer of Kenna Security, now part of Cisco, and Senior Director of Revenue Marketing for Cisco Secure. She has a keen eye for building award winning teams and a great way with words that she uses for frequent speaking engagements and editorial pieces. She’s also the mom of three young athletes—two who have played international youth soccer and one now a freshman superstar at Baylor University.
Please meet this IT Wondrous Woman™ - Caroline Japic!
Our 10 Questions for this IT Wondrous Woman.
Fun Facts
1. What’s the one thing about you that your business colleagues don’t know about you?
I was the youngest Avon Lady in history – I started selling Avon when I was 12 years old. I babysat for my neighbors and would leave behind the Avon catalogs. Invariably I would book orders from these target Moms when I returned to babysit again. The strategy worked as I was a top performer in my region.
2. Before the pandemic, how many air miles/KMs did you flying annually?
I flew more than 100,000 miles per year for the past several years.
3. What is the most adventurous food you have eaten and what city/location did you eat it?
When I was on vacation visiting family in Sardinia, Italy, we were driving from one end of the island to the other. We stopped to eat at an amazing artists’ colony. My husband’s family, who is from Sardinia, ordered in Italian. I saw the waiter bring a dish that looked like some kind of marinated cauliflower. I had eaten about half of it when everyone at the table started laughing. I asked what was so funny and my husband said “you don’t want to know.” I pushed for an answer and he said simply “cow brain”. After that, I passed it down to share with the others. The best part was that my kids loved it!
Your Career
4. What are the top two experiences, achievements or failures that shaped your journey as a successful leader?
Being a part of the TIBCO team before and after our IPO. It was an amazing experience and one where I learned how to rapidly scale a business and grow a productive team.
At some of my past companies, I’ve had bosses who took credit for my work. I learned that I never wanted to be that kind of leader and I always give credit where credit is due. It builds trust and is a huge motivator for those who work with me.
5. Did you have a mentor in the early part of your career and, if so, what is the biggest lesson you learned from your mentor or influencer?
Heidi Melin (currently with Workfront) has been my mentor for many years. She taught me how to plan, collaborate, gain consensus and execute my ideas even in the face of obstacles. She also taught me that great leaders can be kind, caring and driven all at the same time.
Walking In Your Shoes
6. What is one piece of business or career advice you would give to your younger self?
Have a “put me in, coach” mentality and don’t be afraid to volunteer for tough projects. Put in the time for deep research and analysis, and then execute like crazy. You may fail, but you will learn much more than standing on the sidelines.
7. As a leader, how do you remain a resource for people early in their careers?
I’m a frequent lecturer at San Jose State University for their marketing classes, I contribute articles to Forbes, and I’m a frequent speaker on webinars and at events. I’m always happy to help those starting out who want to learn.
Today’s Business Environment
8. What is the most interesting project you have worked on in the last few years?
When I joined Kenna Security, we went through a strategy, positioning, segmentation, and planning exercise to build a best-in-class modern marketing organization and program. Not only did we work together to create differentiated messaging, but we also rebuilt the martech stack, segmented our target accounts and personas, and shifted the marketing mix based on data. The result is a powerful lead-gen, thought leadership and customer-centric marketing strategy.
9. What skills are you currently developing or refining (in yourself) that will make you a more successful leader in the digital economy?
Honestly, I continue to listen and learn from my teenage daughters. They are early adopters of the latest and greatest apps, and they natively understand digital engagement.
10. What is your greatest business challenge today?
Some security companies make big bold claims that simply aren’t true. This creates doubt for every security vendor and a big business challenge. At Kenna, we focus on education and truth. We base what we do on research and scientific rigor. We are a data science company and we put our customers at the center of everything we do because their success is our success.
