How can marketing leaders build go-to-market engines that evolve with today’s fast-changing buyer behaviors, while using AI intentionally, not accidentally, to drive meaningful transformation? In this episode of Shift & Thrive, Natalie sits down with Sajag Chikarsal, GTM Leader, advisor, and ex-Celona, Google, and Zscaler. His career spans every stage of company growth, from being the first marketing hire at Zscaler to leading global campaigns at Google Cloud. Sajag shares hard-won lessons on transforming go-to-market strategy, the role of AI as the new GTM operating system, and why foundational clarity still matters more than ever. He unpacks the frameworks that helped Google Cloud scale from $1B to $5B per quarter, explains how startups can practically implement AI, and reveals how marketing leaders can build teams ready for the next wave of transformation.

Takeaways:

• One message doesn’t fit all. Craft different layers of communication for CXOs, directors, and practitioners while keeping a unified campaign thread.
• AI is your new operating system. When governed and integrated correctly, it can turn fragmented GTM efforts into a cohesive, data-driven engine.
• Foundations before ROI. Data hygiene, clear ownership, and structured enablement are prerequisites before expecting measurable AI returns.
• Start small with AI. Create an internal AI council and a library, and empower teams to experiment with tools they already use.
• Personalize at scale. Custom GPTs can turn complex ABM research into minutes-long workflows, amplifying insight and speed across teams.
• Marketing owns the customer journey. Its role is to orchestrate, not just communicate, connecting every touchpoint from brand to demand.

Quote of the Show:

• “There is only one function in the company that has full visibility of the customer lifecycle or the customer journey, marketing. And that's the reason I love marketing, because yoy understand the overall journey and know how the pieces of the puzzle fit together.”

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sajagchikarsal/
• Website: https://celona.io/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2D1YbT2QhKxIwbREpU7EMb
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/id1740828813
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fa60b654-1955-4055-93df-fdd40c2a5c8f/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change
• iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shift-thrive-ceo-insights-166792501
• Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/shift-and-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/PC:1001086797

This show is sponsored by Magnetude Consulting, bringing you the thinking-Power of a Growth Consultancy and the Getting-It-Done Power of a full-service B2B Marketing Agency.

Learn more at: https://www.magnetudeconsulting.com