Fred Studer

CMO | Making Enterprise Marketing Human | 30 Years Building Brands at Microsoft, Oracle, NetSuite & More

San Francisco Bay Area

About

I’ve spent 30 years trying to answer one question: Why do some companies make you feel something, and others just make noise? At Microsoft, Oracle, NetSuite, TIBCO, PowerSchool, and now Sigma — I’ve run toward that question in every role. My job isn’t just marketing. It’s translation. Taking what engineers build in dark rooms and helping the world understand why it matters. The best campaigns I’ve been part of weren’t the biggest budget ones. They were the ones where we found the real human truth underneath the product. Today as CMO, I get to do that for analytics and AI — a space full of jargon and complexity, where the real story is about giving regular people the power to make better decisions with data. A few things I believe: — Great marketing starts with listening, not broadcasting. — AI amplifies your voice. It doesn’t replace it. — The most underrated skill in marketing is courage — to kill what’s comfortable and try what’s true. I write here about what I’m learning, what’s failing, and what’s working. Follow along if any of that sounds useful

Experience

  • Chief Marketing Officer at Sigma
    Apr 2025 - Present · 1 yr 4 mos

  • Board Advisor at Princeville Capital
    Jan 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 7 mos

    In my role as an advisor, I provide strategic guidance and expert advice to an organization's leadership and portfolio companies, leveraging specialized knowledge and industry expertise to help the board make informed decisions on matters like market trends, business strategy, and growth opportunities.

  • Chief Marketing Officer at PowerSchool
    Aug 2022 - Dec 2024 · 2 yrs 5 mos

  • Chief Marketing Officer at TIBCO
    Sep 2019 - Aug 2022 · 3 yrs

  • Chief Marketing Officer at FinancialForce
    Mar 2017 - Jun 2019 · 2 yrs 4 mos