Meet Washington’s 101 Top Presidents in the Information Technology Space

Brad Gillespie

Vice President of Enterprise Sales of Cvent

Brad currently leads Enterprise Solutions Consulting for Cvent, the leading provider of Meetings and Events SaaS software. A former CMO, Brad works with select Enterprise customers to modernize and transform event marketing programs with an emphasis on process, technology, integrations, and analytics. Cvent was acquired by Vista Equity Partners in 2016 in a take-private transaction and later merged with Lanyon to form the largest technology provider in category. Today Cvent has over 4,300 employees and over 28,000 customers around the world. Prior to Cvent Brad was Chief Marketing Officer for Octiv (acquired by Conga), a document automation platform for sales and legal documents. From 2012-2016 Brad was Global Vice President of Marketing (CMO) for SiriusDecisions (acquired by Forrester), the leading global research and advisory firm for b-to-b sales, marketing, and product organizations. Prior to joining SiriusDecisions, Brad was Vice President of Marketing for the global technology solutions firm, ROLTA (BSE:ROLTA.BO), where he led marketing for the Americas, Europe and MENA regions. He was also Vice President of Marketing for Zanett, a leading mid-market business and technology consulting firm (acquired by KPMG in June 2014). The majority of Brad’s career has focused on go-to-market. Following the Dot Com crash in 2002 Brad co-founded MFGA where he led marketing strategy engagements for organizations in Advanced Manufacturing, Biotech, Consumer Goods, Financial Services, Software and Professional Services. While at MFGA, Brad also co-founded two start-ups based on patented technologies and serves as President or PEARL Protected. PEARL was an award-winning fire safety device whose IP was acquired by the Werner Company in 2009. Brad’s career began in human resources at Columbia/HCA (now Hospital Corporation of America (NYSE:HCA) and at Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX). During the Dot Com boom Brad transitioned to sales and marketing as employee #11 at Atlanta-based Newton Park which grew by 2000% over a four-year period. He also worked at digital pioneer Red Sky Interactive which was part of the Omnicon group of agencies. Brad grew up in central Kentucky and attended the University of Kentucky where he studied Political Science and Public Policy. About PEARL Protected While at MFGA, Brad co-founded two start-ups based on patented technologies and served as President of one of those companies, PEARL Protected, from 2005-2007. PEARL gained national exposure for its unique solution for fire safety. The PEARL product is a patented escape ladder that is installed permanently into an interior wall allowing egress through a window or other opening. Following its launch in 2005, the PEARL ladder became one of the most recognized home safety products in the market. PEARL appeared on several episodes of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and was showcased on NBC’s Today Show and CBS’s The Early Show. In 2006 PEARL earned the Product Innovation Award from the Home Safety Council. Widely supported by fire safety professionals across the US, former California State Fire Marshall, James McMullen, referred to PEARL at the time as “the most innovative fire safety product since the advent of the residential smoke alarm”. The National Institute of Fire and Safety Training called PEARL a “must-have” in the home. The product was launched in 2005 primarily into the new home construction market at the height of the housing boom. PEARL quickly saw mass appeal in the channel and was recognized by Building Products magazine as one of the Top 100 Building Products for 2007. The housing decline in 2007-08 significantly impacted PEARL’s traction in the market. The product saw a brief resurgence in the college and university housing community following the mass shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech in 2007. In 2009 PEARL entered a licensing and distribution agreement with Werner Ladder Company, the world’s leading manufacturer and distributor of ladders, climbing equipment and ladder accessories.

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About Cvent: Cvent delivers the most comprehensive event marketing & management platform, maximizing the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.

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