Leader’s Corner: Emma Roffey, Former Cisco

“The priority for me is actually me.” Meet Emma Roffey, a seasoned marketing leader with an extensive 20-year career, primarily dedicated to shaping the marketing landscape at Cisco. 

Emma Roffey, a seasoned professional previously with Cisco, sums up her career as "lucky," grateful for fulfilling roles. Transitioning from sales to marketing at Cisco, Emma highlights achievements in diverse goals and revenue generation. 

Discover more about Emma’s career journey and her customer-centric marketing approach in this exclusive leader’s corner interview at The Studio.

Leader’s Corner insights with Emma Roffey

Reflecting on her tenure at Cisco, Emma's proudest achievements include reaching diverse goals, generating substantial revenue, and emphasising the significance and impact of marketing. 

“And over those 20 years, the transition, the digital transformation happening, you're relearning again, and there's always something new to learn, always something new.”

Her enthusiasm stems from the broad spectrum of opportunities within the marketing realm, offering continuous learning experiences throughout the digital transformation era.

Emma drew attention to the importance of customer-centricity, a principle rooted in her sales background. “The thing that draws me back in is the customer centricity… putting yourself in the mind of the customer and what's right for them and what makes it easier for the customer.”

Facing the challenges of budget cuts head-on, Emma said: “I think a lot of CMOs are finding that you're supposed to do more with less each year and you're having to reinvent the team.”

As someone who loves to be challenged, Emma is described by those around her as an energetic, positive and motivational leader with a strong focus on fostering a positive culture within her teams

As she contemplates her next steps, Emma's priorities for 2024 revolve around honing in on her desires, a significant shift towards prioritising herself. Whether exploring opportunities with a startup, seeking funding, or simply enjoying life, Emma's focus is on personal fulfilment.

“The priority for me is actually me.”

Discover more in the full Leader’s Corner interview with Emma Roffey.

About Leaders Profiles:

The Leaders Profiles series offers exclusive insights and strategies from the industry’s top executives. As the ultimate hub for leadership excellence, we connect and inspire today’s top C-suite professionals—CIOs, CISOs, CFOs, CDOs, CMOs and CXOs—through in-depth interviews, quick video segments and strategic deep dives. Whether it's through Leaders Profiles or Leader’s Corner, our goal is to equip you with actionable insights and innovative strategies, directly from the minds shaping the future of business. Explore more on leadership trends and strategies at our Leaders Profiles hub.