BRAVE COMMERCE: Assemble’s Lara Vandenberg on Rethinking Marketing Teams for a Faster, Fragmented World

Host: Adweek (Rachel Tipograph & Sarah Hofstetter)
Guest: Lara Vandenberg, CEO & Founder, Assemble
Date: April 7, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features Lara Vandenberg, CEO and founder of Assemble, a company pioneering new models for marketing talent and team structuring. Lara discusses the rapid changes in marketing team composition, the move away from traditional agency relationships, and the rise of fractional, freelance, and operational talent. The conversation unpacks why agility and a systems-driven approach are essential for modern marketers navigating shrinking budgets, shifting consumer behavior, and ongoing internal transformation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Marketing Teams Need Rethinking (06:43–08:27)

• Lara’s background as both agency-side and brand marketer informed her frustration with old structures.
• Quote:

  “I found that the work was always moving faster than the structure.”
  —Lara Vandenberg [06:56]

• Traditional models—agency retainers, slow full-time hiring—are too sluggish for today’s needs.
• 2024 and 2025 saw CMOs rethink hiring and team structures as market instability forced them to do more with less.

2. Decoupling Jobs from Work (06:43–08:27; 08:43–10:52)

• The big shift: don’t focus on static job roles, but on the best method to get specific output.
• CMOs must now “fight for budgets,” making adaptability crucial.
• Tech and agency evolution mean that many roles now exist in fractional form—technology may cover 50-75% of a job, but not all.
• The “messy middle” of marketing—generalists and project managers—are most at risk of redundancy.

Quote:

“It’s not who is on your team, but whether the system is designed to get to the correct capability fast enough.”
—Lara Vandenberg [07:59]

3. Overbuilt and Underbuilt: Where Teams Stand Today (11:09–12:35)

• Most organizations have too many process-managing “middle layer” generalists.
• Critically underbuilt in operations: Lara sees a rise in demand for “CEO of the CMO team”—senior operational roles like Chief of Staff or Head of Marketing Ops.
• Brand roles are resurging—something humans still do better than tech.

Quote:

“One of the most critical roles that need to be hired upfront is almost like a CEO of a CMO’s team… Really someone to design the architecture and the systems.”
—Lara Vandenberg [11:36]

4. Marketing as a System Problem, Not Just a Talent Problem (14:43–16:47)

• Re-orgs are common—often twice a year—due to inadequate operational structure.
• True transformation requires systems thinking, not just staffing changes.
• The best CMOs approach the org as “architects,” redesigning how work flows rather than just layering on new hires or agencies.

Quote:

“I don’t think it’s a talent problem, I don’t think it’s an agency problem, I don’t think it’s a vendor problem, I think it’s a systems problem.”
—Lara Vandenberg [15:57]

5. Rise of New Roles: Process Improvement Analysts & Creative Technologists (17:13–18:19)

• Most-hired skill on Assemble’s platform in Q1 2025: Process Improvement Analyst.
• This role brings the org chart to life, connecting budgets, relationships, and customer touchpoints.
• Often not from marketing backgrounds; important for unbiased, technical process optimization.

Quote:

“The org chart... is a static document that doesn’t tell you anything. It doesn’t tell you who’s a budget owner, who’s owning relationships… [A process improvement analyst] brings that org chart to life.”
—Lara Vandenberg [17:36]

6. The Challenge of a Single Source of Truth (18:36–19:39)

• Most organizations lack intuitive tech connecting all workstreams—leads to disconnected teams and poor accountability.
• Need for roles that function as internal “solutions engineers” or “creative technologists” to connect disparate systems.
• Marketing’s need for a cross-functional, transparent “operating system.”

7. How Assemble Finds Modern Talent (20:05–21:57)

• Started as a “landing pad” during pandemic layoffs; now, Assemble draws top marketing freelancers via reputation, referrals, and creating better opportunities than traditional MSPs or staffing agencies.
• Closed marketplace ensures premium jobs and high-caliber, engaged talent.

8. Commerce's Role in Marketing Organization (21:57–23:55)

• Many companies still organize by brand, but content and commerce have converged—consumers shop on podcasts, TikTok, and in creators’ comments, not just through a linear funnel.
• Teams still split by brand, performance, and commerce, but true customer journeys cross all these lines.

Quote:

“The marketing teams that are, you know, still arguing between top and bottom of funnel, that structure needs to still separate from brand to performance and both from commerce… But the consumer is still moving through all of this in a single scroll.”
—Lara Vandenberg [22:41]

9. Personal Bravery: Lara’s Origin Story (24:14–24:52)

• Lara’s bravest act was moving solo to New York from Australia at 21, without a visa, friends, or apartment.
• Developed resilience and adaptability—key themes that echo in her professional philosophy.

Quote:

“It didn’t feel brave at the time. But looking back, I’m like, how the hell did I pull that off?”
—Lara Vandenberg [24:30]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Work was always moving faster than the structure.” — Lara Vandenberg [06:56]
• “It’s not a talent problem… it’s a systems problem.” — Lara Vandenberg [15:57]
• On the new “messy middle”:

  “We are still undoing the over hiring from 2020. Absolutely.” — Lara Vandenberg [10:46]

• “Process improvement analyst” as the new hot hire [17:13]
• “The funnel a lot… customers are still moving through all of this in a single scroll.” — Lara Vandenberg [22:41]
• Personal story about moving to NYC at 21 [24:14–24:52]

Essential Timestamps

| Topic/Quote | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------| | The work moves faster than the structure, need for new approach | 06:43–08:27 | | What forced the change in marketing teams (macro backdrop) | 08:43–10:52 | | Where teams are overbuilt (middle generalists); underbuilt (ops/brand) | 11:09–12:35 | | Need for a “marketing COO”/systems viewpoint | 14:43–16:47 | | Process improvement analyst, creative technologist | 17:13–18:19 | | Lack of source-of-truth tech; need for internal solutions engineers | 18:36–19:39 | | How Assemble finds top talent, vs. agencies/MSPs | 20:05–21:57 | | Commerce and marketing org structure, convergence of content and sales | 21:57–23:55 | | Lara’s bravest moment: moving solo to NYC | 24:14–24:52 |

Conclusion & Takeaways

• Traditional, rigid marketing team structures are outpaced by today’s market realities; speed, flexibility, and systems thinking are now required.
• The past model—retainer agencies and slow, full-time hiring—has been upended by budget constraints, over-hiring backlash, and rapid digital change.
• Winning organizations are shifting generalist layers to flexible, fractional talent and prioritizing operational leadership (the “COO of marketing”).
• Technology will automate some roles, but humans remain essential for brand and taste-driven work.
• Success hinges on operational integration—connecting all marketing, commerce, and brand efforts with transparency and clear accountability.
• Adaptability, as shown in Lara’s own story, is at the heart of both personal and organizational bravery.

For anyone building or restructuring a modern marketing team, Lara Vandenberg’s conversation is a must-listen on what agility, structure, and brave rethinking look like in 2026.