Marketing Vanguard – "How Infosys’ CMO is Making B2B Marketing an Emotional Affair"

Episode Date: November 13, 2025
Host: Jenny Rooney (Adweek)
Guest: Sumit Permani (Chief Marketing Officer, Infosys)

Overview

This episode of Marketing Vanguard dives into how Sumit Permani, CMO of Infosys, is leading the charge to make B2B marketing as emotionally resonant as its B2C counterpart. Sumit outlines his unconventional journey into marketing, discusses key strategic challenges of leading a major global tech brand, and offers a passionate case for finding the right balance between data-driven performance and creative emotional connection. The conversation is packed with rich insights on marketing leadership, the evolving role of technology and AI, and the universal need for marketing to build authentic bridges with customers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sumit’s Accidental Path to Marketing

• Background: Sumit describes himself as an "accidental marketeer," starting out with a degree and plans in finance before being inspired by a dynamic brand management professor to switch to marketing.
  • Quote: “I love to call myself an accidental marketeer...A happy accident actually led me into this journey. And here I am three decades later, quite enjoying the path that was chosen for me.” – Sumit Permani (01:32)

2. Balancing Art and Science in Marketing

• Finance Foundations: How Sumit’s financial background uniquely positions him to navigate both creative and performance-oriented marketing.
  • Quote: “Business in the C suite, in the boardroom only cares about growth and profitability...as a marketer you actually have to wear two hats...accelerate growth in the short term and lay the foundation of growth and market share gains in the long term.” – Sumit Permani (05:07)
• Art + Science: The enduring debate about brand (long-term) versus performance (short-term) marketing and maintaining dual responsibilities in the C-suite.
  • Quote: “The sense of one or the other is a sure shot recipe for marketing and business disaster.” – Sumit Permani (06:56)

3. The Imperative Role of Technology

• Marketing Tech Evolution: Technological advances have made attribution and ROI measurement far more precise than in the past.
  • Quote: “There is very little which is gray and not attributable. If you really have made the effort to invest in the right platform, the right technology...marketing cannot play alongside any other function at the C suite in terms of driving business impact.” – Sumit Permani (09:19)

4. About Infosys

• Origins and Scale: Founded in 1981 with $250 by seven founders, Infosys is now a $19B+ global tech leader with over 300,000 employees across 50 countries.
  • Quote: “We serve markets and industries with IT services. We are one of the largest IT services companies in the world and...the fastest growing IT services brand in the world.” – Sumit Permani (10:20)
• Culture & Tenure: Sumit challenges typical CMO tenure stats by spending over two decades (and counting) at Infosys, attributing longevity to a purpose- and values-driven culture.
  • Quote: “A fantastic platform that really presents the right foundation of pole ambition deep rooted in...purpose and values.” – Sumit Permani (11:20)

5. Brand & Business Challenges

• Navigating Change: The tech industry demands constant reinvention—the only way to survive is to keep “navigating the turns” (from outsourcing to AI disruption).
  • Quote: “The only companies who've...successfully navigated every turn are the ones who continue to be successful...We happen to be one of those.” – Sumit Permani (12:21)
• Metaphor for Role: Infosys sees itself as a “navigator”—helping clients traverse technology’s tumultuous seas as their trusted partner.
  • Quote: “We are the navigators...that’s how it’s even manifested in our promise...navigating your next.” – Sumit Permani (16:01)
• Trust and Institutional Knowledge: 95% of Infosys’ business is repeat business, with client relationships spanning decades—highlighting the trust they've earned. (15:09)

6. The CMO’s Personal Role

• Three Mandates:
  1. Build trust with the C-suite/board.
  2. Build and nurture a strong team.
  3. Be the voice of the market inside Infosys.
• Regular, structured interactions with clients and industry influencers ensure that strategy is always market-informed.
  • Quote: “Marketing, after all, is the voice of the market into the organization...bring in all that learning from the market into the boardroom to shape the strategy, be the growth catalyst, and actually protect and promote the reputation of the brand.” – Sumit Permani (17:11)

7. AI: The Disruptive Force

• Transformative, Not Incremental: AI isn’t just increasing efficiency—it’s reinventing what’s possible, allowing for mass co-creation and previously unimaginable customer experiences.
  • Quote: “I deeply believe that AI is not an incremental shift for the business. It’s a disruptive one...it’s going to really transform the entire life cycle from efficiency to experience to effectiveness.” – Sumit Permani (19:50)
• Real-world Example: Infosys’ Nadal tribute campaign let thousands of tennis fans worldwide co-create art and join the conversation, a feat “not even remotely possible before the age of AI.” (22:54)
  • Quote: “What I have been truly excited by is...how this tech is making things possible that weren't possible in the age before AI.” – Sumit Permani (23:36)
• Responsible AI: Emphasizes the need for responsible adoption and the critical importance of safeguards to protect brands from potential misuse.
  • Quote: “Responsible embrace of this tech is crucial and critical...you can’t just randomly go out there, pick up a publicly available large language model, generate imagery and publish it on your brand platform. You cannot do that…” – Sumit Permani (25:06)

8. Looking Ahead: Priorities for 2025-2026

• Helping Clients Navigate Disruption: Priorities include guiding clients through economic volatility, using technology both for deep efficiencies and for creating superior experiences.
  • Quote: “Our focus is...are they well equipped to leverage the potential of existing digital technologies and the potential of evolving AI?” – Sumit Permani (28:11)

9. Sumit’s CMO Recommendations

• Who Inspires Him?
  • Asmita Dube (Chief Marketing and Digital Officer, L’Oréal): “Doing incredible work in using tech to reimagine products [and] experiences.”
  • Raja Rajamannar (Mastercard): “Has done an incredible job...marketing’s job is to create an emotional bridge...as important in B2B as it is in B2C.” – Sumit Permani (31:17–32:03)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Marketing's job is to create an emotional bridge between an organization and its consumer. And that's as important in B2B as it is in B2C.”
  – Sumit Permani (00:26 & repeated at 32:03)

• “The sense of one or the other [brand vs. performance] is a sure shot recipe for marketing and business disaster.”
  – Sumit Permani (06:56)

• “AI is not a piecemeal tech…it's going to really transform the entire life cycle from efficiency to experience to effectiveness.”
  – Sumit Permani (21:46)

• “Responsible embrace of this tech is crucial and critical...work in partnership with the right organization that can help you embrace AI responsibly.”
  – Sumit Permani (26:25)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Accidental Marketer & Career Path – 01:32
• Art & Science of Marketing, Brand vs. Performance – 05:07–07:27
• Technology’s Role in Modern Marketing – 07:59–09:52
• Infosys Background & Brand Identity – 10:20–11:47
• Navigating Tech Evolution, Client Partnerships – 12:01–16:29
• Sumit’s Three Roles as CMO – 17:11
• AI’s Impact and Responsible Use – 19:50–27:24
• Priorities for the Future – 28:11
• CMO Recommendations – 30:11

Memorable Moments

• Sumit’s metaphor of Infosys as a “navigator” for global organizations underscores the brand’s positioning and client-centric mission (16:01).
• Personal, hands-on examples—such as the AI-powered Nadal campaign—ignite imagination for B2B marketing possibilities (22:54).
• The episode closes with peer recognition, highlighting the importance of ongoing marketing leadership dialogue (31:17–32:05).

Summary:
Sumit Permani’s conversation is a masterclass for any marketer—especially in B2B—on why emotion, creativity, and responsible technology adoption must stand side-by-side with business acumen and measurable outcomes. His experiences at Infosys illuminate the need for agility, trust, and innovation in building brands and navigating both today’s and tomorrow’s complexities.