Leader Generation

The marketing landscape is changing faster than ever—and the marketers who treat their work like product and embrace AI will win.   This week, Leader Generation host Tessa Burg talks with Alan Kipust, Mod Op’s Executive in Residence and a leader in product management, to discuss how AI is fundamentally reshaping what marketing teams can accomplish and how they should think about their work.  You’ll learn which AI applications actually move the needle, the power of a good hackathon and the skills every marketer needs to master. Wherever you are in your career, this episode will change how you approach your work tomorrow.  Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op. About Alan Kipust: Alan Kipust is a senior product management executive with a distinguished track record building and scaling digital, logistics, and customer-centric businesses for some of the world’s most recognizable brands. Over a fifteen-year career at Amazon, Uber, Chewy and Ford Motor Company, he has led transformative initiatives across e-commerce, mobility, customer operations, and subscription ecosystems. Most recently, as Senior Director of Product Management for Ford’s Digital Experience organization, Kipust oversaw the company’s subscription commerce and advanced Ford’s global data privacy and commitments. Prior to Ford, he served as Senior Director of Customer Experience at Chewy, driving enterprise-wide customer experience strategy, deploying proprietary CRM systems, and helping maintain the brand’s industry-leading satisfaction rating. With deep expertise in scaled operations, platform design, and technology-driven transformation, Kipust has shaped the digital and operational backbone behind major global businesses. At Uber, he served as Global Head of Vehicle Product Management, directing the product and fleet strategy for a 60,000-vehicle program that supplied a significant share of global driver availability. Earlier in his career, he spent seven years at Amazon, where he launched Amazon Flex and built Amazon Logistics’ first integrated customer-and-driver support operation. A holder of multiple U.S. patents and an advisor to several high-growth companies, Kipust is known for his product vision, operational rigor, and ability to build high-performing teams in complex, rapidly evolving environments. He can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected]. About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].

Five years ago, we started Leader Generation with a simple premise: clients learning from clients. This year proved why that matters. In 2025, CEOs and their leadership teams stopped debating whether to adopt AI and began wrestling with harder questions: How do we bring our people along? How do we measure what matters instead of what's easy to measure? How do we maintain the relationships that built our business while transforming how we operate? Excerpts from these ten conversations capture what worked. Not theory—actual results from CDOs, COOs, and VPs leading change at companies like Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, DoubleVerify, and Digital Remedy. The full episodes are linked in this post. Stuart Goldstein explains why technology is the easy part, and people are where transformations actually stall. Alan Wizemann describes how his team measures success by the time freed up for employees to do valuable work, not headcount reduction. Anna Jankowska walks through preparing teams for scenarios they don't expect, because that's where you see who's ready to lead. These aren't polished case studies. They're candid conversations about the messy reality of leading change when your board wants results, your team is exhausted, and the playbook keeps changing. If you're heading into 2026 with aggressive goals and limited patience for more consultants telling you what you already know, these episodes cut through the noise. They're built for leaders who need to make decisions Monday morning, not attend another conference about the future of work. Links to the full episodes from this top 10 list: #10: https://tenloradio.com/e/ep129-building-your-army-of-ai-agents-what-marketers-need-to-know/ - Fabio Fiss, Aaron Grando, and Javier Lopez #9: https://tenloradio.com/e/ep109-ai-data-marketing-how-to-manage-risks/ - Kevin Purvis #8: https://tenloradio.com/e/ep116-future-of-performance-marketing-data-ai-personalization/ - Jeremy Haft #7: https://tenloradio.com/e/ep126-how-scibids-ai-is-redefining-media-buying-at-doubleverify/  - Wadrille Leroy #6: https://tenloradio.com/e/ep112-leading-through-change-the-human-side-of-marketing-leadership/  - Anna Jankowska #5: https://tenloradio.com/e/ep108-ai-playground-microsoft-copilot-google-notebooklm/ - Alyssa Curci and Jonathan Murray #4: https://tenloradio.com/e/ep140-leading-change-that-sticks-people-processes-platforms-with-stuart-goldstein/ - Stuart Goldstein #3: https://tenloradio.com/e/ep143-time-to-value-innovation-that-puts-customers-first-with-alan-wizemann/ * Alan Wizemann #2: https://tenloradio.com/e/ep119-leading-change-transforming-companies-with-alan-wizemann/ - Alan Wizemann #1: https://tenloradio.com/e/ep121-say-hello-to-brand-agent-ai-that-speaks-your-brand-s-language/ - Aaron Grando   About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].

The search landscape has fundamentally shifted. 60% of Google searches now result in zero clicks. People are getting answers from AI without ever visiting websites. If you've noticed declining organic traffic or wondered why your content isn't getting clicks despite good rankings, this episode reveals what's happening and what to do about it. This compilation brings together five search and PR experts on how AI is changing buyer behavior and what actually works now. Jon Gillham from Originality.ai explains why citations, statistics, and quotes are essential for LLM visibility. Patty Parobek reframes the conversation with a surprising stat: Google grew by four ChatGPTs in 2024. Maurice White details the technical foundation that makes GEO work, while Chris Harihar explains why PR is now both top and bottom of the funnel. Gareth Cunningham ties it together with the reality that GEO only works when solid SEO fundamentals are in place. The shift isn't about producing more content. It's about strategic placement, quality sourcing, and building topical authority that AI engines trust. From structured data to brand mentions, from Google Business profiles to cited content, this episode provides a roadmap for 2026 and beyond. Featured Experts: Jon Gillham - Founder of Originality.ai shares proven strategies for LLM visibility and avoiding AI content detection. Listen to the full episode Patty Parobek - VP of AI and ML at Mod Op Transformation Breaks down the zero-click phenomenon and what it means for traffic strategies. Listen to the full episode Maurice White, Senior SEO Strategist at Mod Op, details the technical foundation required before GEO optimization works. Listen to the full episode Chris Harihar - EVP of PR at Mod Op explores how PR and SEO converge in the AI search era. Listen to the full episode Gareth Cunningham - Director of Search Experience at Mod Op explains why GEO only works on top of solid SEO fundamentals. Listen to the full episode This isn't about abandoning SEO. It's about evolving your strategy for how people actually research and buy today.

Is it possible to build community within AI? Can we challenge search engines to put humanity and the truth at the forefront of their outputs? According to Troy Snyder, astrology student turned entrepreneur, the answer is ... maybe. In this episode, Tessa Burg and Troy examine the balance between technology and humanity. They discuss the challenges of having AI determine what is “true,” how brands can stay authentic and build trust in an increasingly automated world, and even how to view AI through an astrology lens.  Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op.  About Troy Snyder: For more than three decades, Troy has operated at the frontier of digital innovation—helping to guide the evolution of streaming from early SD pipelines to HD, 4K, the first waves of VR, and early AI efforts—while studying the timeless frameworks that have shaped human understanding for thousands of years. Troy has led the creation of authentication systems, video CMS architectures, large-scale distribution networks and multiband rural wireless. He has also contributed to emerging AI-driven digital identity tools with Mebot.ai where “Human AI” and how we create true lifelike representations of self in the AI age is explored. Beyond his work in digital innovation, Troy is committed to long-term social impact. He serves as founder and chairman for Wonderful Foundations, a charity that owns and supports 27 schools serving more than 15,000 kids. This effort reflects Troy’s belief that technology and infrastructure should exist in service of human potential. In addition to being a technologist, Troy is also a practicing Vedic astrologer whose work spans invention, executive leadership, creative production, fundraising and systems engineering, always with an eye toward the deeper patterns that connect technology, people and purpose. About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].

When an advertising behemoth announces major restructuring plans and impending layoffs, you tend to sit up and listen.  In our latest episode of Lead(er) Generation, Host Tessa Burg talks with Patty Parobek, Mod Op’s Senior Vice President of AI Transformation, to discuss the latest Omnicom news and what this means for marketers and marketing technologists. No strangers to change, Tessa and Patty discuss the truths we must all face during difficult times, the opportunities that any change can bring and the skills that will win out in the end.   Leader Generation is hosted by Tessa Burg and brought to you by Mod Op.  About Patty Parobek: As Senior Vice President of AI Transformation, Patty leads Mod Op’s AI practice group, spearheading initiatives to maximize the value and scalability of AI-enabled solutions. Patty collaborates with the executive team to revolutionize creative, advertising and marketing projects for clients, while ensuring responsible AI practices. She also oversees AI training programs, identifies high-value AI use cases and measures implementation impact, providing essential feedback to Mod Op’s AI Council for continuous improvement. Patty can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected]. About Tessa Burg: Tessa is the Chief Technology Officer at Mod Op and Host of the Leader Generation podcast. She has led both technology and marketing teams for 15+ years. Tessa initiated and now leads Mod Op's AI/ML Pilot Team, AI Council and Innovation Pipeline. She started her career in IT and development before following her love for data and strategy into digital marketing. Tessa has held roles on both the consulting and client sides of the business for domestic and international brands, including American Greetings, Amazon, Nestlé, Anlene, Moen and many more. Tessa can be reached on LinkedIn or at [email protected].