Influential Leaders in CRM: The CRM Market Awards 2018

Our Influential Leader awards spotlight industry figures who are showing the way forward in the sales and marketing realms, and our three honorees ably demonstrate it. Here we have a young entrepreneur who’s pairing social media influencers with the companies that can capitalize on them; a technology guru who’s helped a CRM vendor become a one-stop shop with rich and innovative integrations; and a seasoned executive who’s put himself, and his company, at the forefront of digital transformation. Join us in celebrating their achievements.

No one knows the potential of influencer marketing better than Bryan Gold, CEO of #paid, a company he cofounded with a childhood friend right after graduating from the University of Western Ontario in 2014. The two, who are barely 25 years of age, came up with the idea for the company after realizing that a friend had 100,000 followers on Instagram but no way to cash in on all that popularity. The Toronto-based company’s mission, as stated by Gold, is “democratizing access to the world’s most inspiring creators and empowering them to make a living doing what they love.” Go here to find out how.

Self-described “technology guy” Dharmesh Shah is the software guru behind HubSpot, a company he cofounded with current CEO Brian Halligan in 2006. Shah serves as the Cambridge, Mass.-based company’s chief technology officer and has largely been responsible for many of the company’s moves toward becoming a top provider of all-in-one software for inbound marketing and sales. Click here to read more about the many initiatives Shah has spearheaded. 

Pegasystems has experienced tremendous success in recent years, thanks to the efforts of its chairman and CEO, Alan Trefler. The company’s stock is up considerably, and businesses are increasingly adopting its software. But where the company that Trefler founded in 1983 has really shone of late is in its focus on digital transformation, as it has placed a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies such as blockchain. Read more about Trefler's transformative efforts here.