Over the past decade, B2B marketing has quietly crossed a line.

Teams are under more pressure than ever. Technology is accelerating change. Buyer behaviour is increasingly unpredictable. And the expectation gap between marketing and the C-suite has widened.

But the best marketing teams are winning anyway.

Drawing on exclusive insight from the B2B Marketing Awards, the Propolis Index, and new research into how CEOs perceive marketing, Richard O’Connor reveals what’s really happening inside B2B marketing teams today.

Where are marketers genuinely driving growth?

Where are they still struggling to prove value?

And what separates the teams trusted by leadership from those still fighting for credibility?

This keynote unpacks the real state of the profession — and what it means for the marketers responsible for driving business performance.

Because one thing is clear: the role of marketing is changing.

The marketers who succeed will be those who operate as commercial marketers — connecting strategy, execution and revenue, and aligning their work with how the business defines growth.

You’ll leave with insight on:

• The biggest shifts shaping what really matters for the future of B2B marketing

• Where marketing is delivering genuine commercial impact — and where it’s falling short

• What high-performing teams do differently to earn trust and influence at leadership level