AI is important, but it is not the only innovation story worth paying attention to.
Earlier this week at EBAN Congress 2026 in Vilnius, I was reminded how different innovation conversations can feel depending on where you are standing.
In the U.S., it can sometimes feel like every conversation bends toward AI. In Lithuania and across the Baltic region, the energy felt different.
The focus was closer to the ground: defense, security, borders, clean tech, and resilience.
That perspective matters.
#EBANCongress2026 #LithuaniaStartups #BalticStartups #StartupEcosystem #Founders #Investors #Leadership #Innovation #CleanTech #DefenseTech #GlobalPerspective
Honored to share that my work as Head of Marketing at Phison Electronics USA has been recognized with a finalist nomination for Ragan Communications and PR Daily's Marketing Awards 2026.
What makes this recognition meaningful to me is that the work behind it was about building something that did not exist before.
When I stepped into leadership at Phison in 2020, there was no unified global marketing and communications function.
Over the past few years, I helped build the team of experts that make up a corporate marketing department, create the processes, launch Phison Blog, develop the content and executive thought leadership strategy, and define what showing up more consistently and aligned across social platforms meant for company's visibility. All of which built the foundation to start implementing some AI amplified processes for the team to further scale their skills and for the company to be found in searches.
One of my proudest moments was leading the launch of Pascari, Phison’s enterprise SSD brand, and helping it stand out in the storage market.
Grateful to the teams, executives, partners, and mentors who trusted me to help shape this transformation.
Looking forward to the awards ceremony in New York City on June 18.
And yes… the former Lithuanian TV anchor in me still finds moments like this a little surreal :)
Most companies focus on what customers see.
Few pay attention to what customers run into once they’re ready to say YES.
You can invest in great brand and great storytelling.
But if the moment someone hits a clunky internal process, a slow approval loop, or a confusing handoff, everything you built before that point loses credibility.
When companies are in transition, growth, restructuring, scale, AI adoption, the instinct is often to fix what’s visible first. New tools. New messaging. New channels.
But the real work starts inside.
I look at businesses through the lens of my 3Ps framework:
• People: who owns what, how teams are structured, and whether leadership and teams are actually aligned
• Process: how information flows, how decisions get made, and where friction quietly slows everything down
• Presence: how the company shows up externally, and whether that presence reflects reality
Because external presence will always mirror internal reality.
And you can’t scale clarity on top of friction.
Most leaders already feel this. They just haven’t slowed down enough to name it.
#chiefofstaff #cmo #fractionalcmo #executivepresence
This is how I think about organizations.
People are the foundation.
Process is the structure.
Presence is the roof.
Most companies try to fix the roof first.
More visibility. More content. More tools. More AI.
But when the foundation is shaky or the structure is weak, everything on top becomes fragile.
Process can’t hold if people aren’t clear on roles, ownership, and decision-making.
Presence can’t be trusted if it isn’t backed by how the company actually operates inside.
AI doesn’t fix this.
It just puts pressure on every layer at once.
If the people aren’t aligned, AI exposes it.
If the process is broken, AI accelerates it.
If the presence doesn’t reflect reality, AI amplifies the gap.
That’s why I always start at the bottom and work up.
Not because it’s slower.
Because it’s the only way things hold.
Structure first.
Then scale.
Clarity isn’t created on the surface.
It’s built into the system.
Before investing in more visibility or AI tools, a 2-minute 3Ps Presence Check can tell you if the structure underneath is ready. LInk in comments
https://t.co/zPxavaxEgO
AI is not transforming marketing.
It's exposing how unprepared most organizations are to scale communication with clarity.
At the Gartner CMO Symposium, one stat stuck with me:
94% of marketing leaders are using generative AI—but mostly for surface-level tasks like social copy, email subject lines, and A/B testing.
(Source: “people and tech 12pm June 4.docx” – Gartner campaign management survey)people and tech 12pm Ju…
Meanwhile…
Less than half of CMOs are using AI for evaluation and reporting, even though they cite that as AI’s most valuable application.
(Same source)people and tech 12pm Ju…
This gap reveals a deeper issue—it’s not about AI capability.
It’s about structural readiness.
In my role as both Chief of Staff and CMO, I see this disconnect every day:
✔️ Marketing teams are overwhelmed by campaign volume (Gartner reported the average is 209/year).
✔️ Data lives in silos—across brand, product, sales, and ops.
✔️ Leadership wants results, but the system isn’t designed to deliver insight—just output.
AI won’t fix that.
But it can scale what’s already working—if the process is sound.
So what does that mean for organizations today?
As I often tell exec teams I work with:
Before you invest in more AI tools, audit your comms architecture.
🧭 Are your internal teams aligned on message, metrics, and outcomes?
🔁 Are your workflows built to generate insight, not just execution?
👥 Are your people trained to ask the right questions of AI—not just prompt it?
The companies that win in this AI era won’t be the ones who use it first.
They’ll be the ones who structure for scale—and humanize their presence along the way.
AI isn’t transforming marketing. It’s exposing the mess.
At the Gartner CMO Symposium, one stat hit hard:
94% of marketing leaders are using generative AI—but mostly for surface-level tasks.
Think: social copy, email subject lines, A/B testing.
(Source: Gartner Campaign Management Survey, June 2024)
Meanwhile...
Fewer than half use AI for evaluation and reporting—even though they name that as its most valuable use case.
Same survey. Same disconnect.
This isn’t a tech problem.
It’s an operating system problem.
In dual roles as Chief of Staff and CMO, I see it daily:
Teams buried under campaign volume—Gartner says the average is 209/year.
Data scattered across brand, product, sales, and ops.
Leadership pushing for outcomes—on systems built for output.
AI won’t fix that.
But it can scale what’s already solid—if the process is sound.
So before you greenlight another AI tool, audit your comms architecture:
Are teams aligned on message, metrics, and momentum?
Are your workflows designed to surface insight—not just push content?
Are your people equipped to challenge AI—not just prompt it?
The real winners?
Not the ones who adopt AI fastest.
The ones who design for clarity—and scale with humanity.
Drumroll… it finally arrived.
Seeing your work featured on a printed magazine cover hits differently than a digital format.
You flip through it and think: “Okay… this is real.”
Grateful to be included in The Official Top 100 Magazine Innovators and Entrepreneurs and to see the story come to life beyond a screen.
I fed five tools a 100% AI-generated piece of content.
Three called it “human.” Of course AI-checkers have become more sophisticated. Nonetheless, I personally still have hard time trusting them.
Yes, AI can sound human. But does it feel human?
People don't just want polish anymore. They want realness.
If your content is just a copy paste, you risk to damage reputation and reduce brand loyalty.
This is what I care about: Humanization. Relatability. Realness.
Greg and I talk about humanized brand and leader presence. You can listen to the full interview here:
The future isn’t human vs. machine. It’s human-led systems that are clear enough for AI to amplify efficiencies and not confuse.
Everyone’s worried about AI replacing jobs.
But why don't we ask: What happens when AI scales your internal chaos?
Because it will. AI doesn’t fix dysfunction. It makes it bigger.
Before adding AI to your operations you should first ask:
– Do your teams know who owns what responsibilities?
– Is your messaging aligned from exec decks to social posts?
– Are your workflows built for clarity or stuck in constant confusion and bottleneck mode?
A broken foundation will prevent technology from saving your company. Human-led structure will prepare you for AI future.
Are you ready for that? Or are you just accelerating the confusion?
It’s about designing better systems that are human-centered, tech-supported, and sustainable.
Schedule a free consultation with me to assess the need for dive deep into broken links in your organization. https://t.co/gXkJzkV02t
I don’t just assess one problem - I assess the foundation and health of the whole system on an organizational or departmental level.
When your people are unclear, your process is inefficient, and your presence is fragmented, AI won’t fix it. But alignment of the 3Ps will be a good starting point.
The importance of communication cannot be overstated, especially for growth-stage companies. A clear and consistent message is crucial for keeping teams aligned towards the vision.