Before You Build AI, Fix This First | Owning the Data Narrative with Ravi Shankar, CMO, Denodo

Ravi Shankar, CMO & SVP at Denodo, joins Mala Ramakrishnan to unpack how enterprise go-to-market has evolved in the age of AI—and why differentiation is no longer about deep tech, but about how you take it to market.With over a decade at Denodo and prior experience at Oracle and Informatica, Ravi shares how he scaled a global data company across 25+ countries and why product marketing sits at the core of every successful GTM strategy.The conversation dives into master data management (MDM), data virtualization, and the critical role of real-time, contextual, and governed data in making AI actually work. Ravi also breaks down how AI is reshaping marketing teams, from content generation to personalization, while reinforcing the importance of human judgment.If you’re a founder, CMO, or operator building in data, AI, or enterprise software, this episode is a practical guide to positioning, scaling, and winning in crowded markets._________________________________________00:00 Intro and why GTM is the new differentiation01:00 Ravi Shankar’s journey from engineer to CMO03:00 Transition from engineering to product marketing05:00 Scaling Denodo into a global company06:30 Why product marketing is the core of GTM08:00 Translating products into business value09:30 AI era: crowded markets and differentiation11:00 Core competency as the foundation of positioning12:30 Using AI in marketing: content and scale14:00 Human + AI vs autonomous marketing15:30 One-to-one marketing and personalization17:00 Data as the foundation for AI systems18:30 Real-time data, context, and governance20:00 AI-driven experimentation and A/B testing22:00 Enterprise GTM stack, tools, and team evolution_____________________________________________🔗 Connect with Ravi Shankar → https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishankardevaraj/🔗 Connect with Mala Ramakrishnan → https://www.linkedin.com/in/malaramakrishnan🎧 Subscribe to the podcastYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnL3D6aI60R-cCvypFIkh4ASpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NIDE4cT5fuVjC3HaGbCDK?si=eoSTNmhqQNKHQl9d1Jx0UQApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/malas-podcast/id1848618438Visit our Website: www.malaramakrishnan.com | www.founderscreative.ai