Why Would A CEO Give IT Responsibility To The Chief Marketing Officer?

A common challenge for contemporary companies is to align functions. And it is especially challenging when trying to integrate the engineering, process-oriented IT function with the more agile, market-oriented marketing/sales functions. While companies are testing and trying different structures to drive collaboration, integration, and results, one unique approach that Delta Dental has adopted is to integrate the functions under a trained marketer. To better understand how this shift occurred and the benefits, I spoke with Kristin Merlo, Chief Marketing, Sales, and IT Officer for Delta Dental of Washington.