Q&A with Jeanne Hopkins, CMO at Lola.com

Company: Chemical
Location: Boston
Posted on: May 2, 2024

Job Description:

Q&A with Jeanne Hopkins, CMO at Lola.comOctober 24, 2019 Jeanne Hopkins, CMO at Lola.com has -profound expertise in data-driven, high-velocity customer acquisition and marketing organizations and inbound-based lead gen programs to support global demand for high-growth SaaS companies.

Jeanne is also -the co-author of "Go Mobile", the #1 best-selling mobile marketing book. She has been named to Sales Lead Management Association "Top 50" 3 years in a row and "20 Women to Watch" in 2015/14/13 & 2011.

MEDIA 7: What inspired you to get into marketing?
JEANNE HOPKINS: -After graduation, I took my first job in the accounting department at Baystate Medical Center. At my annual review, I was told that I was too "noisy" for an accounting department. I went on to work at Milton Bradley Company's in-house advertising agency, MB Communications, as editor of their in-house newspaper, and later recruited to LEGO Systems to do marketing programs. I found myself at a self-funded start-up tech company in 2000, where I was running an inside sales team and building digital properties to generate leads. I moved into software, digital marketing, and lead generation at companies like MarketingSherpa, then HubSpot, SmartBear, Ipswitch (now Progress Software) - it's all been a fantastic journey.

M7: How is agile technology transforming corporate travel around the globe?
JH: Small and mid-sized businesses have to be fast and efficient amidst growth, and booking, re-booking, and managing business travel can seriously impede efficiency and productivity. Finance teams are trying to manage, control, and get visibility into expenditures. Travelers are trying to do their jobs and don't have time for expense reports. And travel arrangers (executive assistants and office admins) have plenty on their plates. Finally, there are tools that are addressing these direct needs at small and mid-sized businesses. Consumers have had the ease of booking travel through sites like Kayak and big businesses can afford the services and fees associated with high-end travel agencies. But the middle segment has been left out. Now, agile tools like Lola.com are making it really easy for corporate travelers to book, re-book, and take the task of expense reports off the table. And finance teams are able to set up travel policies in minutes, and easily manage, control, and get visibility into expenditures. The corporate travel market is huge, and agile technology is making it much easier for travelers and companies all-around.

"The corporate travel market is huge, and agile technology is making it much easier for travelers and companies all-around." M7: How does Lola.com ensure a hassle-free modern business travel experience with transparent spending for its customers / business travelers?
JH: It's a simple super app to use. For travelers, it has a large inventory of flights and hotels that allows users to avoid having to go between tabs or other sites to compare fares, and it saves preferences, loyalty programs, and payment options in the same place. Traveler profiles are automatically stored so users can book with one click, and the 24/7 support team ensures easy booking and re-booking due to delays and cancellations. Seriously, when someone is in the air, missing their connection due to a delay, many times, Lola.com support has them re-booked on another flight before they land.

For finance personnel, a corporate travel policy can be set up in five minutes for more control over spending, and employees automatically know what they are allowed to book. Takes the guesswork out of the booking process. All data resides in one place so there is complete visibility into travel spend. And we integrate with other tools like Expensify - receipts are automatically sent to Expensify for easy expense tracking and reporting. No messing with receipts (or missing receipts either).

"For finance personnel, a corporate travel policy can be set up in five minutes for more control over spending, and employees automatically know what they are allowed to book." M7: What trends do you foresee in the 'Travel & Expense Software Market' in future?
JH: Certainly, we are seeing "Bleisure" travel on the rise - those looking to combine business travel with leisure time. Busy people who travel with their jobs want to get the most out a business trip, and many times, even look to extend a business trip last minute to enjoy the area or do something in particular. So companies are looking for faster, agile tools that can respond to quick changes in plans. Companies are also focusing more on keeping their travelers happy and productive on the road, and don't want them to get caught up in the red tape of corporate travel. So, the trend is simple, faster, more agile tools to make arranging and managing travel a great experience for all.

M7: As the co-author of 'Go Mobile', what tactics do you believe modern marketers must focus for successful mobile media marketing campaigns?
JH: That book was launched in 2012 and was probably ahead of its time. While at HubSpot seven years ago, I saw the growing influence of mobile search on our blog and website and wanted to make sure we recognized its impact. Today, marketers know that Google prioritizes mobile search and it is imperative to truly understand the need for content that can be delivered in a mobile setting. The ability to auto-fill a form is critical now. The ability to read your email and respond is imperative now. The ability to print from your phone is important - whether an eBook, a recipe or instructions. Your mobile device is your computer now. It wasn't perceived as that urgent a requirement until 18-24 months ago.

"Companies are focusing more on keeping their travelers happy and productive on the road, and don't want them to get caught up in the red tape of corporate travel. So, the trend is simple, faster, more agile tools to make arranging and managing travel a great experience for all." M7: What is your favorite part of working at Lola.com?
JH: The people. Transparently, everyone really values working alongside each other - all smart, motivated, driven, fun teammates who want to make Lola.com the best workplace ever. I take a quote from Netflix on how I feel, "Loosely coupled yet tightly aligned."

M7: What is your superpower or spirit animal?
JH: -GSD. I just like to get stuff done. I use lists, reminders, notes, etc. to try and stay on top of all that needs to be done. More than anything, I want my team and the company to be successful. I enjoy working, and I enjoy success and - most of all - I enjoy making mistakes and sharing what I did so that others realize that you won't die from a typo. It's all fun and I enjoy laughing most of all (remember, I am a loud individual).ABOUT LOLA.COMLola.com makes Agile Travel Management real by providing a super simple way to manage, book and report on business travel, saving employers and travelers time and money. Happy employee travel experiences within a policy can be set up in five minutes. Lola.com uses machine learning and 24/7 support to help travelers easily book trips, while empowering managers to create policies, view budgets and expenditures, and monitor their globetrotting team efficiently. Based in Boston, the company was founded in 2015 by Paul English, co-founder of the travel booking site KAYAK, and is led by CEO Mike Volpe, previously CMO at HubSpot. For more information, connect on LinkedIn , Twitter , Instagram and Facebook .Sangram Vajre, Co-Founder & Chief Evangelist at Terminus is also an author and host of the podcast FlipmyFunnel. He is one of the leading minds in B2B marketing.MEDIA 7: What are you passionate about?SANGRAM VAJRE: Three things: Lead professionally. Grow personally. Love family.M7: -Terminus has been recognized as one of Georgia's 40 fastest-growing companies by ACG Atlanta. What factors contribute to this pace?SV: -One of our core values is #OneTeam - which means we think and act as one team and know that if we treat our team right, they will treat our customers amazing. There are no great companies, only great people that make those companies.Andrea Lechner-Becker, Chief Marketing Officer at LeadMD is an experienced Marketing and Sales Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry.Skilled in Business Process, Marketo, Sales, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and IT Service Management, Andrea is also a strong business development professional and a storyteller.MEDIA 7: -What inspired you to get into marketing?ANDREA LECHNER: -Frankly, not having better options. I originally attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse thinking I'd major in Archaeology. I wanted to be Indiana Jones! But, after visiting the archaeology building - i.e. the cold, dark basement of the science building - where a girl sat to piece together pieces of an old Native American vase, I knew archaeology was not going to be the right path for me. And so, without being good at science and a major in art or art history was unlikely to pay my bills, I decided to go into "business". I originally registered as a management major, but took my first marketing class and thought it was more interesting and switched my sophomore year. That was pretty much it. I'd never been involved in business classes or DECA in high school - I didn't really know what to do or what jobs in marketing were even possible. I dumb lucked myself into it really.M7: As a storyteller, do you relate the brand to a story or story to the brand?AL: Both? Neither? I think there are stories in every brand, because there are people working on the brand and people engaging with the brand and people using what the brand creates. People, most often a single person, are at the heart of great stories.You can start with the "point" of the story you're trying to tell. Say you have a software that help accountants better create reports for board meetings. It's likely you'll want to tell a success story about an accountant getting promoted to CFO in part because your software helped better communicate their work product to the board. You could have the idea for that and go looking for that story in your customers. OR, you could hear that story, and say, "That's amazing!" and share it with customers, partners and internal people. Stories are all around us - the most important thing is to keep your ears and eyes open for finding them.Ed Breault, Chief Marketing Officer at Aprimo is a marketer with over 18 years of industry experience. At Aprimo, Ed -is responsible for the global brand and growth which includes all Paid/Owned/Earned media, Brand Experience, Product Marketing, Industry Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Strategic Communications, Content Marketing, Analyst Relations, Alliance Marketing, Public Relations, Events, Demand Generation and Account-Based Marketing.MEDIA 7: -What's your superpower?ED BREAULT: -I would say it's applying the full spectrum of art and science that is required in marketing today. Not just left or right brained, but whole-brained strategy. Being human yet data-driven and really understanding numbers and (the right) metrics to make connections to business drivers. Add storytelling to that, so I can effectively communicate to my team, the CEO and CFO as well as my Board of Directors on those metrics, and connecting all that we are doing in marketing to the mission of the business. Then quickly shifting gears to the art and creative aspects of marketing that are required to engage an audience and tell great commercial stories that take complex concepts and craft them in a way that is interesting for people to pay attention to. I have to be the ultimate point of truth for the brand.M7: -At Aprimo, how have marketing leadership roles and responsibilities evolved over the past few years?EB: There are so many dimensions needed by marketing leaders today. There are several elements driving this evolution, it's the new experience battlefront that is emerging and also marketers themselves driving changes. From a market perspective, there is a clear appetite for disruption and consumers are wanting more experiential elements to their buying experience and interactions with brands. Take a few direct to consumer disruptions like trialing products in-home, purchasing directly from a brand or even wanting to ensure that the producer's trade practices are in line with the buyer's or even a regulator's for that matter. Then we want to try before we buy, and we emotionally care about the supply chain of products. Do we TRUST this brand to do business with them? Behind all of this is a story that needs to be told, and it is those marketers who know their audience well and make connections that will win the commercial game.Back to the marketer, there are so many diverse backgrounds that marketers bring now and I'm really intrigued by those who have unconventional backgrounds because they contribute something uniquely new to the field. I love hearing about the marketer's journey.Leading eFuels provider Infinium and Amogy Inc. ("Amogy"), a pioneer of carbon-free, energy-dense power solutions, have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore opportunities to integrate their technologies and develop commercial applications across the eFuels and green ammonia value chain. Infinium and Amogy are also exploring collaborations with both Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group and SK Innovation for deployment of the integrated solution.To accelerate the decarbonization of heavy industry sectors, the companies will jointly study and identify the most suitable applications to deploy their eFuels and green ammonia solutions. A key focus of this collaboration is the potential integration of Amogy's ammonia-cracking technology to provide low-cost, accessible green hydrogen feedstock as an input to produce Infinium's eFuels.Infinium eFuels, also known as electrofuels or Power-to-X, are made from green hydrogen and waste carbon dioxide (CO2) in a proprietary process. Amogy's ammonia-cracking technology leverages its state-of-the-art catalyst materials to crack ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen at lower reaction temperatures with high durability, reducing heating and maintenance requirements.Upon identifying promising applications, Infinium and Amogy will initiate strategic pilot programs, showcasing tangible and scalable implementations of their clean technology solutions. The partnership also entails the evaluation of additional opportunities for collaboration within the eFuels and ammonia spaces, with a focus on the development of commercial use cases."Ingenuity and collaboration are critical to creating decarbonization solutions today. Our partnership with Amogy will go a long way toward helping advance our ability to rapidly scale the production of ultra-low carbon Infinium eFuels, including eSAF, eDiesel and eNaphtha," said Robert Schuetzle, CEO at Infinium."We are thrilled to forge this alliance with Infinium. By uniting our expertise and resources, we aim to unlock innovative opportunities that will pave the way for sustainable solutions," says Seonghoon Woo, CEO of Amogy. "This partnership reflects a shared commitment to accelerating technologies that can contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions in the heavy industry sectors."Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has invested in both Infinium and Amogy and is exploring potential collaboration for new solutions and applications in energy sector project development."Decarbonizing heavy industries requires numerous approaches that can concurrently and collaboratively help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions," said Ricky Sakai, Senior Vice President of New Business Development at MHI of America. "We are excited to see how Amogy's emission-free, energy-dense ammonia solution and Infinium's proprietary eFuels production process might be aligned to overcome challenges and accelerate the global availability of commercial decarbonization solutions."SK Trading International (SKTI) invests in solutions that contribute to addressing climate change and environmental pollution and is an investor in Infinium while its parent company SK Innovation has invested in Amogy."Our global goals to slow the warming of the planet require significant efforts so they can quickly scale, find synergies, and explore new pathways," said Hyunchol Park, Managing Director and Head of Global Trading at SKTI. "Infinium and Amogy are leaders in their progress and proven solutions, and I believe their partnership will result in the identification of breakthrough opportunities to expand and grow access to cleaner fuels."About InfiniumInfinium is an electrofuels provider on a mission to decarbonize the world. Electrofuels are a new class of synthetic fuels made using renewable power and waste carbon dioxide, not petroleum or resources needed to produce food. Infinium electrofuels can be dropped into existing trucks, planes and ships, significantly reducing harmful carbon dioxide emissions compared to fossil-based fuels. In addition to helping the transport industry meet carbon reduction goals, Infinium electrofuels are a lower carbon alternative for chemical processing, including plastics production.About AmogyFounded in 2020, Amogy is on a mission to unlock the potential of ammonia as a clean energy source, accelerating the global journey to Net Zero and sustaining future generations. With a presence in Brooklyn, Houston, Norway, and Singapore, Amogy is developing fully integrated ammonia-to-power systems to enable the decarbonization of the hard-to-abate sectors, such as shipping, power generation, and heavy-duty transportation.LyondellBasell and MSI Technology, LLC announced they have entered into an agreement for MSI Technology to serve the LyondellBasell Polybutene-1 (PB-1) resin line into consumer packaging applications for North America. MSI Technology is also the sales representative for the LyondellBasell Plexar product line. The expansion of the relationship is a strategic fit relative to the markets MSI Technology serves today. MSI Technology will use its technical sales approach combined with its current specialty product portfolio to enhance offerings to customers in consumer packaging.LyondellBasell PB-1 resins are commonly used in consumer packaging applications for easy-open packaging and film modification for seal initiation temperature providingBroad seal-peel temperature rangeConsistent and reproducible peel performanceAdjustable peel force to end-use requirementsSimilar initiation and propagation peel force"Whitening" with "Smooth & Clean" peel surfaceGood seal integrityEasy processabilityUsable in blown film, cast film, extrusion coating and sheet extrusion"At LyondellBasell, we're passionate about creating solutions for everyday sustainable living," said Palmer Giddings, vice president Polymers at LyondellBasell. "Collaborating with MSI Technology on innovative packaging solutions is a major step forward in achieving that goal.""We are thrilled to expand our collaboration with LyondellBasell," said Brian McCaghy, president of MSI Technology. "The PB-1 resins align perfectly with our mission to provide specialty polymers and solutions to the packaging industry."The PB-1 resin line is part of MSI Technology's product offerings. The company also provides clients with access to dedicated sales and technical service specialists who provide guidance on technical resin selection to meet customer requirements.About LyondellBasellWe are LyondellBasell - a leader in the global chemical industry creating solutions for everyday sustainable living. Through advanced technology and focused investments, we are enabling a circular and low carbon economy. Across all we do, we aim to unlock value for our customers, investors and society. As one of the world's largest producers of polymers and a leader in polyolefin technologies, we develop, manufacture and market high-quality and innovative products for applications ranging from sustainable transportation and food safety to clean water and quality healthcare.About MSI Technology, LLCMSI Technology specializes in the sales, marketing, and development of specialty polymers. Our product lines include: Plexar tie-layer adhesives (manufactured by LyondellBasell), SPS peelable sealants, and SpeciPurge purging compound. MSI Technology and its sister company, Soarus LLC, are located in Arlington Heights, IL. Soarus markets Soarnol), ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Group) into North and Latin America. The two companies together provide sales and technical service for specialty polymers focused on the packaging market.Headquartered in Luxembourg, ChemChain's proprietary IP and technology will bring an expanded, innovative approach to further augment 3E's Supply Chain & Sustainability solution, 3E Exchange. 3E Exchange's unified supply chain platform helps customers organize their global library of supply chain data and streamline workflows in a scalable and compliant manner. Specifically, 3E leverages its market leading digital product passport and renowned regulatory content capabilities to drive best-in-class supply chain management for its growing list of customers. Together, 3E and ChemChain are united in their mission to accelerate global supply chain transparency and sustainability with a unique combination of technology and regulatory expertise."ChemChain and 3E share a vision to create a safer, more sustainable world that protects people, safeguards products, and helps businesses grow," said Greg Gartland, Chief Executive Officer of 3E. "Together with ChemChain, 3E offers an unmatched combination of global regulatory expertise and a cutting-edge platform that dramatically simplifies transferring information along the value chain in a transparent and secure manner. 3E improves cross-functional engagement across global enterprises, and future-proofs products against ever-changing regulations. We look forward to the continued expansion of our supply chain solutions and empowering our clients to further accelerate their sustainability efforts."With 175,000+ supplier relationships across all major geographies, the 3E Exchange platform drives a strong return-on-investment for its customers. Powered by 3E's market leading regulatory expertise covering over 500,000 chemical substances, 3E Exchange enables superior supply chain management while also advancing companies' ESG objectives. Continued momentum towards sustainable supply chains has highlighted that preparing for a circular economy should be a critical component of every company's product strategy.Pete Girard, Managing Director of Supply Chain and Sustainability at 3E, said "The acquisition of ChemChain illustrates our continued focus on supply chain product innovation and thought leadership. The ChemChain team has incubated a novel and tech-forward approach to drive digital product passport adoption, and we look forward to integrating these technologies into 3E Exchange.""The highly scalable digital product passport model offers a single source of truth that underpins sustainable supply chain management, while ensuring maximum protection of company trade secrets" added Lorenzo Zullo, Co-Founder and CEO of ChemChain. "As part of 3E, and leveraging tracked experience in end-to-end supply chain transparency across multiple industries, including textile & clothing, furniture, and detergents, ChemChain will accelerate innovation and position customers for success in the face of a highly complex and dynamic global regulatory landscape."ChemChain represents 3E's fourth acquisition announcement since its separation from Verisk in March 2022.Shearman & Sterling LLP served as the legal advisor to 3E. Cambrian and Elev8law served as the legal advisors to ChemChain.About 3EFor more than 35 years the world's leading companies have trusted 3E to provide the intelligent compliance solutions they need to ensure safety and sustainability. Unmatched Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability (EHS&S) and product compliance expertise empowers clients to improve chemical and workplace safety, product safety and stewardship and supply chain transparency. 3E is deeply committed to serving its more than 5,000 customers worldwide, representing a wide variety of industries and including the world's largest chemical manufacturers, retailers and pharmaceutical companies.About ChemChainChemChain is a trusted, decentralized, and globally accepted infrastructure that enables customers to build, exchange, store, and track chemical-related information along the supply chain. ChemChain's proprietary architecture, underpinned by blockchain technology, facilitates a scalable and tamper-proof digital product passport environment.Lola.com makes Agile Travel Management real by providing a super simple way to manage, book and report on business travel, saving employers and travelers time and money. Happy employee travel experiences within a policy can be set up in five minutes. Lola.com uses machine learning and 24/7 support t...
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