This Refugee's Journey to CMO of Appian Was Anything but Typical

Denise Broady started out as a programmer and now holds a top marketing job

Denise Broady is the kind of new-school chief marketer that today’s companies covet—one with a deep knowledge of tech. But just a few decades ago, her journey from programmer to CMO at low-code platform Appian wouldn’t make sense.  

Broady’s career trajectory veered from the traditional in many ways. For one, she’s served in two different C-suite roles. “I’ve been a COO twice and a CMO twice,” she said.

But she didn’t begin in either field and viewed her first post-graduate role in tech as a means to an end: transcending poverty.

In 1979, at age 5, she fled Vietnam with her mother and brother.

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This story first appeared in the May 9, 2022, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.