New skills, new mindset: Leading marketing in an AI future
MARKET VIEW
Sponsored by:
Produced by:
Elisabeth Quesseveur
Head of International Marketing at Creditsafe International
about
Elisabeth Quesseveur
Elisabeth Quesseveur leads marketing for Creditsafe International, the company's global entity serving markets outside its 16 head office countries. In this role, she is building the marketing function from the ground up, developing brand presence and driving lead generation across emerging markets worldwide. With a pragmatic approach to AI adoption and a focus on high-value content strategies, Elisabeth has demonstrated how strategic marketing can deliver quality leads through organic channels and intelligent resource allocation.
How are you using AI to accelerate market research and prospect intelligence, and what impact has this had on your marketing effectiveness?
When I launched marketing for our international entity, my target audience encompassed markets where we don't have an established head office presence. Many of these regions are unfamiliar territory. Commissioning traditional market research would require significant investment that isn't available at this stage of development.
AI is enabling me to build understanding of these markets systematically. I'm using it to identify pain points across different industries and key personas — particularly finance directors and C-level executives. Understanding the specific challenges within each market would have been considerably more difficult without these tools.
This intelligence is proving effective because it flows directly to our sales team. When leads arrive from these regions, the research informs their conversations and supports conversion. My approach has always been to test, observe and refine. You learn what works by doing.
How have you navigated AI tool selection within an organisation that has strict compliance requirements?
As a business information provider working with data daily, we operate under rigorous compliance standards. We coordinate with head office on certification and approved AI platforms to ensure alignment with our data protection obligations.
The challenge lies in determining where to apply these tools most effectively. My approach was methodical: I tested three different AI platforms using identical prompts and source material, then compared the outputs. Repeating this process helped me understand which tool performed best for specific purposes.
The results were instructive. Some platforms excel at research, others are stronger for content development, and some offer versatility without the same level of refinement. Copilot, for instance, has improved considerably over the past three years and delivers efficient, more accurate research outputs than before. For content development and brand-aligned copywriting, I rely on Claude, which maintains tone consistency and follows guidelines precisely.
There's a practical limit to how many tools one can evaluate thoroughly. I focus on those I know deliver results for my specific requirements, in addition to working with internal experts, using internal data and insights, and having sales conversations.
You've achieved lead generation through organic AI visibility without a paid search budget. What content approaches have driven these results?
My target audience of directors and C-level executives tends to be less responsive to traditional online advertising. They prioritise valuable content and demonstrated expertise when evaluating potential partners.
This has shaped my strategy. When content aligns with what senior decision-makers are actively seeking, AI-powered search surfaces it organically. The focus has shifted to ensuring our website content and channel presence match their research queries precisely.
The results have been encouraging. We're generating quality leads through AI channels without paid advertising spend. Rather than pursuing high volumes of broadly targeted traffic, we're seeing lower quantity but significantly higher quality engagement. This represents a meaningful shift in how we measure marketing effectiveness — the emphasis moves from reach to relevance.
For organisations evaluating their marketing investment, this balance between quantity and quality warrants careful consideration.
How is AI affecting collaboration between your sales and marketing teams?
The alignment between sales and marketing within our entity is strong — among the most effective I've experienced professionally. Our scale enables close working relationships, but AI has enhanced our collaboration in meaningful ways.
Previously, marketing automation processes could appear abstract to sales colleagues. Now that sales professionals are developing their own AI-powered workflows — building sequences that reflect their specific communication styles and account relationships — they've gained deeper appreciation for marketing methodology.
Elements that may have seemed peripheral before are now integral to their own processes. This shared understanding has strengthened communication between functions. Research gathered through AI feeds directly into sales conversations, supporting their ability to engage prospects with relevant, informed dialogue.
What will separate marketing leaders who navigate this AI transformation effectively from those who struggle?
Leaders who embrace AI thoughtfully will gain efficiency — that's an immediate and measurable benefit. While new technology can initially seem daunting, adopting it within appropriate boundaries for your industry and compliance framework delivers tangible results.
Those who resist risk falling behind and potentially allocating resources less effectively. Strategic adoption isn't optional for maintaining competitive positioning.
The fundamentals remain essential. As consumers, we all value receiving precisely what we need without unnecessary noise. When content directly addresses what a business is seeking, AI-powered platforms will surface it in results.
Effective content and search optimisation aligned with genuine buyer needs will be recognised and promoted. This approach is inherently cost-effective: lower cost per lead while reaching the right decision-makers with information they're actively seeking.
The opportunity lies in combining proven marketing principles with intelligent use of emerging tools — delivering value through relevance rather than volume.
about
Creditsafe
Creditsafe is a global business intelligence company providing credit reports, company data and risk insights to help organisations make informed decisions. Operating through head offices in 16 countries and serving markets worldwide through its international division, the company maintains strict GDPR compliance across all entities while delivering data-driven solutions to finance and procurement professionals globally.
About 6sense
6sense is on a mission to revolutionise the way B2B organisations create revenue by predicting customers most likely to buy and recommending the best course of action to engage anonymous buying teams. 6sense Revenue AI is the only sales and marketing platform to unlock the ability to create, manage and convert high-quality pipeline to revenue. Customers report 2X increases in average contract value, 4X increases in win rate and 20-40% reduction in time to close deals. Know everything, do anything, with 6sense.