Executive Guidance

Offering insights from Toptal’s key industry and consulting executives, the Executive Guidance blog is a hub for in-depth analysis of trends, strategies, and technologies that can help business leaders gain a competitive edge.

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The Executive’s Guide to Using an SEO Audit for Strategic Growth

An SEO audit based on executive input can set your company up for sustainable growth and offer resilience in a volatile search landscape.

11-minute readContinue Reading
Jeff Gangemi

Jeff Gangemi

Jeff is the Growth and Digital Marketing Practice Lead at Toptal. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and an MBA from Cornell University with an emphasis in leadership and innovation. Jeff has spent the past 15 years building demand generation, content marketing, and digital programs that drive meaningful transformation and growth for both internal teams and external clients. Before joining Toptal, he held senior management roles at Accenture Song, Material, and Telus International.

The Ideal Marketing Agency Structure: Key Roles for Maximum Growth

Toptal parsed key hiring data to discover today’s most in-demand marketing agency roles and skill sets. Use the knowledge to inform your agency’s structure and recruit the bench of freelancers you need to grow your business.

7-minute readContinue Reading
Jeff Gangemi

Jeff Gangemi

Jeff is the Growth and Digital Marketing Practice Lead at Toptal. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and an MBA from Cornell University with an emphasis in leadership and innovation. Jeff has spent the past 15 years building demand generation, content marketing, and digital programs that drive meaningful transformation and growth for both internal teams and external clients. Before joining Toptal, he held senior management roles at Accenture Song, Material, and Telus International.

Two Paths to AI Innovation: Claude 3 on AWS vs. ChatGPT on Azure

Claude 3’s integration with AWS infrastructure is reshaping enterprise AI adoption and challenging OpenAI’s market dominance. Here’s what business leaders need to know as they evaluate their cloud and AI strategies.

12-minute readContinue Reading
TJ Urglavitch

TJ Urglavitch

TJ is the Cloud Services Practice Lead at Toptal. He has more than a decade of leadership experience in the hosting and cloud services industry and guides clients through the complexities of cloud computing adoption and transformation.

Cloud Cost Optimization: A Strategic Framework to Lower Costs and Increase Efficiency

Many companies overpay for cloud services. These cloud cost optimization techniques will help you negotiate favorable terms and discounts with your cloud provider and maximize efficiency.

7-minute readContinue Reading
TJ Urglavitch

TJ Urglavitch

TJ has more than a decade of leadership experience in the hosting and cloud services industry and guides clients through the complexities of cloud computing adoption and transformation. He holds a degree in accounting from Delaware County Community College and accreditations for both Scrum and the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).

3 Emerging AI Security Practices for Proactive Cyber Defense

Implementing AI can lead to significant new risks for organizations. Two information security leaders explain how improving governance, loss prevention, and monitoring can help CISOs strengthen their defenses.

7-minute readContinue Reading
Michael Figueroa

Michael Figueroa

Michael is a seasoned information security leader with experience at the Advanced Cyber Security Center and Toptal. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in high-tech crime investigations from George Washington University.

Rethinking B2B Marketing: The Power of Brand in Long-Term Growth

Discover how Evidenza co-founder and former global head of development of The B2B Institute at LinkedIn, Peter Weinberg is redefining B2B marketing by challenging conventional wisdom. In this episode of the Executive Guidance podcast, Peter shares insights on the balance between brand and performance marketing and why distinctiveness—not just differentiation—is the key to long-term success.

43-minute episodeLearn More
Jeff Gangemi

Jeff Gangemi

This episode’s host, Jeff Gangemi, is the Growth and Digital Marketing Practice Lead at Toptal. Jeff has spent the past 15 years building demand generation, content marketing, and digital programs that drive meaningful transformation and growth for both internal teams and external clients.

Insights on Building Content-Driven, Agile Marketing Teams at Airbnb, Salesforce, and Logitech

Discover how Logitech marketing leader Hayley Nelson is reshaping content strategy using agile principles, newsroom-style storytelling, and deep customer insights. In this episode of the Executive Guidance podcast, she shares lessons from Salesforce, Airbnb, and Logitech on building high-impact content marketing teams that drive trust and engagement.

39-minute episodeLearn More
Jeff Gangemi

Jeff Gangemi

This episode’s host, Jeff Gangemi, holds an MBA from Cornell University. He has spent the past 15 years building demand generation, content marketing, and digital programs that drive meaningful transformation and growth for both internal teams and external clients.

Reinventing Gifting: Inside Edible’s eCommerce Transformation

Discover how Edible’s VP of eCommerce, Erica Randerson, is driving bold brand transformation and redefining the gifting experience through data, AI, and innovation on this episode of the Executive Guidance podcast.

23-minute episodeLearn More
Jeff Gangemi

Jeff Gangemi

This episode’s host, Jeff Gangemi, holds an MBA from Cornell University. He has spent the past 15 years building demand generation, content marketing, and digital programs that drive meaningful transformation and growth for both internal teams and external clients.

Cybersecurity in Digital Transformation: Insights from Inside Google Cloud

Discover how agile cybersecurity practices and workforce enablement can drive digital transformation and safeguard businesses in this episode of the Executive Guidance podcast.

54-minute episodeLearn More
Michael Figueroa

Michael Figueroa

This episode’s host, Michael Figueroa, leads a global consulting practice that disrupts traditional hiring by matching Toptal talent with leading companies. Previously, he served as president of the Advanced Cyber Security Center and held various other roles in security and government advisory.

B2B Marketing: Keys to Innovation and Growth in B2B SaaS

Uncover strategies for thriving in the B2B SaaS world and fostering lasting customer connections on this episode of the Executive Guidance podcast.

32-minute episodeLearn More
Jeff Gangemi

Jeff Gangemi

This episode’s host, Jeff Gangemi, holds an MBA from Cornell University. He has spent the past 15 years building demand generation, content marketing, and digital programs that drive meaningful transformation and growth for both internal teams and external clients.

AI and Cybersecurity: Challenges and Opportunities

Discover how AI, cybersecurity, and public-private collaboration are transforming government technology and workforce efficiency on this episode of the Executive Guidance podcast.

54-minute episodeLearn More
Michael Figueroa

Michael Figueroa

This episode’s host, Michael Figueroa, leads a global consulting practice that disrupts traditional hiring by matching Toptal talent with leading companies. Previously, he served as president of the Advanced Cyber Security Center and held various other roles in security and government advisory.

Cybersecurity Insights: Proactive Thinking, Ad Platform Safety, and More

Tune into this episode of the Executive Guidance podcast for a deep dive into cutting-edge cybersecurity strategies, securing advertising platforms against digital threats, and the challenge of recruiting top cybertalent.

35-minute episodeLearn More
Michael Figueroa

Michael Figueroa

This episode’s host, Michael Figueroa, leads a global consulting practice that disrupts traditional hiring by matching Toptal talent with leading companies. Previously, he served as president of the Advanced Cyber Security Center and held various other roles in security and government advisory.

Marketing Spotlight: Building Brands With Product-led Storytelling

Discover how bold product innovation and product-led storytelling can transform brands and enhance customer experiences on this episode of the Executive Guidance podcast.

41-minute episodeLearn More
Jeff Gangemi

Jeff Gangemi

This episode’s host, Jeff Gangemi, holds an MBA from Cornell University. He has spent the past 15 years building demand generation, content marketing, and digital programs that drive meaningful transformation and growth for both internal teams and external clients.

Finding the Best Marketing Channels for Your Small Business: A Strategic Guide to Increasing ROI

Small businesses cannot afford to think small with marketing. Toptal’s Growth and Digital Marketing Practice Lead outlines five steps to guide decision-makers in selecting the most effective marketing channels.

10-minute readContinue Reading
Jeff Gangemi

Jeff Gangemi

Jeff is the Growth and Digital Marketing Practice Lead at Toptal. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and an MBA from Cornell University with an emphasis in leadership and innovation. Jeff has spent the past 15 years building demand generation, content marketing, and digital programs that drive meaningful transformation and growth for both internal teams and external clients. Before joining Toptal, he held senior management roles at Accenture Song, Material, and Telus International.

The Creative Advantage: How Leading Brands Drive Demand With Innovative Marketing Strategies

Don’t let data-centric marketing overshadow creative innovation. Toptal’s Growth and Digital Marketing Practice Lead shares fresh—and refreshed—approaches for creative marketing in the digital age.

10-minute readContinue Reading
Jeff Gangemi

Jeff Gangemi

Jeff is the Growth & Digital Marketing Practice Lead at Toptal. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and an MBA from Cornell University with an emphasis in leadership and innovation. Jeff has spent the past 15 years building demand generation, content marketing, and digital programs that drive meaningful transformation and growth for both internal teams and external clients. Before joining Toptal, he held senior management roles at Accenture Song, Material, and Telus International.

The 4 Crucial Stages of Successful Generative AI Integration

Adoption of Gen AI is on the rise, but research suggests that only 10% of companies are successfully scaling their AI initiatives. In this article, an artificial intelligence and data analytics leader explains the key steps organizations must take to achieve their AI ambitions.

8-minute readContinue Reading
Chas Stikeleather

Chas Stikeleather

Chas Stikeleather is an artificial intelligence and data analytics leader with experience at Bain & Company and Toptal. He has spent most of his career helping Fortune 500 companies, private equity firms, and SMBs across industries to optimize their data. Chas holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stetson University and a master’s degree in analytics from North Carolina State University.

Elevating Developer Experience in Cloud Computing: A Strategic Guide for Organizational Leaders

Propel your company’s cloud technology with a superior DevEx strategy. Toptal’s Cloud Services Practice Lead explains how to achieve faster delivery of services and increased user satisfaction.

9-minute readContinue Reading
TJ Urglavitch

TJ Urglavitch

TJ has more than a decade of leadership experience in the hosting and cloud services industry and guides clients through the complexities of cloud computing adoption and transformation. He holds a degree in accounting from Delaware County Community College and accreditations for both Scrum and the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).

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