Sitecore has formed a strategic partnership with Gradial AI to automate and streamline the creation and execution of marketing campaigns.
The collaboration will integrate Gradial's AI-powered orchestration platform with Sitecore's digital experience platform to automate the execution layer for marketing teams. This integration aims to transform marketing briefs into live campaigns without manual handoffs or delays, thereby reducing dependence on additional tools and complex workflows.
Partnership aims
Many marketing teams are hampered by fragmented systems that create inefficiencies and slow down campaign execution. By joining forces, Sitecore and Gradial aim to solve these challenges by simplifying marketing operations and enhancing the capability for rapid, data-driven campaign delivery.
Eric Stine, Chief Executive Officer of Sitecore, said,
"Gradial brings a unique blend of engineering precision and marketing empathy. Their AI-powered orchestration capabilities enhance Sitecore's composable digital experience platform by automating the execution layer marketers need most to deliver the kinds of personal, predictive experiences that drive leads and revenue growth, but which historically have been costly and laborious. Together, we're helping marketers move faster and smarter, using AI to transform delivery and stay anchored in creativity and brand purpose."
Doug Tallmadge, Chief Executive Officer of Gradial, added his perspective on how the partnership addresses existing industry shortcomings, stating,
"At Gradial, we see content operations as a systems challenge – complex, dynamic, and in need of intelligent automation. Sitecore's vision for agentic AI aligns perfectly with our mission: to build adaptive systems that do the heavy lifting, so marketers can lead with insight, not infrastructure. Together, we're enabling a new era of marketing execution that is precise, scalable, and deeply human."
Executive appointments
Alongside the partnership, Sitecore announced several changes to its executive leadership team, aiming to bring deeper expertise in AI, cloud computing, and customer experience to the organisation.
Michael Bannon has been named President and Chief Administrative Officer, overseeing strategy, people, finance, legal, and enterprise technology. He was previously Chief Financial Officer and has a background spanning high-growth technology firms, private equity, and investment banking.
The company has also appointed Michelle Boockoff-Bajdek as Chief Marketing Officer. She previously held the position of CMO at IBM Watson and IDC, where she was instrumental in introducing new brand identities and AI initiatives. Sitecore notes that she is a frequent speaker on marketing leadership and purpose-led growth.
Boockoff-Bajdek is expected to advance Sitecore's communication around AI in marketing. Her experience at IBM Watson saw her overseeing the Watson brand and helping the marketplace to understand the impact of AI. At IDC, she aligned brand, demand, and strategy and drove the firm's GenAI initiatives.
Dave Tilbury joins as Chief Operating Officer, bringing over two decades of international business experience. Most recently serving as EVP and Chief Sales Officer at Capgemini, Tilbury will now oversee Sitecore's sales and marketing functions, as well as pre-sales, revenue operations, customer support, and the delivery of customer value.
AI focus
Sitecore's new executive team is described as being focused on empowering marketers to create personalised and effective customer experiences. The partnership with Gradial forms part of Sitecore's stated commitment to agentic AI, a domain where AI not only offers recommendations but takes action on behalf of the marketer.
The company now aims to simplify and accelerate campaign delivery, helping marketers spend more time on creative and strategic work and less on operational tasks.
This partnership represents Sitecore's move to support marketers with AI-powered automation, while leadership hires reflect a broader focus on growth and digital experience in the evolving marketing landscape.