194. Frida Ahrenby, CMO, Rillion – From Zero to 10: How Frida Ahrenby Built a Lean, High-Output Marketing Team at Rillion
Description
In this episode, we’re joined by Frida Ahrenby, CMO at Rillion, the AP automation platform expanding aggressively in the US with a new Austin hub. Frida breaks down how she rebuilt marketing from zero to a lean, 10-person, high-output team, starting with a performance+ops backbone, overhauling content/SEO, and leaning hard into field marketing for CFO buyers, while keeping creativity human in an AI-accelerated org.
We spoke with Frida about sequencing the first hires, structuring around three pods (Demand Gen incl. Field, Brand/Content/Design, Product & Customer Marketing), and using AI to multiply output without outsourcing originality. She shares how to avoid silos and title inflation, decide what must be owned in-house to truly own the number, and what it really takes to crack the US market from a European base.
Here are some of the key questions we address:
How do you build a lean, unsiloed marketing org that still scales output (and keeps standards high) with AI in the mix?
What’s the exact hiring sequence from a blank slate: why start with performance/ops, then content/SEO, then expand demand?
Own it in-house or outsource? A simple rule for speed, agility, and true metric ownership and when agencies still help.
Which marketing roles will compress vs. which remain decisively human in the AI era?
What skills win now: how to hire for smart, analytical, creative demand gen, and deeply curious content that drives revenue?
🎧 Tune in to hear how Frida designed a tighter, faster marketing engine and why cracking the US is a marathon you run with data, creativity, and relentless focus, not headcount.
United States
