Ella Rebbitt

In B2B tech, “brand” is often viewed as an after thought, something unimportant sitting far from revenue. But what if brand is actually the thing that accelerates growth the fastest?

In this episode of Crossing the Pond, Richard Cook speaks with Alan Edwards - marketing consultant, scale-up advisor, and Senior Director of Marketing for EMEA & APAC at Agilysys. With experience at IBM, Sun Microsystems, Peer 1, and high-growth tech companies across the globe, Alan has seen firsthand how brand clarity separates the winners from the runner-up.

He breaks down why a strong brand is more than a logo: it’s differentiation, authority, and reputation - what AI models and buyers use to decide who matters.

Five Lessons for B2B Leaders Who Think Brand Can Wait

Alan has led teams through both hyper-growth and crunch-time environments - and shares his message to revenue-driven organisations:

  • Brand is the differentiator
    When every competitor looks the same, clarity of purpose is what makes a customer choose you - and why they remember your name later.
  • Short-term thinking holds companies back
    End-of-quarter panic can kill long-term opportunity. Marketing must protect brand momentum even when sales pressure spikes
  • Earned media is the secret weapon
    Third-party validation builds authority. Editorial coverage is more trustworthy, believable - and importantly more powerful - than anything a brand says about itself
  • AI raises the stakes
    Search and discovery now depend on authoritative content. Brands invisible to the media risk being invisible to AI-driven buyers too.

Events work when strategic
Don’t show up because everyone else is there - show up with a story to tell and a reason for people to care.

Why It Matters

Alan shares: if you don’t manage your brand, the market will decide it for you.

In an overcrowded, algorithm-influenced world, the companies with the strongest brand presence - and the clearest differentiation - win first consideration, investor confidence, and long-term loyalty.

Whether it’s reallocating multimillion-dollar PPC budgets into insights that sharpen positioning, or running a pub takeover at Infosec that outshines the trade show floor, Alan has proven that when brand leads, growth follows.

Listen to episode four of Crossing the Pond now on Youtube or Spotify: