What if the traditional path to becoming a CRO isn't the only path?
In this episode of Hunters and Unicorns, Ollie Kuehne and Simon Kouttis sit down with Ozge Tuncel Ozcan, Chief Revenue Officer at Forter, to explore her unconventional journey from engineering and customer success to leading an entire revenue organization.
Ozge shares why revenue is much more than bookings and pipeline, how her experience across customer success, professional services, sales development, and post-sales shaped her leadership, and why listening to customers can become a CRO's greatest advantage. The conversation also explores customer retention, product feedback, GTM strategy, AI, and why companies need to connect innovation, sales, and customer success instead of treating them as separate functions.
In this episode:
• Ozge's unconventional journey to CRO
• Why customer understanding is at the heart of revenue
• How customer success shaped her sales leadership
• Why CROs need to think beyond bookings and pipeline
• Connecting product, sales, and customer success
• Using customer feedback to drive innovation
• Building a more cohesive GTM organization
• Why listening may be the most underrated leadership skill
About Our Sponsor: Big thanks to Aurasell for sponsoring this episode. Aurasell is an AI-native GTM platform designed to intelligently automate every aspect of the sales cycle from prospecting and deal management to forecasting and coaching.
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#HuntersAndUnicorns #OzgeTuncelOzcan #Forter #CRO #SalesLeadership #GTM #RevenueLeadership #CustomerSuccess #B2BSales #gtmstrategy
Timestamps:
00:00 Trailer
02:58 What Defines you as a CRO?
04:49 The Power of Listening
07:51 From Engineer to CRO
09:17 From MBA to McKinsey
12:00 The MongoDB Opportunity
18:00 Building a Customer-First GTM
24:00 Why Customer Success Matters
31:59 The Next Generation CRO
34:08 The Future of AI Adoption
36:20 How to Evaluate a Company
41:28 Innovation Meets GTM
45:01 Building a World-Class GTM Team
51:34 The Future of AI Commerce
54:12 Building Careers, Not Jobs
56:08 The New Path to CRO
