Daniela Szymczak

About Daniela Szymczak

Global digital marketing leader with 19+ years of progressive growth at Ciena, building and scaling performance-driven demand programs that support enterprise revenue objectives.I lead global digital strategy across paid media, marketing automation, email, digital events, and web personalization — integrating channels into cohesive, data-driven customer journeys that drive measurable pipeline impact. My focus is aligning digital investment to business priorities, improving marketing efficiency, and building scalable growth engines.Over the course of my career, I have:Transformed paid media performance, delivering a 157% increase in CTR while maintaining cost efficiencyBuilt global demand infrastructure, including enterprise marketing automation implementation and governanceEstablished centers of excellence to elevate compliance, consistency, and performance standardsDesigned full-funnel search-to-nurture strategies that connect acquisition to pipeline accelerationDeveloped high-performing teams grounded in accountability, experimentation, and continuous optimizationI operate at the intersection of strategy and execution — translating business objectives into scalable digital programs that drive growth.I’m particularly energized by modernizing marketing organizations, strengthening performance culture, and ensuring digital channels function as integrated systems rather than siloed tactics.

Experience

1. Digital Marketing Director

   Ciena

   Jan 2021 — Present

   Lead the global digital marketing function across Americas, EMEA, and APAC, aligning paid media, marketing automation, email, digital events, web personalization, and emerging AI-driven discovery strategies into a unified, performance-led demand ecosystem.Strategic Scope & Alignment:Own end-to-end global digital demand strategy, ensuring all channels operate as an integrated growth engine rather than siloed tacticsAlign paid acquisition, nurture programs, event engagement, and web personalization to support cohesive, full-funnel customer journeysStandardize global audience segmentation, targeting frameworks, and measurement models across regionsEstablish shared KPIs and performance governance connecting digital engagement to pipeline and revenue objectivesTranslate enterprise priorities into coordinated digital investment strategy across global and regional marketing teamsPartner cross-functionally with sales, content, brand, analytics, and operations to deliver consistent, high-performing digital experiences worldwideLead the evolution of SEO into Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), optimizing content architecture and digital assets for AI-powered and LLM-driven search discoveryIncorporate structured data, semantic search strategy, and intent-based content development to improve visibility in generative and conversational search environmentsBuild and lead a high-performing global team grounded in accountability, experimentation, and continuous optimization

Education

• University of Massachusetts Lowell

  Bachelor of Science, Marketing

  1991 — 1995

Skills

• SEO
• Management
• Multi-Channel Marketing
• Saas
• Email Marketing
• Digital Marketing
• Marketing Automation
• Web Marketing
• Analytics
• Go-to-Market Strategy
• B2b Marketing
• Online Marketing
• Product Marketing
• Demand Generation
• Sales Enablement
• Lead Generation
• Customer Acquisition
• Marketing Operations
• Integrated Marketing
• Program Management
• Direct Marketing
• Marketing
• Database Marketing
• Direct Mail
• Marketing Strategy