Empowering Financial Freedom Through Fintech Innovation
- Allison Cerra, CMO, Alkami Technology
- Content Strategy and Marketing, Customer Experience (CX), Digital Transformation, Lead Gen / Lead Mgmt, Managing Org Transformation, Strategy and Trends
In a recent conversation with Allison Cerra, Chief Marketing Officer at Alkami Technology, we explored her incredible career journey, her passion for democratizing financial services, and her vision for the future of AI-powered marketing and fintech.
Check out the full interview with Allison Cerra, where she discusses what she sees for the future of marketing and fintech. If you want to learn more about the intersection between marketing and finance, this is the interview for you.
From intern to CMO: A career built on curiosity and purpose
Allison Cerra began her marketing career early, as a teenager. Reflecting on her journey, she said: “I started my career in marketing at the tender age of 17. I started as a marketing intern and, over a very long career, worked my way up to becoming CMO.”
Her path included leadership roles at Verizon, Alcatel-Lucent (now Nokia), HP, Intel, and McAfee, where she became CMO during its spinout from Intel. Now at Alkami Technology, Allison leads marketing efforts for a powerful fintech platform that supports about 20 million end users.
“For those of you who don’t know us—we’re not a household name—Alkami is a fintech that specializes in digital banking technology. We equip regional and community banks and credit unions with a white-label software as a service platform that allows them to offer digital banking, which includes mobile and online, to their customers and members.”
Her path included leadership roles at Verizon, Alcatel-Lucent (now Nokia), HP, Intel, and McAfee, where she became CMO during its spinout from Intel. Now at Alkami Technology, Allison leads marketing efforts for a powerful fintech platform that supports about 20 million end users.
“For those of you who don’t know us—we’re not a household name—Alkami is a fintech that specializes in digital banking technology. We equip regional and community banks and credit unions with a white-label software as a service platform that allows them to offer digital banking, which includes mobile and online, to their customers and members.”
Where innovation meets regulations: The fintech challenge
Allison shared the unique pressures fintechs face when balancing innovation with regulatory rigor. “There are only two companies that know more about me than anybody else: my service provider and my financial provider, my bank.”
That level of insight demands responsibility. She emphasized that while banks have never lacked data, they often lack insight, and that’s where Alkami steps in. “What we at Alkami have worked really hard at is allowing those financial institutions to understand how they can glean insights about what their account holders want, need, and aspire to be—and help them fulfill those dreams.”
As the U.S. experiences a great generational wealth transfer, millennials are “really starting to take the reins” of both wealth and business leadership. Allison noted that this “very tech dependent audience” is not intimidated by AI. They understand “there is a give and take in you using my information. I get something in return.”
However, she cautioned that the stakes are higher in financial services than they are with “just watching Netflix on the weekend.” With AI learning from historical data, there’s a risk of reinforcing “discriminatory or biased” practices. Allison emphasizes the need for “human machine oversight,” transparency, and fairness: “Not some opaque and kind of obscure system where I don’t quite know how the algorithm decided that Ekaterina could get that loan, but Allison couldn’t.” In a world where “as an end user, we’re dealing with my treasure now,” she argues that a fintech’s cybersecurity and data protection must be “second to none.”
That level of insight demands responsibility. She emphasized that while banks have never lacked data, they often lack insight, and that’s where Alkami steps in. “What we at Alkami have worked really hard at is allowing those financial institutions to understand how they can glean insights about what their account holders want, need, and aspire to be—and help them fulfill those dreams.”
As the U.S. experiences a great generational wealth transfer, millennials are “really starting to take the reins” of both wealth and business leadership. Allison noted that this “very tech dependent audience” is not intimidated by AI. They understand “there is a give and take in you using my information. I get something in return.”
However, she cautioned that the stakes are higher in financial services than they are with “just watching Netflix on the weekend.” With AI learning from historical data, there’s a risk of reinforcing “discriminatory or biased” practices. Allison emphasizes the need for “human machine oversight,” transparency, and fairness: “Not some opaque and kind of obscure system where I don’t quite know how the algorithm decided that Ekaterina could get that loan, but Allison couldn’t.” In a world where “as an end user, we’re dealing with my treasure now,” she argues that a fintech’s cybersecurity and data protection must be “second to none.”
Data with a purpose: Enabling personal financial freedom and financial health
Allison offered powerful, real-world examples of how responsible data use can translate into account holder empowerment: “If you see that I had a plethora of car expenses, why not offer me a proactive loan that I’m already prequalified for—to go find a car that’s attractive to me? What if you see that I’m looking in places like home improvement stores? What if you could offer me a home equity line of credit loan?”
These examples illustrate her vision of proactive, personalized banking, where financial institutions act not as sellers, but advisors. “You’re not selling me products and services. You’re helping me attain my financial goals.”
Drawing an insightful parallel, Allison compared financial wellness to physical wellness: “I’m wearing an Apple Watch right now. Every day it tells me what I need to do to improve my health over the long haul. The same can be true of our financial health and our financial journey.” It’s not about perfection, It’s about forming small, daily habits that lead to long-term transformation.
These examples illustrate her vision of proactive, personalized banking, where financial institutions act not as sellers, but advisors. “You’re not selling me products and services. You’re helping me attain my financial goals.”
Drawing an insightful parallel, Allison compared financial wellness to physical wellness: “I’m wearing an Apple Watch right now. Every day it tells me what I need to do to improve my health over the long haul. The same can be true of our financial health and our financial journey.” It’s not about perfection, It’s about forming small, daily habits that lead to long-term transformation.
The evolution of marketing: From Mad Men to machine learning
As a seasoned marketer and author, Allison reflected on how the marketing function has transformed over time, and where it’s headed next.
“My next book’s title is going to be Marketing Is Dead. Long Live Marketing. Every few years you have somebody who comes out as a pundit and says marketing is passé. I kind of snicker to myself a little bit because I’m like, is it really?”
She traces marketing’s evolution from price theory to social media to the rise of martech, and now AI. But the core mission remains: “You can’t spell marketing without market. Marketing, as a function, has to keep pace with or stay ahead of the market. It must evolve naturally, but faster than the other functions of the C-suite.” Allison has become a believer in the power of generative AI: “Initially I was like, oh gosh, Gen AI is never going to be able to write like an author. And I’m telling you right now, I am now a convert. At the end of the day, we are democratizing what otherwise would have to be a very reserved skill set within marketing.”
“My next book’s title is going to be Marketing Is Dead. Long Live Marketing. Every few years you have somebody who comes out as a pundit and says marketing is passé. I kind of snicker to myself a little bit because I’m like, is it really?”
She traces marketing’s evolution from price theory to social media to the rise of martech, and now AI. But the core mission remains: “You can’t spell marketing without market. Marketing, as a function, has to keep pace with or stay ahead of the market. It must evolve naturally, but faster than the other functions of the C-suite.” Allison has become a believer in the power of generative AI: “Initially I was like, oh gosh, Gen AI is never going to be able to write like an author. And I’m telling you right now, I am now a convert. At the end of the day, we are democratizing what otherwise would have to be a very reserved skill set within marketing.”
Her advice to future marketers?
“Be curious and start experimenting. It opens up time and opportunities to do so many other tasks when you actually have a machine assisting you. It’s a pretty powerful combination.”
Allison’s insights are a powerful mix of vision, practicality, and human compassion. She views fintech not just as a transaction platform but as a means for change, especially for communities that have traditionally lacked access to personalized financial services.
Allison’s insights are a powerful mix of vision, practicality, and human compassion. She views fintech not just as a transaction platform but as a means for change, especially for communities that have traditionally lacked access to personalized financial services.
Related resources
Want more like this resource? Find helpful links below.
