Toni Allen has over 25 years of experience driving integrated marketing, sales and commercial strategies across global sectors including technology, professional services, education, FMCG, healthcare, and cybersecurity. As Chief Engagement & Growth Officer at the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET), she leads transformative initiatives that connect and grow the global engineering and technology community. Toni is a passionate advocate for the power of technology in marketing, championing data-driven engagement, digital transformation, and innovative customer experiences. Her strategic leadership spans B2B and B2C audiences across industry, academia, government, and society ensuring that the IET’s mission to inspire, inform, and influence is delivered with measurable impact.

What is the remit and role of the Chief Growth Officer in your organisation?

At the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET), my remit is to is to build, enable and accelerate sustainable growth across revenue, relevance, and reputation. That means that my team look after everything member and customer facing including Marketing & Communications, Sales & Impact, Member & Customer Engagement and all our International Offices in US, APAC and S.Asia. Crucially, the role holds the organisation accountable for translating ambition into measurable revenue outcomes and is responsible for all the organisational revenue.

What are the essential requirements for growth strategy mapping, continuous innovation, digital transformation and performance calibration across the enterprise?

Clarity of strategy aligned to organisational strategic objectives, clear prioritisation, and a common performance language are non-negotiable. Growth requires agile operating models, digital infrastructure that enables speed and insight, and clear ownership from strategy through to execution. This means that all the teams have to own the same KPIs and be delivering value to our members and customers, not just bringing in the money. Return on Objective (ROO) and impact are just as important as Return on Investment (ROI).

What data-driven insights and intelligence are essential to identifying growth areas and formulating sustainable growth strategies?

We rely on a combination of member and customer behaviour data, market trend analysis, product intelligence, and performance leading indicators. The most powerful insights come from the ‘Voice of the Member & Customer’ – from our volunteers, members, partners, customers and frontline teams who are living and breathing what it’s like to work with the IET. This allows us to identify white space opportunities early and recognise adjacent markets and solutions that we may not have otherwise known about.

Which functional leaders and teams need to align and combine to execute growth plans and deliverables?

Growth only works when sales, marketing, member and customer engagement, product, technology, finance, and people leadership operate as one system. Alignment around shared outcomes, not siloed KPIs, is essential. My role is to ensure incentives, data, and decision rights reinforce collaboration rather than competition. It’s been really interesting for our organisation, as in 2024 we went through our biggest organisational transformation since 2018, so having a learning and continual improvement mindset has really had to be the foundations to building a growth and one-IET mindset.

Where is your company currently focusing resources and marketing spend to counter these forces and generate incremental growth?

We are focusing investment on customer-centric digital capability, high-impact partnerships, and propositions that deliver clear, differentiated value. Marketing spend is increasingly targeted, data-led, and outcomes-driven rather than awareness-led. The relationship between Sales and Marketing is crucial for scalable growth with measurable return, not activity for activity’s sake. We’re also really understanding our Member, Customer and Corporate Partners to make sure that we are ‘selling to every room in the house’ and providing the true solution. Not just dropping products and running!