Addepar’s Chief Marketing Officer on the Power of Storytelling

It might not seem like a financial software company with $6 trillion in client assets on its technology and data platform would need to worry much about storytelling. But Meagan Ward, Chief Marketing Officer at finance platform Addepar, begs to differ.

Addepar helps finance professionals serve their clients through a common platform that unifies disparate data sets; the company recently celebrated $6 trillion in assets tracked on its platform. Storytelling—whether it’s shaping media narratives, grappling with brand and identity, designing marketing campaigns—has played an essential role in that success, Meagan says. It’s “the spring from which everything else flows.”

WestCap sat down with Meagan to talk about the joys and challenges of leading communications and marketing for Addepar and how working with WestCap’s in-house creative team, CōLab, has boosted Addepar’s storytelling powers.

Let’s start out by talking about what Addepar does.

Meagan Ward: Addepar is a technology and data platform that helps investment professionals – including RIAs, Family Offices, Private Banks and Institutions – provide the most informed, precise guidance for their clients. Our platform unifies disparate data, acting as the single source of truth for owners, advisors and investors to optimize portfolios based on their clients’ unique goals, objectives and preferences.

What’s your current role, and what’s the path that led you here?

Meagan: I’m the Chief Marketing Officer. I came into this role, and really my career, in a roundabout way. After graduating, I took a job at a firm that insured and defended decisions made by directors and officers. It was during the financial crisis, and options were uncertain. While I wasn’t enthusiastic about the role, I learned that few things can facilitate clarity like a dispassionate position. To fill some of my evenings, I joined a robot-building group, where many members were working at startups. This introduced me to the possibility of a career that combined art and science, which appealed to my background in art history and a renaissance approach.

From there, I joined a Y Combinator start-up, where I embraced the opportunity to really do everything. This acted as a rotational program, giving me exposure to various aspects of the business. It was through this experience that I discovered my passion for communications. I then took a role at a public relations agency representing many of the top technology and financial companies in the 2010s, where I learned a phenomenal amount and eventually joined their leadership team. Afterward, I led communications for an AI health technology start-up. Eager to return to fintech, I joined Addepar in 2019.

Why is communications important in a company like Addepar?

Meagan: I believe storytelling is fundamental. Those who excel in effective communications, brand building, and marketing have invested significant time in storytelling because it’s the foundation from which everything else flows.

Eric Poirier, our CEO, is one of the reasons I chose to join Addepar. When considering my next role, product impact was at the forefront but so was working with a leader open to establishing a partnership and who valued the power of stories and narratives. Among many things, Eric understands how businesses can bring their DNA, vision, and values to life through storytelling, leveraging it to hone and amplify a truly world-changing product and platform. As a company, we are passionate about Addepar’s story and the tough problems we are working to solve in financial services.

It’s rare to have a leader like that. With that in mind, what’s the typical day like for you in your role right now?

Meagan: It often involves context-switching among communications, brand, and marketing, and various departments, and determining how they can best align with broader company goals and broader systems thinking. It’s often about balancing art and science. This is what I love about this field – we need to build and protect our reputation, steward the narrative, execute and measure campaigns, and articulate their tangible impact on ROI and success. And if we do our jobs right, we get to impact the entire client lifecycle.

How has Addepar changed in the years since you’ve been at the company?

Meagan: The company has undergone tremendous changes, and it’s been an incredibly thrilling journey that I’m grateful to be part of. When I joined, the team had about 200 people; now we’re nearly at 1,000. I remember working to get our first coverage in Bloomberg, and we had barely a trillion in client assets on the platform. Today, we manage $6 trillion in assets on the platform, serving clients across 45 countries. In 2023, we celebrated a major milestone by surpassing 1,000 client firms, which was monumental and exciting to amplify. We have a lot of this game left to play, and imagining the possibilities ahead is truly exciting.