Dallas-based Data Axle has named Wayne Townsend as chief product officer and Natalie Cunningham as senior vice president of marketing. The move is part of the data and marketing firm’s strategy to help brands navigate a rapidly shifting landscape shaped by generative AI, rising customer expectations, and increasing data privacy demands.

Data Axle, which provides B2B and B2C data, data management services, and omnichannel marketing solutions, says the two veteran executives will play key roles in accelerating innovation and aligning go-to-market strategy across its portfolio.

“For more than 50 years, clients from SMBs to Fortune 500s have trusted Data Axle to help forge meaningful connections with their customers and promote growth,” CEO Andrew Frawley said in a late September announcement. “That trust is built on a foundation of accurate, well-governed data. But the challenges and opportunities facing marketers today—privacy, personalization, and now generative AI—require more than a strong foundation.”

Founded in 1972, the company operated for decades as Infogroup before rebranding as Data Axle in 2020 to reflect its expanded data and technology offerings.

Frawley said both leaders bring fresh vision and expertise that will help Data Axle turn data into “smarter decisions, stronger loyalty, and measurable business outcomes.”

Driving product innovation

Townsend, who most recently served as chief strategic growth officer at Epsilon, brings three decades of experience in data-driven marketing, SaaS, adtech, and martech. He will lead product strategy, development, and innovation to help brands unify and activate data for intelligent marketing and responsible AI enablement.

“Brands don’t have a data availability problem today. They have a data relevance problem,” Townsend said. “A single snapshot of a buyer isn’t enough; marketers need to connect personal and professional profiles—combining what people do, what they care about, and how they engage—to create a unified view that powers more intelligent, relevant omnichannel campaigns.”

He added that AI opens the door to “enormous possibilities” but cautioned that it can become a liability without a smart data strategy.

“More volume can create confusion instead of value,” he said. What excites him about Data Axle, he says, is how quickly brands can “turn insights into coordinated action,” using AI to accelerate results, not complexity.

Relevance and growth in a world full of ‘AI slop’

Data Axle senior vice president of marketing Natalie Cunningham [Courtesy photo]

Cunningham is a career B2B marketer and two-time martech CMO who has held senior leadership roles at Terminus, Conga, and other high-growth SaaS and services companies.

She’s known for resonating with marketers and transforming marketing teams into engines of relevance and growth, the company says. As SVP of marketing, she will oversee brand, communications, product marketing, and demand generation—shaping how Data Axle connects with customers and expands its influence with modern marketing buyers.

“Marketers’ realities are always shifting. That’s nothing new—we’re always evolving. But today’s CMOs are facing a once-in-a-generation transformation: Generative AI has flat-out changed the game,” Cunningham said.

She noted that Data Axle is “uniquely built to deliver that advantage,” helping marketers drive results with confidence.

“Using AI to operate with leaner teams, increase productivity, and reduce budgets is table stakes. The brands that win know that’s not enough. Top-performing marketing teams are leaning on clean, connected data as their ultimate differentiator in a world full of ‘AI slop,’” she said.

“Complex, noisy, and fast-changing”

In a LinkedIn post last week, Cunningham called today’s landscape “one of the most complex, noisy, and fast-changing” marketers have ever faced, and the kind of challenge she thrives on. Her focus, she said, is on helping marketers “cut through the chaos with clarity, data-driven strategy, and customer-first storytelling.”

She also said she’s eager to “elevate our story so B2B data’s best-kept secret is a secret no more,” and gave a nod to Townsend as her partner in shaping “Data Axle’s next chapter.”

Building on momentum

The leadership moves come as Data Axle adds to its innovation and product development. In May, it launched ProfileFuse, a new identity resolution solution designed to link business and consumer identities to support omnichannel engagement. The proprietary platform uses AI and Data Axle’s verified datasets to power deeper insights and audience activation.

The company has also expanded partnerships in recent months, including a July collaboration with Dynata to improve identity resolution, data enrichment, and media activation. Earlier this year, it was named a “Strong Performer” in an industry analyst report on B2B intent data providers.

Quincy Preston contributed to this report.

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