WEBINAR Inside the Google Cloud CAB Program: Evolving Customer Advisory Boards

WATCH BELOW ↓

How did Google Cloud transform advisory boards into a trusted C-level community of strategic influence?

Google Cloud has created a highly engaged, invitation-only group of CxO leaders who bring candid insight, form lasting peer connections, and drive business impact.

These aren’t just one-off meetings. They’re year-round, strategic programs built on trust, relevance, and continuous value exchange.

Join us for a session with Liz Lan, Lead, Customer Advisory Boards at Google Cloud. She will talk about how her team evolved the CAB experience from 65 members to 25 and as a result deepened customer relationships and turned members into true strategic partners and advisors.

Overall Key Takeaways from the Session:

  • Smaller, Strategic Cohort: Google Cloud scaled down their CAB from 65 members to a tight-knit group of 25 CIOs/CTOs leading to deeper relationships, trust, and candid conversations.
  • Year-Round Engagement: Google Cloud evolved from a meeting to a program with continuous engagement throughout the year. The program includes monthly virtual deep dives, an annual in-person meeting, and exclusive Google Cloud events to maintain continuous dialogue and momentum.
  • Strict Peer Alignment: Only C-level members are invited (no delegates), with hand-picked recruitment and a two-year commitment to build a consistent and trusted cohort.
  • Interactive, Member-Led Format: Meetings feature co-creation workshops, peer sharing, and behind-the-scenes previews, moving beyond traditional feedback sessions. They even remove tables from the room — CAB members are in rolling chairs, surrounded by whiteboards for maximizing engagement at meetings.
  • Measuring Impact: Google Cloud leverages their CAB to spearhead new partnerships, strengthen executive customer relationships, and influence strategy and deals.

WATCH BELOW ↓

Webinars Google Cloud CABs

Webinar details

  • Title: Inside the Google CAB Program – Evolving Customer Advisory Boards
  • Duration: 45 minutes
  • Featured speaker: Liz Lan, Lead, Customer Advisory Boards at Google Cloud

WATCH BELOW ↓

Final Words of Advice from Liz:

  • Reflect on your business needs and CAB maturity: Are you seeking broad feedback from a larger group, or deeper relationships and strategic input from a smaller, more focused cohort?
  • Shift from meetings to a program: Evolving to a high-touch, continuous engagement model — with thoughtful agendas and multiple touchpoints — can significantly increase member participation and impact.
  • Push the boundaries of engagement: The more you bring members into your “inner circle,” the more open, trusting, and self-sustaining the conversations become.

Here’s what we talked about (video chapters)

00:00 Welcome and Housekeeping
02:21 Liz’s introduction
02:48 Overview of the Google Cloud CAB Program
03:41 Evolving the CAB: From 65 to 25 Members
09:35 C-level Member Recruitment
10:36 Building the Cohort – Scaling Down from 65 (to Zero) to 25
14:31 Year-Round CAB Engagement and Deep Dives
17:46 Factors to identify the ideal members
18:38 CAB Cohort Titles – Focus on Roles and Responsibilities
19:39 Recruitment and Member Tenure
21:54 How to Handle Excluding Clients from CAB
23:05 Meeting Cadence Early On
23:46 In-person Meeting Duration
24:09 Who at Google Drives Deep Dives
25:02 CAB Engagements – Google Cloud Next + Member Interviews
27:08 CAB Program Management Team
27:21 Going Beyond Just Feedback to a Highly Interactive Experience
31:04 Tracking CAB Member Feedback + Closing the Feedback Loop
33:00 Meeting Topics – How to Keep them Fresh
34:37 Mutual Value Exchange
36:48 Measuring Impact and Closing Feedback Loops
39:00 Final Advice and Key Takeaways