MarCom Group’s Vice President of Technology and Innovation is transforming how the agency serves clients and creates opportunities for its people.
When Olivia Bird joined MarCom Group, she came with more than a decade of experience spanning Apple, General Motors, an aerospace startup, and leadership roles across the United States, the Middle East, and Europe.
That global perspective now influences one of MarCom Group’s most significant transformations: building an integrated technology organization that strengthens cybersecurity, accelerates innovation, and prepares MarCom Group for the next generation of federal recruitment.
We sat down with the Vice President of Technology and Innovation to discuss the company’s investment in cybersecurity, the future of AI, and why MarCom Group is becoming an increasingly compelling place for technology professionals.
No “Silos”: MarCom Group’s Innovative Approach to IT
For many organizations, cybersecurity and compliance exist as separate functions managed by outside vendors. MarCom Group’s leadership made a different decision. Lauren Rainford, CEO and Owner, has a vision of where she wants the agency to be in terms of technology, innovation, and service. More than a lofty goal, she and Olivia are actively leading the company in that direction by investing the time, energy, and resources to make it a reality.
“When Lauren stepped into the role of CEO and Owner in 2025, she made it a point to invest in Technology & Innovation, recognizing that both an integrated IT approach and cybersecurity are two important pieces to MarCom Group’s future,” Bird said.
Bird led the effort to bring key cybersecurity and compliance capabilities in-house, allowing the agency to integrate IT, software development, AI, product development, and security under a single technology organization.
“We wanted cybersecurity and compliance to be part of innovation,” Olivia continued. “Bringing those capabilities together allows us to move faster, think more cohesively, and build technology that supports our clients while strengthening our own operations.”
That integrated approach also enables faster response times, tighter collaboration across teams, and greater ownership of the systems that directly impact customers.
How Cybersecurity Has Become a Competitive Advantage
MarCom Group’s investments in ISO 27001 (International Organization for Standardization), CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) Level 2, and an overhaul of its cybersecurity infrastructure were never intended as simple compliance exercises. MarCom Group leadership views them as strategic business capabilities.
“Our revamped cybersecurity posture gives us a competitive advantage in the federal contracting space,” Bird said. “As government agencies make cybersecurity requirements for contracting partners more stringent, being ahead of the curve has opened many doors from a business development standpoint.” She noted that MarCom Group secured two contracts this year because of its progress with CMMC readiness.
For current clients and partners, that translates into an agency equipped to protect sensitive information while delivering modern digital solutions.
“Earning these certifications signals that our agency can deliver secure products and services while maintaining speed and quality. Our initial conversations with contracting offices, security teams, and vendor partners have become much more straightforward because they see that MarCom Group has already invested in mature cybersecurity practices.”
Leading Through Constant Change
Olivia’s experiences across different continents and industries have prepared her well for the continuous change of working in technology.
Her first year leading Technology and Innovation focused on building a resilient infrastructure that would expand MarCom Group’s ability to pursue new opportunities while helping employees adapt to new tools and ways of working. Looking ahead, her focus shifts toward scaling those capabilities and continuing to build high-performing technology teams.
Part of that shift includes introducing an internal “Innovation Lab” where team members from across MarCom Group meet regularly to prototype new ideas, explore AI applications, and solve practical business challenges for internal and external customers.
“It was important that our Innovation Lab didn’t just consist of ‘techies,’ or people with an affinity for artificial intelligence. We needed people with different strengths, viewpoints, and business problems to come together to get the full scope of how we can use AI effectively within the organization,” says Bird. “Our Innovation Lab is designed to make innovation collaborative, hands-on, and grounded in real problems rather than limited to a traditional technology team.”
MarCom Group is already building solutions designed to solve practical business and government challenges while exploring strategic vendor partnerships that can help bring those innovations to a broader market.
AI as an Opportunity for People
Artificial intelligence is reshaping every industry, and Bird recognizes that organizations are moving quickly to adopt AI agents capable of absorbing routine, repetitive work.
At MarCom Group, however, the objective of introducing AI is to create more space for human judgment, creativity, and strategic problem-solving. Rather than replacing employees, Olivia sees AI as a way to redirect human energy toward meaningful, creative, and technically challenging work.
“We’re really keen to give people the opportunity to work on meaningful and complex challenges,” she says. “MarCom Group is first and foremost a people-focused agency that delivers creative solutions. We see AI as a tool that can complete administrative tasks, so team members can focus on big-picture ideas, harder problems, and ideas that move our clients forward.”
A Culture That Attracts Technology Talent
For technology professionals considering their next opportunity, Bird believes MarCom Group offers something increasingly valuable: the chance to build, experiment, and solve real business problems alongside people from multiple disciplines and backed by a culture that champions innovation.
She points to frequent investments in collaborative tools like Figma, regular product meetings that allow designers and developers to work together, rapid AI-powered prototyping, and a “demo culture” that encourages teams to share work early, gather feedback quickly, and continuously improve.
Strong executive support has been essential to making that culture possible.
“When leadership embraces change, those conversations happen more naturally throughout the organization,” she explains, creating an environment where technical and non-technical teams align and collaborate around shared goals.
Looking Ahead
Olivia Bird’s leadership philosophy has been shaped by a career and personal life of embracing the unfamiliar. Having lived and worked across multiple countries, she believes growth comes from stepping into situations without having every answer in advance.
No matter the challenge, her mindset says “everything is figure-out-able.” She encourages teams to experiment, learn quickly, and remain adaptable because she believes the ability to navigate uncertainty is one of the most valuable skills any professional can develop. That mindset has shaped MarCom Group’s technology strategy as the agency expands its cybersecurity capabilities, develops new AI-powered products, and invests in the people who will build the next generation of solutions.
For clients, that means a partner with proven cybersecurity maturity and an integrated technology organization built to deliver secure, innovative solutions.
For technology professionals, it means joining a team where challenging work, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous innovation are part of everyday life.
About MarCom Group
MarCom Group is an SBA-certified, woman-owned creative agency headquartered in Arlington, VA. For more than 30 years, MarCom Group has partnered with government agencies, corporations, and nonprofits to deliver creative recruitment, marketing, events, and communications support. Recognized for creativity, reliability, and a client-first approach, MarCom Group combines decades of expertise with cutting-edge technology to help clients achieve their goals.
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