Top 50 Product Marketing Mentors - 2021
See The Top Mentors To Learn From And Work For To Develop Your Product Marketing Career
View the most recent year here: 2024
Overview
The way we acquire job knowledge has changed. We no longer learn from college, but from peers. The Product Marketing Mentor List shows you the top 50 product marketing practioners to learn from to develop your career.
Methodology
Sharebird's algorithm ranks contributors based on how helpful our users perceived their product marketing related answers to be. We do not handpick people. We look at the following factors: answer views, answer saves, and followers. We then apply a proprietary algorithm to calculate answer credibility and helpfulness. Answer views show us content relevancy, answer saves show us content quality, and followers show us answer credibility.
Sharebird does not accept payment to be included on this list, which allows us to maintain objectivity and independence. We update this list every year. For any questions about this list, please contact [email protected].
About Sharebird
Sharebird is a peer mentoring platform for product marketers. See how peers at top companies do your job, so that you can get better outcomes at work and reach your career potential.
In Alphabetical Order by Company:
Mary Sheehan
Adobe Head of Lightroom Product Marketing
Career Path Tip: One of my favorite questions is- "what have you learned lately?" because I have found the most successful people are always curious about the world. Whether it's adding another tool to the toolkit in your current role or learning an entirely new skill (like beekeeping!), constant learning puts you in a creative, growth mindset.
Ryan Fleisch
Adobe Head of Product Marketing, Real-Time CDP & Audience Manager
Career Path Tip: Individuals with good careers prove they are effective in their role, but individuals with exceptional careers prove they are more effective in the role they want. Recognize, create, and seize those opportunities to prove yourself where it matters.
Francisco M. T. Bram
Albertsons Companies Vice President of Marketing
Career Path Tip: Whatever you do in your career or regular day job, always find ways to add an extra degree of effort. Overtime, it accumulates and you will have built a stellar reputation around you. I once read that water at 211 degrees is really hot, but at 212 degrees it creates steam that can power and move a train. One extra degree (of effort) can move your career forward.
Jason Perocho
Amperity SVP, Head of Marketing
Career Path Tip: Make sure you're recruiting a job, don't let a job recruit you. When a job recruits you, the company is filling a need. When you recruit a job, you're filling a career need. It will make a huge difference in the long run toward accomplishing your career goals.
Kevin Garcia
Anthropic Product Marketing Leader
Career Path Tip: If you’re early in your career, focus on being a great learner and building honest relationships. Over time, you’ll develop the skills to tackle the hardest challenges and a network of people who want to help you succeed. With those two things, the sky's the limit.
Christy Roach
AssemblyAI VP of Marketing
Career Path Tip: Instead of competing for the big, important projects or trying to strategize your way into a promotion, start spotting gaps and filling them. When you can see a need in the organization and proactively come up with a proposal to solve it, you show that you can think outside of your discrete body of work, spot problems before they start, and do what's best for the business rather than what's best for yourself.
Anthony Kennada
AudiencePlus CEO
Career Path Tip: On career planning: always be thinking two jobs ahead.
Anna Wiggins
Bluevine VP Corporate and Product Marketing
Career Path Tip: Invest in understanding how your business works and which levers drive revenue. This will empower you to be an active contributor to strategic decisions, make you more impactful in getting engineering or budget resources, and help you prioritize what's important while still delivering on the best customer experience.
Sunny Manivannan
Braze Vice President & GM, Global SMB
Career Path Tip: Work with ambitious, disciplined people, and set big goals for yourself.
Grace Kuo
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Product Marketing
Career Path Tip: Product Marketing tends to be a role where ownership areas can be ambiguous or share blurred lines with other teams. Because of this, it's critical that Product Marketing teams socialize the impact and value that it brings to the GTM. Build strong relationships with GTM team leads, scale strong processes (and document!), establish clear alignment with key stakeholders, and BE VOCAL in key parts of the business. All this will help extend the impact and visibility of PMM.
Bryan Sise
Checkr VP of Product & Customer Marketing
Career Path Tip: Come armed with data. When you're a marketer who runs ad campaigns or a marketer who sends customer emails, this is easy, because you have analytics in front of you all day. But when you're a product marketer, this often isn't so easy. Go out of your way to get direct access to both marketing analytics and financial analytics. In addition, generate your own data -- this could be through customer interviews, customer surveys, measuring sales activities, etc. Then, be the person who brings valuable data-driven insights to the team.
Savita Kini
Cisco Director of Product Management, Speech and Video AI
Career Path Tip: Product Marketing and Product Management are two sides of the same coin. The key thing here is to remember that both roles are dedicated towards making the product successful. It is very important early on for product marketers to really understand the customer problem, put oneself in the customer's shoes, understand how the product is solving the customers problem, then provide the right perspective to message and position it. Both roles will differ from one industry or technology to another. So based on your skill set and passion, how deep you want to go into marketing versus strategic direction for the product/technology, you can choose to pursue career growth in either direction. Both are absolutely doable. Know thyself first and then go for it.
April Rassa
Clari VP, Solutions Marketing
Career Path Tip: You have to put yourself in a position to learn. And when you’re young, you only learn when things aren’t working. The problem is that you’re never told to go to something that’s not working. You’re only ever told to jump on a rocket ship.There’s a point in time for that, but if you want to be really good at your craft, it only comes through knowledge, and knowledge only comes through experience, and experience only comes through failure.
Elizabeth Brigham
Davidson College Director, The Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Career Path Tip: I always say that empathy is currency. Make sure you’re talking to customers or potential customers every week, if not daily.
Brandon McGraw
DoorDash Senior Director, Head of Product Marketing
Career Path Tip: We all have strengths and areas where we are still growing. Don't be afraid to admit what you don't know and never be ashamed of the things that you're great at. Rely on your peers and they'll also rely on you.
Steve Feyer
Eightfold.ai Product Marketing Director
Career Path Tip: Have a good understanding of what matters in your company, and be comfortable saying no to requests that aren't aligned with your team's goals and your KPIs. As a product marketer, you will have many sales people, commercial operations specialists, and even other marketers ask you to complete tasks for them. They ask you because you have strong general skills, product knowledge, and the ability to deliver. If you say yes all the time, however, these low-value one-offs will suck up all of your time. They aren't what your manager or your executive team care about. You'll probably find that you are seen as more valuable the more often you say no. I will say yes to such requests only if they can help me with a larger objective, for example, learning more about a customer's problems, giving me a chance to talk to my buyer persona, or gaining a favor I will use later. These days I say no 80% of the time.
Camille Ricketts
Emergence Capital Operating Partner - Marketing
Career Path Tip: Great product marketing is dependent on surfacing the best feedback possible. Wherever you go, whatever you do, look for opportunities to set up efficient feedback loops.
Dave Steer
GitLab Vice President of Product Marketing
Career Path Tip: Listening is a product marketer's superpower. By investing time in active listening - to customers, to teammates, to the market - you will grow your capacity for customer empathy, your leadership skills, and your track record in effectively taking products to market.
Madeline Ng
Google Global Head of Marketing, Google Maps Platform
Career Path Tip: Take an outside-in view and always ask yourself "so what?" from the perspective of your customer. I see product marketers often over-rotate on the "product" part of product marketing instead of being the voice of the market. You will differentiate yourself and be more valuable if you can help the organization understand what's happening outside its walls.
Henrique Saboia
Hinge Health Vice President of Product & Growth
Career Path Tip: As you begin to advance in your career in Product Marketing, you'll naturally build your expertise and autonomy within the Marketing function. But don't forget to invest in your general business acumen. That includes finance, operations, technology, etc. Your ability to make good marketing decisions within the broader business context is what will set you up for success in/with the executive suite. If you don't know where to begin, ask the following question about any project you're working on: Why does the business care if I succeed or fail? Your answer will likely uncover how much of a priority this project should be, and what XFN teams you have an opportunity to learn from.
Jessica Webb Kennedy
Hummingbirds Head Of Marketing
Career Path Tip: Be an advocate for alignment. Wires are sure to get crossed when you've got a multitude of people or teams working on a project. Make it your mission to always strive for a shared vision of what you and your team are working towards. Taking the time to do this along the way will prevent headaches later, and you'll be seen as a leader.
Natalie Louie
ICONIQ Capital Product & Content Marketing
Career Path Tip: Be a “why whisperer”. Master the art of asking “why” until you get to the core, raw reason -- then message and position it into a story that is easy to remember and amplify.
Daniel Palay
KPI Sense Chief Executive Officer
Career Path Tip: Figure out whether you’re a “cook” or a “baker” (based on which you enjoy more in the kitchen). The difference? The role process plays for each. Cooks constantly modify processes to affect outcomes; bakers are process-first and use it as a Northstar. One loves messaging, positioning and storytelling; the other product launches and feature documentation. Both make great product marketers, but great product marketers will never be both.
Shabih Syed
LaunchDarkly Sr. Director, Product Marketing
Career Path Tip: Almost all Product Marketing initiatives have a cross-functional impact. Build relationships early on with key stakeholders and develop empathy for their teams. You will find that projects have a much higher chance of completion when you are aligned and you develop muscle memory to respond to future needs quickly. Product marketers working in a silo spin wheels on projects that never end because expectations keep changing.
Susan "Spark" Park
Monzo Director of Product Marketing
Career Path Tip: Vet out a manager as deeply as you vet a role or company. Your manager will be critical to your development, and will sponsor you into step-changes into your career.
Dan Laufer
Nextdoor fmr Head of Growth and Product Marketing
Career Path Tip: When choosing a product or company to work for, if possible choose one where the ceiling of a good outcome is especially high. If success of the product changes the trajectory of the company it'll be easier to shoehorn resources and the upside will be more impactful to your career than crushing it on a product that only has an incremental improvement on the business.
Gregg Miller
PandaDoc VP of Product Marketing & Brand
Career Path Tip: If you really want to take control of your career, try to balance on the edge of discomfort as often as you can. That feeling of not being quite sure if you know what you're doing is where some of the most powerful and accelerated career development happens.
Jeffrey Vocell
Panorama Education Head of Product Marketing
Career Path Tip: There are a lot of priorities we have as product marketers. Spend the time connecting with customers, and doing research in the market. And just as importantly, share your learnings with others internally. It will naturally help build your leadership internally, and your market and customer expertise which will ultimately help drive your career.
Marcus Andrews
Pendo Sr. Director of Product Marketing
Career Path Tip: Don't underestimate your ability to influence and shape the craft of product marketing internally and externally. There is no strict roadmap for how product marketing is done, so it's up to you to shape it, make it great, and help our craft grow and flourish.
Naman Khan
Personio Chief Marketing Officer
Career Path Tip: Use the 80/20 rule when assessing a new opportunity. You should be able to 80% of the job requirements on day 1, that way you’re set up to have an impact by leveraging your experience & can lead with confidence. Then, ensure there is 20% that is new to you, so you are also learning & developing thoughtfully. If the balance is off you might be taking on too much change at once or not developing your skills sufficiently.
Caroline Walthall
Quizlet Director of Product Marketing and Lifecycle Marketing
Career Path Tip: Sometimes people say "substance over style," but the reality is, they both matter. If you can cultivate the art of building slide decks that are elegantly crafted, yet restrained, your message can sink in that much more. Especially in a world where async communication is essential, learn and borrow visual patterns that allow you to communicate up and out. As long as you're succinct, a little visual cohesion can be a salve for cross-functional success.
Michael Peach
Rimsys Regulatory Management Software VP of Marketing
Career Path Tip: Messaging is one of the most important product marketing skills, and one of the hardest to do really well. Look for opportunities to work with companies and product marketing leaders that create incredible messaging. It’s the best learning experience you can have.
Jeff Otto
Riskified CMO
Career Path Tip: At Salesforce I’ve worked for 8 different executives in just under 7 years. Each of these leaders had a different mixture of leadership characteristics, and what I try to always look for is their ‘killer app’ - the differentiated leadership behaviors, and skills that I can absorb into my personal leadership toolkit.
Aliza Edelstein
Route VP of Product Marketing
Career Path Tip: There are many facets of product marketing—messaging & positioning, GTM strategy, driving growth metrics, telling the customer story. You can be a senior individual contributor or a leader. You choose your own adventure. Identify where where you get your energy, what motivates you, and where you want to go. A mentor can’t tell you what you want, but a mentor can help you become who you want to be.
Loren Elia
Shippo Senior Director of Marketing
Career Path Tip: Nobody is good at everything. Rather than focusing on improving your weak spots, focus on roles where you can leverage your strengths and partner with people who can complement your weaknesses.
Roopal Shah
Snowflake Head (VP) of Global Sales Enablement
Career Path Tip: Don't be afraid of taking risks and trying new ways to engage your customers or your sellers. Too often, I've seen organizations let the fear of failure get in the way of the opportunity gain of what can be achieved if we succeed. And even if you fail, you'll learn something from it and most of it will be forgotten in due time - but you'll build a reputation as someone not afraid of making the call in the future.
Agustina Sacerdote
Square Global Head of PMM and Content Marketing, TIDAL
Career Path Tip: When evaluating career opportunities or new roles, check in with your personal values. What's important to you? What do you value in your relationships? It's a lot easier to stick it through the tough times, make hard decisions, or take risks in a professional environment when you can rely on what drives you on a personal level, as a compass.
Robin Pam
Stripe Product Marketing Lead
Career Path Tip: Seek out opportunities where you can have an outsized impact on revenue. Any time you can tie product marketing work to specific business outcomes or steps of the revenue generation process, you'll set yourself up for more visibility, increased responsibility, and ultimately, career advancement.
Hien Phan
Timescale Head of Product Marketing
Career Path Tip: Alignment is key but your POV is important. No one hires you to just be a great copy writer, they also hired you for the distillation of insights into stories.
Alex Chahin
Titan VP of Marketing
Career Path Tip: Read up on behavioral economics. Starting now. Good PMMs use consumer and UX research, but great ones start with human insight to shape behavior.
Dana Barrett
Tremendous VP of Marketing
Career Path Tip: Spend less time worrying about getting to the next promotion and how you are progressing versus your peers. Instead, focus on learning and picking up as many skills and experiences as possible. And be less worried about making mistakes. Take more risks and push yourself to try new things that help you to build more skills.
Ajit Ghuman
Twilio Director of Product Management - Pricing & Packaging, CXP
Career Path Tip: Beyond the hard skills of product marketing, the hidden piece of career success in this field is the ability to wield soft influence. As PMMs, we often have to play the role of an organizational conductor (much like a symphony), but with no direct authority. I recommend overinvesting in these softer skills because the PMMs who see the biggest market impact are often the ones who are most able to have their organizations rally behind and execute their GTM strategies.
Vanessa Thompson
Twilio Vice President Marketing
Career Path Tip: Some of the best product marketers i've seen have come from different parts of the business, product, support, campaigns, etc. It's not because they did a different role, it's because they bring a unique perspective. Think about the unique view you bring to make sure your personal product marketing brand stands out from the crowd. And my final pro-tip is, always market your marketing!
Jon Rooney
Unity Vice President Product Marketing
Career Path Tip: One thing I wish I'd known years ago and is an amazing source of customer insights and messaging research (especially with enterprise software) is the simple act of reading RFPs your company receives from customers and prospects. RFPs are magic - they're jammed packed with nuggets about how prospects describe their challenges, what they're looking for in terms of solutions and how they think about the market and space. It's good and good for you - eat your vegetables, read your RFPs.
Scott Schwarzhoff
Unusual Ventures (former VP PMM @ Okta) Operating Partner
Career Path Tip: Great PMMs have three common traits: they love identifying patterns in customer needs and are active in early customer adoption, win/loss analysis and ICP development; they are masters of the products they are assigned to and geek out through their partnership with PM; and they have a passion for storytelling that answers three questions: why should a customer do anything, why now, and why you!
Priyanka Srinivasan
Verkada Vice President Product Marketing
Career Path Tip: When you're looking for a new role (in PMM or frankly, any function), look for two things: 1) a company that's super high growth (or a business unit within a larger company that's really high growth) and 2) a manager who is well-respected, on their way up, and willing to pull you up along with them on that growth trajectory. Growth solves all problems because it always creates more opportunity.
Chris Mills
Wrike Vice President Product Marketing / GTM
Career Path Tip: Some key qualities that I look for in a great product marketer include: 1) Smart, 2) Empathetic, 3) Skilled Communicator, 4) Problem Solver, 5) Analytical, and 6) Project Management. Look for opportunities and projects that help you build, develop and demonstrate these skills. If you are particularly strong in one area, look for opportunities to mentor others on this skill. If you need to work on one, sign up for a project to collaborate with someone who's great at it and learn from them.
Teresa Haun
Zendesk Senior Director, Technology Marketing and Communications
Career Path Tip: Have a bias for action and take ownership. These principles are particularly impactful in large cross-functional work streams where there isn’t clear ownership or a path forward. These are the perfect times for PMM to step up and do what we do best.
Abdul Rastagar
GTM Leader | Marketing Author | Career Coach
Career Path Tip: Networking doesn't start when you are looking for a new job. Networking starts years before you are looking for that job. My top recommendation for everyone is to connect with 3-5 relevant others every week. It sounds hard but LinkedIn makes it easy. Get going today.
Div Manickam
Mentor : Workplace Wellbeing | Authentic Leadership | Product Marketing
Career Path Tip: As a product marketer, your career path is unique to you. Learn to artfully say No with diligence. It's easy to get pulled in many directions, and setting the right discipline and boundaries is key to protect your sacred time. Less is More always and focus on what truly matters.