I’m a creature of habit. When I travel, I like staying in the same hotels (preferably with room service, for the introvert in me). I always fly the same airline. I shop at the same stores. And even when I’m choosing a movie to watch, I often gravitate towards something I’ve seen before. In short, I like to know what to expect, and what’s likely to happen.
But as we all know: life doesn’t often give us that luxury. And even when we chart a course, there are always surprises along the way.
After spending more than a decade at Salesforce, it was hard to even fathom life on the other side. I generally knew what to expect in my job, and I loved being part of the incredible growth we experienced at Salesforce.
But I was getting an itch to do more.
Every role I accepted in my career had been to prepare me to be a CMO someday. And even beyond that goal, I knew that I derived energy from moving swiftly, building deep relationships, and driving impact. Despite my preference for the known, when I sat quietly with my own thoughts, I started to feel it might be time to take a leap of faith into something new.
That leap of faith landed me in this incredible company — Drift.
How did I end up here?
As I casually started having conversations with companies other than Salesforce about the next step in my career, I found myself very drawn to Drift’s brand essence — this notion that everything starts with a conversation.
As a former English major and deeply-feeling individual, there’s nothing more human than conversation and connection. On the heels of a very challenging 18 months where so many of us were relegated to two-dimensional conversations, or worse — to none at all, isolated in our homes — the promise of using technology to better connect and to drive conversations deeply resonated with me.
After incredible conversations with Drift leadership and employees, I assumed the role of SVP, Revenue Marketing in June, eager to learn and grow on my journey to CMO. And that journey was accelerated quickly. In September, our inspirational founder and CEO, David Cancel, asked me to assume the role of Interim CMO, and as of last week, I was formally offered the permanent position.
In the six months I’ve been with this company, I’m more passionate than ever about the role marketing can play in deepening connections, driving conversation, and ultimately, relationships. I’m deeply grateful for my leadership peers, the incredible team of marketers I have the privilege of leading, and to David and Elias Torres for entrusting me with this critical responsibility.
We’re already off and running with exciting new projects — a website redesign, a brand refresh, 2022 event planning, and so much more. But the best part? I get to do all of this work alongside some pretty incredible human beings, and you can’t ask for much more than that.
I want to hear from you: What’s your career journey been like? Has it been full of surprises, twists and turns? Regardless of your path, I hope it’s been full of beautiful and vibrant people along the way.
