Karen Steele
CMO and go-to-market leader who rebuilds growth engines for SaaS and AI companies
Background
Two decades of marketing leadership in enterprise software, from early roles at NeXT and Apple to VP and SVP seats at Informatica, Xactly, Saba, VMware and Marketo, then CMO at LeanData and SVP Marketing at Near. Has run global teams of 60, program budgets above $80 million, and taken companies through IPO, SPAC and acquisition. Fractional and interim CMO since 2015 through Steele-Alloy.
Focus
I work with venture-backed SaaS and AI companies where growth has stalled, positioning lacks precision, or the go-to-market engine is not keeping pace with the product. My focus is diagnosing and rebuilding that engine so marketing, sales and customer success share one set of numbers. I lead as a player-coach, close to the team and the pipeline.
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Engagement highlights
Sendoso · 2022–2023
As interim CMO, restructured marketing from 22 to 8 while holding 50 percent marketing-sourced pipeline, and repositioned the category as direct marketing automation.
Near · 2021–2022
Built a 22-person global marketing team in six months, merged two companies into one brand through a SPAC listing, and reached 30 percent marketing-contributed pipeline within two quarters.
LeanData · 2017–2020
As CMO, positioned the company at the front of the emerging Revenue Operations category and built its first inbound engine to 40 percent of new-business pipeline.
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