Everything changes: M&A lessons from a PMM leader, with Nupur Bhade Vilas

In this episode, Nupur Bhade Vilas, Head of PMM at Kustomer, shares how she transitioned from engineering to product marketing, using organization, detailed notes, and AI tools to drive success.She reflects on leading marketing through major transitions – like Twilio’s SendGrid acquisition and Kustomer’s rebrand – highlighting the importance of trust, clear communication, and team alignment during change. Nupur also offers advice for PMMs navigating mergers: seek clarity, use AI as a thought partner, and advocate for your growth.

Listen as Maitri Sheth, Senior Product Marketing Manager, reveals the untold story of making AI work for humans, not the other way around.In this episode, Maitri takes us behind the scenes of her career transition from B2C to B2B marketing and shares the hard-won lessons from leading Gong's groundbreaking AI narrative. Discover how she's using cutting-edge tools like ChatGPT and Claude to revolutionize product messaging while maintaining the human touch that actually converts.

How do you build a career when the path isn’t clear? Michelle Zak’s journey from fine arts and design to product marketing leadership is anything but traditional.And that’s exactly why it works.In this conversation, Michelle shares the lessons she’s learned navigating startups, shifting industries, and carving out a role that often looks different from company to company. From “job crafting” to breaking into new industries without prior experience, she highlights the skills and mindset that helped her stand out in a tough job market.→ Why design thinking is a natural foundation for product marketing→ The power of “job crafting” and how to use it at any stage of your career→ Tips for breaking into new industries without direct experience→ What to expect when moving from late-stage to early-stage startups→ Why product marketing is always “more than you think”

Join Hannah Pickering, Director of Product Marketing at Centivo, as she explains her journey from writer to product marketer, emphasizing the importance of understanding business operations and earning trust. She highlights her experience in various industries, stressing the need for product marketers to connect the dots, develop unique perspectives, and build credibility by engaging early with product teams.

Emily Wengel, Product Marketing Team Lead at Origami Risk, shares her journey from biotech to product marketing, where she now leads a growing team. She breaks down how improv sharpened her communication skills, the challenge of finding product-market fit, and why project management and stakeholder alignment are essential for PMMs. Disclaimer: Everything was correct at the time of recording. Origami Risk has since hired a VP of Product Marketing to join Emily and the PMM team.

What really makes a customer say “yes” or “no”?In this episode, we sit down with Andrew Peterson, co-founder of Clozd, to unpack the secrets behind win-loss analysis and why it's the most overlooked source of growth for B2B companies.Andrew shares his journey from the early days at Qualtrics to launching Clozd, a company that’s redefining how sales, marketing, and product teams learn from lost deals. We explore the win-loss maturity curve, the rise of AI-driven insights, and how Clozd’s Expert Network is helping teams win more strategic deals.Plus, he makes a strong case for why product marketers deserve more credit and how AI can elevate their role to become even more essential.Sponsored by Clozd – the leader in win-loss analysis. Learn more at https://www.clozd.com.Download the Win-Loss content Andrew mentioned here: 👉 State of Win-Loss Analysis Report👉 Definitive Guide to Win-Loss Analysis

In this episode, we sit down with Kristen Brooks, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Octane, as she shares her inspiring career journey – from her early days in partner marketing at Cisco to leading enterprise strategy and demand gen alignment.

In this episode, Susanna Bogardus, Principal PMM at Workday, shares her path from account management to product marketing – and how AI tools like GPT-3 are reshaping how we work.She dives into building trust in AI, using tech to support (not replace) human roles, and why customer support is a goldmine for insights. Susanna also shares top advice for aspiring PMMs: hone your soft skills and know your customer.

In this episode, our host, Sid Khaitan, spoke with Steffi Li, Head of Product Marketing, about her path from advertising to building a career in technical B2B product marketing. She shares how a research background shaped her PMM instincts, what it’s like breaking into the field without a technical degree, and why domain knowledge and foundational processes matter – especially in early-stage startups.

In this episode, Sid talks with Michael Robin Hansen, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Thomson Reuters, about her unexpected journey from culinary school to product marketing. Michael shares how lessons from the kitchen help her manage product launches, her experience navigating layoffs, and what it takes to build a high-impact PMM team.They also cover how to break into product marketing without a technical background, the importance of curiosity and continuous learning, and why flexibility is key in fast-moving industries.Whether you're in marketing, pivoting careers, or just love a good origin story – this one’s for you.Read Michael’s PMA article here.