Kim Sherman
Partner Marketing Leader | Partner Programs Enterprise Marketing
Possesses a rich history of spearheading end-to-end brand management alongside partner and product marketing operations. Demonstrates an unwavering commitment to new market penetration and revenue growth. Expertise lies in crafting customer-centric strategic marketing plans that foster high growth and a knack for rallying teams around monumental idea projects. An adept communicator known for forging influential partnerships that consistently lead to triumphant business results.
A collaborative, highly inspirational professional who has:
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Successfully launched a global partner offer at Microsoft, onboarding 5,000 partners in six months, significantly enhancing the partner network.
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Pioneered a partner portal overhaul at Lightbend, resulting in a 30% increase in partner interaction and a more streamlined engagement process.
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Dramatically reduced software byte delivery time from two months to four days post-launch at Microsoft, greatly empowering system builders.
Currently located in the greater Seattle area, WA.
Open to travel, on-site and hybrid.
EXPERIENCE
January 2023 - Present
Founder | Web Designer
Founded a spiritual guidance platform adept in web design, SEO, blogging, integrated marketing, and deeply researched content development, creating a nurturing online haven for emotional healing and spiritual discovery.
May 2022 – January 2023
Head of Partner Program
Enhanced partner experience and formulated strategic programs to boost partner pipeline and education on solutions. Achieved significant growth in partner engagement and deal registrations by revamping content access and streamlining deal registration processes.
September 2021 – March 2022
VP of Marketing
Spearheaded marketing initiatives across branding, demand generation, and product marketing, significantly enhancing sales enablement. Excelled in strategy development utilizing Value Proposition Canvas, ensuring distinction in branding across business units and increasing ad efficiency.
February 2021 – September 2021
Sr. Partner Marketing Manager
Drove the conception and execution of marketing programs, enhancing partner relationships and propelling market penetration for reactive application frameworks and serverless solutions. Tasked with complete oversight of marketing program lifecycles, led strategies for collaboration with top-tier cloud providers and GSIs, effectively aligning messaging and amplifying market outreach.
March 2020 – February 2021
Head of Partner Program and GSI Marketing
Spearheaded the inception and delivery of a comprehensive messaging strategy that crystallized the ethos of the partner program, directly contributing to the rapid deployment and adoption of an enhanced partner program. Oversaw a global system integrator (GSI) marketing campaign, adeptly managed strategic campaigns, and refined partner engagement platforms to align with evolving technology and business needs.
August 2019 – March 2020
Acting Head of APJ Marketing
Elevated marketing performance by recalibrating lead definitions and transforming inside sales procedures, which streamlined marketing and sales alignment. Nurtured team capabilities, providing guidance and mentorship to improve individual and collective proficiency within a restructured organization.
November 2014 – July 2019
Sr. Global Alliance Marketing Manager
Drove strategic partner alignment in machine learning technologies, elevating partners to top-tier through comprehensive analysis. Pioneered social strategy and go-to-market plans for cloud, SAP, Kubernetes, and data center solutions, enhancing partner engagements and accelerating sales cycles.
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June 2005 – November 2014
Various roles as Contractor
Catalyzed content and advertising resource procurement for app product managers, enabling robust app development for the Windows platform and contributing to successful product launches.
RESULTS
Pioneered a partner portal overhaul at Lightbend, resulting in a 30% increase in partner interaction and a more streamlined engagement process.
Successfully launched a global partner offer at Microsoft, onboarding 5,000 partners in six months, significantly enhancing the partner network.
Dramatically reduced software byte delivery time from two months to four days post-launch at Microsoft, greatly empowering system builders.
EXPERTISE
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Analysis
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B2B
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Branding
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Cloud
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Communications Management
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Corporate Communications
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Employee Development
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Enterprise Solutions
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Global Growth Strategies
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IaaS
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KPIs
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Leadership
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Marketing Campaigns
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Messaging Strategy
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PaaS
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Media Relations
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Product Launches
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Relationship Management
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SaaS
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SAP
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Strategic Alliances
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Strategic Planning
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Team Building
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Team Leadership
MEET KIM
Q & A
What best describes your management style?
My management style is to coach members on my team to get the best from them while I have them. In fact, my goal is to ensure they are ready to move to positions of greater responsibility and leadership.
Who are your main influences?
Warren Buffet because he is down to earth and humble; Mary Barra for her empathy and inclusiveness; Richard Branson because of his focus on treating customers and employees with respect and kindness; and his daring.
What is your strategy for getting your team a high standard of work?
By understanding what their strengths are and if they are missing key skills, allowing them to get training so they can meet what the role requires. I also set up clear instructions on what is meeting the requirements of the role and what is above and beyond that qualifies for additional incentives.
Can you talk about a time you had to negotiate with a customer? What did you do? What was the outcome?
This is a non-revenue but highly impactful activity. I was with a partner who traditionally did not do a lot of videos at the time. I was talking with one of the business directors about how impactful thought leadership videos could be, especially when it came to understanding cloud and open source. He got a VP at a large multinational company to produce content with one of our CTOs, but I got a 3-part series of about 45 minutes with the company.
Was there a time you needed to gain the trust and support of your peers to be successful in something?
I took on the position of acting head of marketing for APJ while the company was going through tremendous change and the team was not hitting their targets. I worked to understand what each person was passionate about AND where they needed support and made sure that they were able to take on a larger project that matched their passion and made sure they had the support they required. MQLs rose from 58% to almost 90% in less than 3 months. Vendors also received long overdue training to be more successful in their roles.
INTERESTS & HOBBIES
