Rich Pearson

Senior Marketing Executive | Growth Strategist
San Francisco, US.

About

A seasoned Senior Marketing Executive with over two decades of experience driving significant growth and market leadership for startups, mid-market companies, and global corporations. Proven expertise in building high-performing marketing, communications, and demand generation teams, culminating in substantial revenue increases and successful IPOs. Passionate about leveraging innovative strategies to prepare individuals and organizations for the evolving future of work.

Work

Palo Alto Unified School District
|

Instructional Aide

Summary

Supported student learning and classroom operations within a public school district, fostering an effective educational environment.

Highlights

Provided direct academic and behavioral support to students, enhancing learning outcomes and classroom engagement.

Assisted teachers in preparing and delivering instructional materials, improving lesson efficiency and student comprehension.

Facilitated positive student interactions and managed classroom activities, contributing to a disciplined and supportive learning atmosphere.

Upwork
|

SVP Marketing

Summary

Led global marketing, communications, demand generation, customer success, and creative teams, significantly scaling gross services volume through a successful IPO.

Highlights

Orchestrated a monumental increase in gross services volume from $25M to nearly $2B, demonstrating exceptional market growth and strategic leadership.

Directed comprehensive global marketing, communications, demand generation, customer success, and creative functions for a leading freelance platform.

Played a pivotal role in the company's successful IPO, aligning marketing strategies with investor relations and public market readiness.

Built and led high-performing, purpose-driven teams, fostering a culture of innovation and accountability across diverse marketing disciplines.

Upwork
|

SVP Categories and International

Summary

Spearheaded Category Management and International teams post-merger of Elance and Odesk, optimizing global market integration and strategy.

Highlights

Led strategic Category Management and International teams during the critical period immediately following the Elance and Odesk merger.

Developed and implemented integrated global strategies to optimize market expansion and category performance.

Managed cross-functional initiatives to ensure seamless integration and sustained growth across international markets.

Elance
|

Chief Marketing Officer

Summary

Directed Elance's global marketing efforts, spanning brand development, customer acquisition, public relations, product marketing, and customer retention.

Highlights

Led comprehensive global marketing strategies, significantly enhancing brand development and market presence.

Drove customer acquisition and retention initiatives, contributing to sustained user growth and platform engagement.

Managed all public relations and product marketing efforts, effectively positioning Elance in the competitive online talent marketplace.

Built and mentored high-performing marketing teams, fostering a culture of innovation and results-driven execution.

Posterous (acquired by Twitter)
|

VP Marketing

Summary

Served as the first non-engineer and marketing leader, driving all marketing, PR, content, and business development efforts through the company's acquisition by Twitter.

Highlights

Achieved exponential user growth, increasing daily signups from under 1K to 20K, demonstrating highly effective acquisition strategies.

Grew Monthly Active Users (MAU) tenfold from 150K to 1.5M, significantly expanding platform reach and engagement.

Successfully repositioned the service from public sharing to controlled sharing, enhancing user privacy and market appeal.

Led comprehensive marketing and business development efforts, culminating in the strategic acquisition by Twitter in March 2012.

Attributor (acquired by Digimarc)
|

VP Marketing

Summary

Launched small business and enterprise product lines, overseeing brand marketing, demand generation, market research, and public relations, and achieving significant revenue growth.

Highlights

Launched new small business and enterprise product lines, successfully expanding market reach and revenue streams.

Achieved 55% annual revenue growth by taking over inside sales in October 2008, exceeding financial targets.

Directed comprehensive brand marketing, demand generation, market research, and public relations initiatives.

Played a foundational role as one of the company's first dozen employees, contributing to early-stage growth and market positioning.

Bing Technology
|

VP Marketing

Summary

As the first non-engineer at a peer-to-peer backup startup, raised Series A funding and launched initial services before returning funds due to product-market fit challenges.

Highlights

Successfully raised Series A funding, securing essential capital for early-stage product development and market entry.

Launched initial versions of a peer-to-peer backup service, demonstrating agile product development and market testing capabilities.

Managed early-stage marketing efforts, gaining valuable experience in identifying and responding to product-market fit challenges.

Executed strategic marketing and business development plans for a nascent technology startup.

Yahoo
|

Senior Director of Marketing

Summary

Led global acquisition and retention programs for diverse Yahoo products, significantly increasing revenue and customer base across international markets.

Highlights

Successfully led global acquisition and retention programs for 5 distinct Yahoo products, including Mail and Messenger.

Drove over 1 million new paying customers by launching the BT-Yahoo service in the U.K. during a two-year deployment.

Increased Yahoo! Mail revenue by $45M per year through the implementation of a new customer contact strategy.

Directed pan-European marketing teams, optimizing regional strategies for market penetration and growth.

Homestead Technologies (acquired by Intuit)
|

VP Marketing

Summary

Implemented marketing plans for B2B subscription web hosting services, driving customer acquisition, engagement, and retention, and leading product research.

Highlights

Developed and executed comprehensive marketing plans that drove significant customer acquisition, engagement, and retention for B2B subscription web hosting services.

Created a robust customer segmentation model that informed company strategy and optimized marketing efforts.

Led all product research initiatives, providing critical insights for service development and market alignment.

Contributed to the company's strategic growth, leading to its acquisition by Intuit.

Sega
|

Director of Marketing

Summary

Developed and implemented marketing plans for Sega's subscription online game network, HEAT.net, focusing on customer acquisition, engagement, and retention.

Highlights

Developed and implemented marketing plans to drive customer acquisition, engagement, and retention for HEAT.net, Sega's subscription online game network.

Created a grassroots loyalty program that became the top driver of awareness and new subscriptions.

Managed marketing strategies for an online gaming platform, demonstrating expertise in digital entertainment marketing.

Del Monte Foods, Inc.
|

Product Manager

Summary

Led marketing and category management for Del Monte's canned fruit business, launching new products including a top-selling item.

Highlights

Launched five new products, including one that became the #3 category seller within its first year, significantly impacting market share.

Led comprehensive marketing and category management efforts for Del Monte's canned fruit business.

Managed product lifecycle from development to market introduction, achieving significant sales impact and category growth.

Anistics
|

Assistant VP, Software Development

Summary

Defined product requirements and led the team for the design, development, and implementation of risk management software solutions.

Highlights

Defined comprehensive product requirements for complex risk management software solutions, ensuring alignment with business needs.

Led the development team through the design, development, and implementation phases of software projects.

Contributed to the successful deployment of critical financial software, ensuring functional and technical integrity.

Accenture
|

Senior Consultant

Summary

Coded custom software and managed a team for the design, development, and implementation of a new revenue reporting system for a major phone company.

Highlights

Coded custom software solutions to meet specific client requirements for a major telecommunications company.

Managed a development team responsible for the design, development, and implementation of a new revenue reporting system.

Contributed to the successful deployment of a critical financial system, enhancing reporting accuracy and efficiency.

Education

University of California, Berkeley - Walter A. Haas School of Business

MBA

Business Administration

University of California, Berkeley

B.S.

Business Administration

Awards

Human Cloud Changemaker

Awarded By

Future of Work Institute

Honored for significant contributions and thought leadership in shaping the 'Human Cloud' and the future of work economy.

B2B Brand Campaign of the Year

Awarded By

Industry Marketing Association

Recognized for leading an outstanding B2B brand campaign that demonstrated exceptional strategy, execution, and market impact.

Publications

Skills Will Be The Key Currency In The Future Of Work

Published by

Future of Work Think Tank

Summary

A thought-provoking piece discussing the increasing importance of skills-based economies and lifelong learning in the evolving global workforce.

New Vision for Education: Unlocking the Power of Technology

Published by

Educational Journal

Summary

Explores how technology can revolutionize educational paradigms, offering a forward-looking perspective on learning and skill development.

What Upwork's IPO Means For Freelancers

Published by

Financial/Industry News Outlet

Summary

An analysis of the implications and opportunities for freelancers following Upwork's successful Initial Public Offering.

Tips on building a two-sided marketplace

Published by

Industry Publication

Summary

A comprehensive guide offering strategic insights and practical advice for developing and scaling successful two-sided marketplace platforms.

Skills

Marketing Strategy

Software as a Service (SaaS), Subscription Marketing, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Demand Generation, Product Marketing, Public Relations, Brand Development, Global Marketing, Digital Marketing, Content Marketing.

Leadership & Management

Team Leadership, Cross-functional Collaboration, Strategic Planning, Organizational Development, Talent Management.

Business Growth & Development

Revenue Growth, Customer Acquisition, Customer Retention, Market Expansion, IPO Readiness, Business Development, Category Management, International Expansion, Market Research.

Product & Technology

Product Management, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Risk Management Software, Revenue Reporting Systems, Product-Market Fit.

Communications & Customer Experience

Communications Strategy, Customer Success, Public Relations, Creative Direction, Customer Segmentation.