Raquel T.

Okanla (nee Watson)

raquelwatsonokanla@hotmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raquelwatson

Washington DC metro (DC/MD/No.VA)

m) 804-380-8411

Professional Summary
MBA marketing professional with a passion for creating and implementing integrated marketing strategies and programs.
With over 15 years in software & telecommunication industries, I bring an expertise in SMB, partner/channel marketing,
customer lifecycle management, demand generation, digital marketing campaigns & sales promotions. I enjoy helping sales,
marketing teams, and channel partners build profitable, recurring revenue streams with their customers.
Energetic self starter with excellent analytical, organizational and creative skills (MaaS: marketing as a science)
A talent for analyzing problems, developing and simplifying procedures, and finding innovative solutions
Skilled at building effective, productive working relationships w/diverse teams & leading global cross functional teams
Experienced manager and builder of high performance marketing teams
Seeking a senior management position committed to delivering marketing excellence to
win new business, grow existing revenue streams and build long-term customer and partner loyalty.
Summary of Accomplishments

UNIFY, INC. (formerly Siemens Enterprise Communications)

Senior Manager, Global Marketing Programs

Reston, VA (12/2011-06/15)

Integrated Marketing Strategy: Generated 1 of every 4 marketing qualified leads globally with the successful creation,
and implementation of targeted programs (incl., awareness, demand generation, pipeline building & acceleration.)
Strategic Planning: Increased sales pipeline 23% by leading collaboration across complex & heavily matrixed global
organization, translating strategic sales objectives for regions & key countries into integrated audience specific,
revenue generation programs launching new product lines, a company re-brand and major product releases.
Stakeholder Management: Shared expertise as the trusted advisor for integrated marketing with regional
marketing, sales, & channel partners to optimize customer buying experience. Developed global marketing GTM
strategy & campaigns, increasing targeted regional market adoption of key initiatives & programs from 20% to 80%.
Program Implementation and Execution: Defined & created dynamic resources & tools to support sales and channel
partners to execute 3x more tactical campaigns (acquisition, upgrades & migration, renewals, US/XS, nurturing).

Senior Manager, Global SMB Segment Marketing

Strategic Planning: Launched SMB council to build internal awareness and consensus on key business development
opportunities that optimize resource allocation to marketing programs and initiatives.
Integrated Channel Marketing: Increased thru-partner campaigns, driving 31% gain in lead gen for channel partners.
Content & Program Management: Led and managed asset development with internal marketing teams and agency &
vendor partners to independently deliver audience facing materials, localized for global adoption and execution.
Sales Velocity: Created & launched incentive program that modified channel behavior to sell new technology
products (22%+ YOY revenue). Developed price parity promotion, driving $10M in solution revenue in 45 days.

MICROSOFT CORPORATION
Senior Manager, US SMB & Disti Marketing

Redmond, WA (05/05-12/11)

Channel Strategy: Developed & launched channel marketing model & strategy with top FG Distis (Ingram Micro, Tech
Data, Synnex, D&H), accelerating sales opportunities w/non-managed VARs, increasing SMB pipeline closure rates.
Budget Management: Optimized and managed multi-million dollar budget (MDF) across strategic business partners to
drive business transformation, increased license & revenue growth, and deeper sales penetration of targeted VARs.
Integrated Channel Marketing: Developed integrated marketing plans increasing reach, transaction frequency & deal
size of non-managed VARs buying Microsoft products, solutions and services via strategic FG Disti business partners.
GTM Strategy: Created & implemented GTM strategies, maximizing SMB VAR utilization of product campaigns and
identifying new sales opportunities using VAR propensity models. Efforts increased average deal size by 17% YOY.

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MICROSOFT CORPORATION (continued)

Partner Account Management: Increased revenue per account 32% with new engagement model (tele-PAM sales
account coverage) & customized marketing plans for top VARs driving top 20% of channel revenue.
Sales Velocity: Established predictive modeling strategy, yielding 20:1 ROMI or better on targeted mktg campaigns.
Events & Training Strategy: Led and managed a team of 4 marketing specialists to develop events & webinars
strengthening VAR professional skills (mktg & sales training), to support SMB revenue growth & engagement
w/regional field partner account sales teams.
Innovation: Created new licensing revenue stream for regional teams, leveraging local partner sales enablement
events (Licensing Bootcamps LBCs). Adopted & launched globally as a best practice by Worldwide SMB team.

Senior Manager, US SMS&P Marketing

Developed and implemented targeted customer and channel partner marketing programs to deliver 95% renewal
rate, driving $155M in service plan renewal revenue.
Managed customer lifecycle communications to increase service plan awareness, usage and renewal.
Increased re-enrollments among lapsed customers through Win-back programs, driving $6M+ in services revenue.
Grew mix of Support Service Plans to high value ERP customers via Up-sell campaigns, generating $7M in revenue.
Led team of 3 marketing support managers and managed creative agency relationship to develop lifecycle campaigns.

TRITON PCS (d.b.a. Suncom Wireless, acquired by T-Mobile)

Director, Customer Base Marketing

Developed marketing strategy and led the implementation of targeted customer marketing lifecycle programs that
increased wireless service retention rates & customer loyalty, generating $10M in incremental revenue.
Led cross-team coordination of corporate pricing increase initiative, generating over $7M in revenue by EOFY04.
Revised and re-positioned marketing of customer equipment upgrade program to increase brand loyalty, while
minimizing cost exposure and driving adoption mix from TDMA to GSM technology.
Lead team of 4 marketing managers and 1 admin assistant to create and deliver customer lifecycle campaigns.

NEXTEL COMMUNICATIONS (acquired by Sprint)

Senior Manager, Customer Lifecycle Marketing (FTE, contract consultant)

Richmond, VA (01/04-04/05)

Duluth, GA (09/00-01/04)

Developed and implemented marketing plans, generating over $20M in revenue using direct marketing mix.
Effectively managed projects from opportunity identification, to creation and implementation and through
performance evaluation, while exceeding business goals by 30%+.
Led cross-functional project teams, coordinating execution with pricing, devices, IT operations & customer services.
Implemented predictive modeling strategy, increasing loyalty & retention with high-value, high-churn risk accounts.

Other Professional Experience

POWERTEL, INC Acquired by T-Mobile (Corporate Marketing)-Marketing Consultant (Atlanta, GA 4/99-9/00)

THE COCA-COLA COMPANY (Customer Marketing Group) National Account Executive (Atlanta, GA 8/97-1/99)
AMERICAN AIRLINES (Marketing Planning Division) Senior Marketing Analyst (Ft. Worth, TX 7/96 8/97)
BELL ATLANTIC NEW JERSEY now Verizon (Office of the President) MBA Internship (Newark, NJ 5/95 9/95)
BUREAU OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS (Inter-industry Economics Division) Economist (Washington, DC 8/91 8/94)

Education
University of Texas at Austin
Master of Business Administration (Marketing)
Graduate Fellowship Award Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (tuition, fees and annual stipend)
The Pennsylvania State University
Bachelor of Science - Economics (The Smeal School of Business)

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Professional Awards, Professional Affiliations, Personal Interests

Founder, Integrated channel Marketing Leadership Linked In Group (2015-present)

Microsoft Gold Circle of Excellence Award: 2009, 2006 (corporate award: monetary & company vacation)
Microsoft On-the-Spot Bonus Award: 2008, 2006 (monetary award)
Microsoft SMSP Cross-Team Collaboration Award: 2008 (division recognition)
Microsoft National Reseller Sales- Silent Hero Award: 2008 (peer recognition)
Microsoft SMSP Partner Excellence/CPE Award: 2006 (division recognition)
Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) Executional Excellence: 2006 (peer recognition)
Alumni, Candidate Interviewer - Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (2008-present)
DC Chapter Alumni Regional Rep Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (2008-2009)
Board of Directors Travelers Aid of Metro Atlanta (a United Way Service Agency) 2000-2003
Alumni Applications Review University of Texas MBA program (1996-1998)
Member National Black MBA Association

Key Skills and Interests

Technology
Strategic Thinking
Thought Leadership
Multi-Channel Marketing
Build Relationships
Executive Engagement
Competitive Landscape
Innovation

Consensus Building, Negotiation

Team Player, Motivate Teams
Reporting, Dashboards
Channel Partner Ecosystem
Lead Generation
ROI, KPIs
Revenue Generation
Budget Management

Conversion Rates
Up-sell, Cross-Sell Programs
Inbound, Outbound Marketing
Customer Database / CRM
Social Media
Digital / Online Marketing
SEO
Events