As the Great Resignation continues, an increasing number of tech professionals are ready to advance their careers. For companies, that means there’s more top talent to fill open positions.
And once those roles are filled, transformation starts to take place. At Klaviyo, Mike McLaughlin recently joined the team as its chief customer officer. Prior to joining the marketing automation platform provider, he worked for various brands, including GoDaddy, where he helped businesses build their online presence and ran the company’s domains business.
In McLaughlin’s mind, his latest position at Klaviyo coincides with an “exciting yet challenging moment” within the company’s history. He said he’s excited to help the organization continue to grow while retaining its culture.
“We’re still very much a startup with innovation and experimentation at our core, and we’re going to keep it that way,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin isn’t the only local tech pro who just took a significant next step in their career. Biotech software developer Benchling recently welcomed Lindsey Irvine onto their team as chief marketing officer.
Irvine, who most recently served as global CMO at Salesforce company MuleSoft, holds a background in building and scaling go-to-market at large enterprises and early-stage startups. As Irvine settles into her new role, she said her main priorities include investing in teammate relationships, setting goals and cultivating a positive culture.
“I believe it’s critical to devote time and energy to establishing how you want your team to work, not just what you want them to achieve,” Irvine said.
Built In Boston checked in with McLaughlin and Irvine to learn about their new positions, professional backgrounds and leadership styles.
What position are you stepping into, what’s your professional background and why were you brought on to lead this team?
I run the go-to-market teams, including sales, partnerships, success and support. Most recently, I was in the same role at GoDaddy, helping entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized businesses build their online presence. I also ran GoDaddy’s domains business, which is their largest unit. Before that, I was at eBay in its early days and helped build out and run the company’s automotive business. I also helped build an e-commerce startup from its inception.
I joined Klaviyo because it resonates with my prior experiences, which include serving an entrepreneur and small business market that is often overlooked and solving an acute problem for e-commerce merchants with product-led growth in which merchant success translates into our success. I’ve witnessed hyper-growth, and my current role is to ensure that Klaviyo scales to deliver extraordinary outcomes for customers, employees and investors.
We’ve articulated a multiyear strategy that is ambitious and motivating.”
Beyond onboarding and getting up to speed on the internal workings of your new team, what’s your first order of business in your new role?
My first order of business at Klaviyo is to implement the strategy, structure and operating mechanisms that will allow us to scale. We’ve articulated a multiyear strategy that is ambitious and motivating. The company’s potential is much larger than it looks from the outside. Now we need to execute against it.
We’re at an interesting moment where we’re moving from a single-product company focused on one customer segment to a multiproduct company addressing multiple customer segments and geographies. It’s an exciting yet challenging moment, as it’s forcing us to rethink how we do things. At the same time, we’re growing extremely quickly. That’s why I’m working to set up how we operate across the company to handle the scale we anticipate upholding years from now. I’m thinking about things like how to plan and execute effectively, how to organize, where to add leaders in key new roles, and how to stitch together elegant and scalable customer journeys for different segments. It’s a fun moment to be joining the ride at Klaviyo.
How would you describe your leadership style, and how do you hope to apply this in your new role?
My leadership style starts and ends with the team. As a leader, your team is your top priority. Your team members are the ones who are executing and working tirelessly to achieve the goals you’ve set, and they need your time and input to be effective. One of my first priorities as a leader is making time for the individuals and the collective team, investing in relationships at a personal and professional level, and consistently making myself available to listen and respond to individual and team needs. I take time upfront to set the team up for success and then prioritize ongoing team connection and collaboration. Building and sustaining a positive team culture grounded in true connection and trust is critical to scaling a high-performing organization.
My leadership style starts and ends with the team.”
How do you plan to communicate your strategy to the larger team?
It’s critical to set clear goals for the team. I start with defining a true north, or an inspiring vision for the organization that ties our work back to what matters most for the business. I then ground that vision into ambitious yet achievable goals set with the team’s input. I want to make sure the team is clear on what matters, what they’re working toward and how to measure success. By setting goals early on that connect to those of the broader business, the team is aligned with a shared understanding of the road ahead and can effectively prioritize, make decisions, and establish a framework for shared accountability and collaboration.
