RACHELLE SOKAN
Prospect Heights, Illinois || - ||-| www.linkedin.com/in/rachellesokan
SENIOR MARKETING EXECUTIVE
Driving Strategic Growth | Building High-Performance Marketing Organizations | Leading Global Brand Launches
Results-driven marketing executive with 15+ years of experience transforming marketing organizations and delivering measurable revenue growth across diverse industries. Notable achievements include:
Generated $17.6M qualified pipeline within 90 days of new market launch
Increased inbound leads by 268% YoY while improving conversion metrics
Built and led global marketing teams across US and Europe
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
EXHANCE (A TENERITY BRAND)Dallas, Texas
Head of U.S. Marketing 2024 - Current
Recruited by CEO to establish and launch U.S. market entry for Tenerity's European eCommerce platform. Led the market launch including brand development, GTM strategy, and sales enablement infrastructure within aggressive 6-month timeline.
U.S. Market Launch & Brand Establishment:
Led the naming, branding, and strategic positioning of Exhance in the U.S. market, crafting a compelling identity and messaging tailored to B2C brands.
Developed a comprehensive go-to-market strategy and U.S. launch plan to drive market entry and long-term growth.
Directed the launch of digital properties, including a U.S. website, to establish brand visibility and drive customer engagement
Team Leadership & Marketing Infrastructure:
Led a global marketing team with U.S. and UK-based staff, supported by offshore resources in Manila, ensuring effective execution and cross-market collaboration. Worked closely with European teams through regular engagement and bi-monthly UK travel.
Built a comprehensive marketing tech stack, including HubSpot CRM, 6sense, and Salesloft, to support the buyer journey and optimize lead management.
Campaign Strategy, Content Development & Experiential Marketing:
Launched integrated campaigns across paid, owned, and earned media, identifying and engaging high-value accounts through account-based marketing strategies.
Developed impactful content strategies to support campaigns, leveraging thought leadership to enhance engagement and amplify brand visibility.
Strengthened brand awareness and industry presence during the launch period through 3 exclusive experiential activations, 2 high-profile speaking engagements, and strategic participation and exhibition in 7 key industry events.
Key Achievements
Generated a $17.6M qualified sales pipeline (117.3% of $15M target) within the first quarter of launch.
Achieved successful U.S. brand launch within target. (Soft launch in August 2024 and formal website go-live on September 30, 2024.)
Secured 108 SQL first-call meetings from 1,438 MQLs, achieving a 7.51% conversion rate from MQL to SQL.
CARILOOPRichardson, Texas
Head of Marketing 2022 - 2024
Initially engaged as consultant, recruited full-time to build marketing organization supporting Series B to C transition. Established dual-track marketing strategy targeting both enterprise buyers and end-user care platform adoption.
B2B Marketing and Enterprise Growth
Executed targeted B2B marketing strategies to attract employers and benefits providers, positioning Cariloop’s Care platform as a high-value benefit to enhance employee productivity, retention, and satisfaction.
Contributed to a 32% close rate for marketing opportunities, outperforming the average close rate by 10%.
Led the development and implementation of Cariloop’s first Lead-to-Opportunity process, enabling pipeline visibility and alignment on pipeline velocity, contributing to a 268% YoY increase in inbound leads and a 47% YoY increase in the pipeline.
Platform Adoption and User Engagement
Developed a comprehensive consumer marketing strategy to drive adoption and engagement for Cariloop’s Care platform.
Revamped user onboarding process driving 30% increase in platform usage
Developed targeted engagement campaigns hitting our KPIs of double-digit platform adoption
Marketing Infrastructure & Demand Generation
Built Cariloop’s first structured marketing framework, integrating paid media, scalable campaign planning, and audience segmentation to drive B2B growth and consumer adoption.
Led a comprehensive team transformation, restructuring roles, and redefining processes to align with revenue-focused objectives, resulting in a 40% increase in lead generation efficiency
Developed a robust content engine with a structured calendar that produced over 200 pieces annually, driving brand awareness and engagement across multiple channels.
Brand Positioning & Digital Strategy
Developed strategic brand architecture bridging B2C user experience with B2B value proposition to drive employer adoption and retention.
Executed a complete website transformation resulting in 40% increase in qualified inbound traffic through enhanced messaging and SEO strategy
Impact Driven Metrics
Established a data-driven marketing budget, focusing on high-ROI activities that contributed to $850K in direct marketing-driven revenue.
Enhanced sales performance by enabling a 114% YoY increase in sales rep activity through aligned sales enablement initiatives and optimized marketing automation tools.
AMSIVEChicago, Illinois
Senior Vice President of Marketing2019 - 2022
Recruited by PE firm to lead digital transformation of traditional direct mail agency through M&A integration. Orchestrated the successful merger of six acquired brands into unified digital agency.
Brand Integration and Digital Transformation:
Successfully merged six acquired brands into unified identity, creating single brand name, cohesive value proposition, and consistent messaging.
Led development of new brand's competitive messaging ensuring alignment across all digital properties.
Formalized the go-to-market strategies for five verticals, including customer segmentation, market-sizing, and "where we win" opportunities.
Developed comprehensive sales playbook and trained 85 customer-facing team members to align messaging and improve conversion.
Demand Generation Results:
Built scalable demand generation engine generating $4.2M in direct revenue.
Influenced additional $28M in pipeline through integrated campaigns.
Created multi-channel campaigns targeting key audiences through in-person events and digital channels.
Supported achievement of $18.5M in new revenue goals.
SGKChicago, Illinois
Director - Client Solutions Consulting2016 - 2019
CPG Consulting
Leader in specialized consulting practice within SGK, serving as a strategic differentiator for the sales team. Delivered paid consulting engagements resulting in expanded business opportunities for SGK's production services.
Partnered with 15 Fortune 500 clients to deliver measurable cost savings and operational efficiency improvements, driving a 15% revenue increase within client accounts.
New Service Offering - Content Strategy Consulting
Designed and launched a content strategy consulting center of excellence, positioning SGK as a strategic partner early in client decision-making processes. This service aligned clients' content and creative workflows with broader business objectives, elevating SGK’s role in high-value conversations.
Achieved significant business impact by leveraging this service to deepen client relationships and unlock growth opportunities, contributing to a projected $11.5M in annualized revenue from expanded content management and production services.
Strategic Selling & Revenue Impact
Consistently exceeded revenue targets, achieving 103% of quota in FY 2017 and 127% in FY 2018. Developed a consulting model designed to position SGK as a strategic partner to clients, converting $3M+ in additional business to SGK’s content production services by building trusted relationships and demonstrating strategic value.
Thought Leadership & Market Positioning
Created and led 25 pieces of thought leadership (including webinars and blogs) that positioned SGK as an expert in marketing content strategy. Facilitated customer roundtables and served as a keynote speaker at SGK-led events, establishing industry authority and strengthening SGK’s market position.
ESSENDANTDeerfield, Illinois
Marketing Senior Manager - E-Commerce2012 - 2016
SAS Product Marketing:
Led cross-functional team responsible for three SaaS-based offerings, supporting $1B in channel product sales.
Managed smart product merchandising, search, and digital analytics, driving higher cross-sell and upsell across independent reseller groups
Customer Segmentation and Demand Generation Campaigns:
Developed customer segmentation and strategy across five categories of customers aligned to digital solutions.
Created and executed dealer marketing programs.
Directed customer branding sessions following proprietary branding framework for small and mid-sized dealers.
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
ESSENDANT, Deerfield, Illinois, Marketing Senior Program Manager - Digital Content Management,-.
ESSENDANT, Deerfield, Illinois, Lean Six Sigma Process Excellence Manager - Process Transformation,-.
TECHNOLOGY
Marketing Automation, CRM & CMS Platforms: HubSpot, Salesforce, WordPress
Sales Engagement Platforms: Salesloft
Analytics & Reporting: Google Analytics, HubSpot
Project Management: Trello, Asana, Monday.com
EDUCATION
LAKE FOREST GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, Lake Forest, Illinois, M.B.A., 2013
DEPAUL UNIVERSITY, Chicago, Illinois, B.A., Project Management, 2006
Product Strategy, Kellogg Executive Education, 2020
CERTIFICATIONS
HubSpot Platform - Proficient in CRM, Marketing, and CMS
Six Sigma Black Belt, 2005
Project Management Professional (PMP), 2004
Change Management, Prosci, 2018
COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS
Founder and Board Member, Arlington Huskies Competitive Basketball Program
Adjunct Speaker at John Hersey High School, Business and Marketing Class
