BCAIM: B2B Marketing

Thursday, April 12th, 2012
11:30am - 2pm

The Four Seasons Hotel

Click here to register

Executives from 3 of BC’s top 5 Software companies will be on hand to discuss the challenge of turning B2B prospects into customers. Executives from SAP, Absolute Software and Sage will talk through the objectives, tactics and results seen in their marketing and sales campaigns as they look to gain and keep the attention of an increasingly challenging audience to reach. From demand generation campaigns to customer advisory boards to an increased focus on creating customer advocates, the panel will explore various direct and indirect methods to reach new customers as well as leverage existing ones.

Each Panelist will walk you through their story before a moderated panel will dive deeper into the specific challenges facing B2B sales and marketing in all industries.

Achim Klor, President of SterlingKlor Communications will be moderating a panel of experts consisting of:

• Nancy Harris – Vice President and General Manager, Sage Simply Accounting
• Stephen Midgley – Vice President, Global Marketing – Absolute Software
• Christine Mykota - Director, Business Analytics Marketing – SAP

Speakers

Nancy Harris
Vice President and General Manager, Sage Simply Accounting

Nancy Harris is vice president and general manager for the Sage Simply Accounting business. Ms. Harris is responsible for driving the strategic and product direction for Sage Simply Accounting and oversees key functional areas including sales and marketing and research and development. A primary focus of her role is strengthening relationships with and cultivating an exceptional customer experience for Sage’s small business customers, partner channels, accountants, and bookkeepers.

Prior to joining Sage, Ms. Harris was chief operating officer at ESO Solutions – a private, SaaS-based software solutions company servicing the emergency management services market – where she was responsible for the company’s day-to-day operations, specifically in the areas of client services, marketing, product management and product development.

Previously, Ms. Harris spent nearly a decade with Asure Software in progressively senior marketing, strategic planning and general management roles, culminating in her appointment as COO. Ms. Harris also spent eight years at BMC Software in a number of leadership roles overseeing product marketing, product management, research and development, quality assurance and technical support.

Ms. Harris holds Master and Bachelor of Science degrees from Northwestern University.

Stephen Midgley
Vice President Global Marketing, Absolute Software

Stephen Midgley is Vice President Global Marketing for Absolute Software where he is responsible for all aspects of corporate communications, product marketing, demand generation and channel marketing. His diverse 15+ year marketing career also includes senior marketing positions with Business Objects, Crystal Decisions and Vancity Group. You can follow Stephen on Twitter - @smidgley.

Christine Mykota
Director, Business Analytics Marketing, SAP

Christine has over 20 years experience in the SME space. Currently she is Director, Business Analytics Marketing for the Ecosystem and Channels Group, North America, SAP. Previously, she led LOB marketing for SAP’s Crystal Solutions for North America and WW. Christine has worked for leading companies such as Business Objects, Autodesk, and Intrawest, and was once an international management consultant focused on Southeast Asia. She has won various awards including 1 of 5 Canadians chosen for her international achievements (under age of 35) by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. She has written/edited/contributed to four international publications; taught in Eastern Europe, Malaysia and across Canada; and has enjoyed leading various non profit organizations. Christine lives in West Vancouver and enjoys sailing, skiing and hiking all year!

Moderator

Achim Klor
President SterlingKlor Communications Inc.

I started my career as a graphic designer in 1988 after receiving an Associate Degree in Graphic and Visual Design from Kwantlen University College at the end of 1987. I worked at BC Business Magazine, BC Tel (now Telus), Laser’s Edge, and GE Capitial IT Solutions (now CompuCom) in various print design, web design, user interface and marketing related positions. I had the good fortune of learning the trade before the desktop Mac and PC (ie, lots of wax and chemicals) and before the Internet. Technology keeps changing the way we communicate but the guiding principals of communication never change. It will always be about people.

In 2000, I left my cubical at GE and co-founded SterlingKlor with one simple objective: to simplify the complex and work hard to help our clients achieve market success with no-nonsense business strategies and creative solutions. I have had the privilege to work with many great companies big and small, including ICBC, BC Hydro, Microsoft, WebTech Wireless, MaxHire and Bookbyte, to name a few. Although I have made a ton of mistakes, I have learned valuable lessons from each and every one of them. What started as a consultancy has become a business-to-business marketing agency that serves many companies across Canada and the US.