Meet Yvonne, Senior Manager of Product and Solutions Marketing at Hootsuite

Have you ever wanted to experience working in another area of the world? Global work experience brings unique opportunities to immerse yourself in another culture, enhance your personal and professional growth, and contribute to the growth of those around you.

Yvonne Chow, Hootsuite’s Senior Manager of Product and Solutions Marketing has a resume packed with global work experience — and these experiences have helped her become the leader she is today and foster an inclusive culture within her team. We sat down with her to learn more about her experiences and what she’s building at Hootsuite.

Born in Malaysia, Yvonne worked in Malaysia and Singapore in product marketing before it became an official title. She’s always been driven by her curiosity to understand what makes people buy certain products, and how to influence them to do so. After beginning her career in telecommunications 12 years ago, she moved into mobile commerce, which was a pathway into future careers in the tech industry. She jumped at the opportunity to work on more tech focused projects and she gained skills that gave her an opportunity to move into FinTech. Yvonne’s time in the FinTech industry would eventually land her jobs in SaaS companies.

I love climbing and bouldering — it’s the only time when my mind is truly focused on nothing else around me but the next few movements.

Yvonne then made the move from Singapore to Vancouver and joined Hootsuite as a Senior Product Marketing Manager at the beginning of 2019. In a short time, she has made a large impact and moved into a leadership role. She’s building out her team here at Hootsuite, so we’ll let her tell you more about that.

What made you make the move from APAC to NA? How did you adapt to working within different markets?

Long story short: my relationship. My husband is an animator and jobs are more plentiful in Vancouver. After two years of being in a long-distance relationship, I decided to say goodbye to Singapore and start a life here. When learning to adapt to a different market and culture, empathy is always important. I did my best to ensure I understood how things were done here, how people felt, what they liked or didn’t like, and what they’d prefer to continue doing. I spent the first quarter in my new role observing and asking questions, building relationships, trying to understand the gaps, and remembering to have fun along the way! Hootsuite peeps made this journey easier, as they were very welcoming and happy to share information.

You’re currently building out a large team. Can you tell us how this team fits into the Hootsuite ecosystem? What impact does the team have at Hootsuite?

Product Marketing Managers are the bridge between users and buyers — our product teams, marketing, and sales. We build meaningful alignment between all cross-functional teams, drive effective go-to-market tactics and strategy that resonate with our buyers, and arm our stakeholders with insights and intelligence that help influence our product roadmap, sales plays, and marketing campaigns.

Our team builds compelling narratives and stories that showcase the hard work our product teams do, and helps our reps be the consultative partner to their customers, and drive authentic engagement with our marketing partners. The leaders at Hootsuite see the value in our Product Marketing team and understand the importance of having a healthy ratio of product managers to product marketers which has helped enable the growth of our team.

An important part of building a successful team is fostering diversity and inclusion. How do you lead inclusive teams?

Fostering diversity and inclusion is always an area where teams can grow and improve, and it’s important to remember that diversity includes thought, skill sets, and personalities. Within my team, I believe the most important experiences to foster are trust, empathy, and a growth mindset. The team is strengthened by learning from each other and their unique experiences and we trust in each others’ capabilities and expertise. We ensure our team meetings and catch-ups are safe spaces where we can understand the world through each other’s eyes. Additionally, fostering a growth mindset and empathy are critical because it means that we are open to understanding context, understanding what’s worked and not worked, and most importantly with empathy — understanding each other.

My amazing team!

Tell us three reasons why someone would want to join Hootsuite as a Product Marketing Manager and three reasons why they wouldn’t.

Why this could be the team for you:

1. You are looking for an opportunity to be creative. You’ll be able to act on new ideas and build new practices because we’re always changing.
2. You enjoy collaborating with a supportive team. We foster an inclusive environment where you can bring your true self to work every day. The team is so supportive and open to helping you grow, and your voice and opinion are always valued.
3. You want to work on a team with influence. The influence of the Product Marketing team is constantly growing. We have the buy-in and support of senior leaders that truly understand and appreciate the value product marketers bring to the organization.

Why this may not be the team for you:

1. You are not comfortable with change and adapting. In our business we are constantly changing and adapting. This is why practicing a growth mindset is beneficial to being successful.
2. You are looking for processes already set in place. Unless you want to be part of the solution, you may not feel comfortable not having frameworks in place already.
3. You are not comfortable with follow-ups. Being a product marketing manager is being a connector. That means you need to be comfortable constantly collaborating and following up with multiple teams.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to expand their knowledge and work in another area of the world?

Working in another area of the world is an amazing opportunity to grow your career — both hard and soft skills. Although it may not be the right move for everyone, if it’s something you’ve thought about, it’s completely okay to feel like you don’t know where to start. To help you make an informed decision, consider doing the following:

1. Do your research. Learn about the country you’re interested in, and once you feel comfortable, log in to LinkedIn or reach out to friends who may know people in your new part of the world. You can find people who are there now, or who may have previously worked in an area you’re interested in.
2. Reach out to people for a coffee. A great way to learn about differences and similarities in work culture is by chatting with people who have experience where you’re currently located and where you may want to go. If you have a company in mind, you can also use this as an opportunity to learn more about a company of interest to you.
3. Ask questions. This is valuable both virtually and in person. People will respond to you if you’re curious about them and their experiences. Ask questions, jot down answers, learn from them, and you’ll find that you’ll get more help along the way.

Interested in joining our Product Management team? Check out our open roles!