Ali Rastiello

I'm obsessed with the idea of pairing beauty alongside efficiency and innovation. I love the creativity of marketing, but I always think in terms of logistics like an engineer. In my mind, that’s the definition of a B2B marketing and operations expert.

But my real superpower lies in creating teams that thrive on transparency and grit. I inspire greatness in people by leading with my heart, learning what makes them tick, investing in their talent, and respecting them as individuals. We get into the trenches together, celebrate the highs, and bounce back from the lows as one team.

What I Do

Demand Generation

Crafting creative, action-inspiring integrated campaigns with operational precision.

Messaging

Drafting messaging frameworks, developing personas, and outlining compelling content journeys.

Operations

Creating simple and efficient ways for Marketing teams to execute and measure.

Leadership

Inspiring greatness in people, leading with my heart, providing vision and purpose for my teams.

Testimonials

Brand Architect

What does that mean, exactly?

I don't think it's a common term. I think I made it up. But if I didn't, I'll gladly give whomever props. It's honestly the most concise way I know to describe what I do.

I use that term because I am an expert not only in the strategic and creative part of B2B marketing, but I can operationalize it too. It's not a superpower most people have, to be honest. I know very few that can work both sides of the brain to be creative and process-oriented. But I can, and I glide effortlessly between both.

It's not necessarily something I do all on my own. It works when a team of smart marketers comes together, who understand the overall vision and the part they play in bringing it to life. Everyone from product marketing to campaigns, content, design, and operations must understand the strategy, goals, the order of operations in which work needs to be done to execute, and how to measure success.

Crossfunctional handoffs are where I see most teams stumble. Someone hasn't provided the vision, the path, and the success metrics for everyone to activate. Teams have too many competing priorities, and no clear, actionable marching orders.

On top of that, executives are often pushing to execute a strategy without the operational foundations in place. Executives who don't understand the operational challenges of bringing their vision to life can't provide the guidance or aircover their teams need to drive to success.

You need a person who can provide the vision and draft a blueprint that connects all the dots, so teams can activate and hit the company goals.

You need an architect.

You need me.

Resume

20+ Years Experience

I'm a data-driven marketing leader driving growth for SaaS and B2B companies through demand generation strategies, integrated campaigns, and operational excellence. I thrive in fast-paced companies, solving complex problems while delivering flawless execution and mentoring exceptional teams.

Wanna Know More?

Download the deets here.

Get The Resume

Experience

2019 - 2022
Cornerstone OnDemand

Sr. Director, Global Marketing Operations

Head of Marketing Operations responsible for PMO, Martech stack, lead management, and analytics. Chief of Staff to the CMO, working through an acquisition, org changes, and budget planning, while spearheading systems unification project that spans Marketing, Sales, Support, Finance, Global IT, and Alliances. Reduced tech debt and cost by 36%, redefined the lead management process, and introduced intent and ABM technologies. Led digital marketing and web through Q2 2021, improving demo conversions by 12%, achieved a 60% pipeline contribution goal against a total revenue target of $143M.
2017-2019
BigCommerce

Director, Marketing Operations and Technology

Member of the senior marketing leadership team, overseeing strategy and execution of marketing goals driving 26% YOY growth. Transformed and expanded a small email-marketing team into a full marketing operations org consisting of 10 people responsible for marketing execution, data management, lead lifecycle management, departmental budget management, analytics, and go-to-market process
2011-2017
Rackspace

Program Manager/Sr. Manager, US Marketing

Held several roles during my tenure including customer marketing, enterprise demand gen, and marketing operations. Led a global team of 9 people and operationalized the marketing team through process improvements. Increased productivity by 38% and reduced operating costs by $400k YoY. Created and executed demand gen programs that drove a 5x ROI and resulted in $256k MRR / $3.1M ARR in new bookings for the enterprise team.
2007-2010
The Planet

Associate Manager, Marketing Communications

Operationalized a small, inefficient marketing team turning them into lean production engine while writing and executing the full email marketing strategy.

Education

1997
Sam Houston State University

Bachelor of Fine Arts - Radio/TV/Film

I Believe…

Following in the footsteps of my dear friend and fellow marketer Sherry Woodard, I wanted to publish a list of beliefs that define me. Sherry used to have a blog called “I Believe…” and it was AMAZING. She started every post with “I believe…“and then showed us all an incredibly well written, personal piece of her soul. No matter what the subject, it always made you feel. It unlocked her heart and made you understand what an incredible human she is.

So, here’s my attempt at showing you who I am.

image

Leadership

I believe organizations that have a true people-first mentality will always succeed.

I believe that a leader's #1 job is to honor and support the people who work for them. It’s our job to not only give them direction and purpose, but to help them navigate ambiguity, workplace politics, and mistakes that they will inevitably make.

I believe that approaching the hard conversations with compassion and clarity are the times when the people you lead will respect you the most. It’s what they’ll remember about you as a leader, and what will stimulate real growth for them.

I believe that the best thing you can do as a leader is to show that you are human, too.

Success

I believe that passion will only take a person so far. Grit and determination are the real drivers of success.

I believe, like beauty, success is in the eye of the beholder. Only you can define what success looks like for you. (That’s a hard one for me. I do believe it, but that doesn’t mean my ego or heart can abide by it 24/7.)

I believe that at the end of the day, trust and respect is the only thing that matters.

Marketing

I believe that no company can ever achieve greatness without smart marketing.

I believe that if marketing and sales aren’t playing together nicely like true BFFs, the company won’t hit goals.

I believe you can’t run a successful marketing campaign without making an emotional connection with the audience, no matter the subject.

I believe that you can make the most creative, fantastic campaign ever, but if you don’t have the foundational operations set up correctly, it won’t matter. Who cares if a million people engage with your marketing programs if you can’t action the leads and measure the results?

I believe that all marketing executives need the ability to get down into the weeds and understand the technical challenges their teams face. If they can't do this, they run the risk of not being able to effectively advocate for their team's needs to the rest of the executives and will struggle to make the right technical decisions for Marketing.

Life

I believe Dave Grohl is one of the single most talented and amazing humans on the planet and I will judge you if you don’t agree.

I believe that food is my love language.

I believe the people we choose to spend our time with should help us be the best version of ourselves possible.

I believe weekends are for sleeping late then spending the day drinking coffee in pj’s and binge-watching all the good shows.

I believe that if you’re going to go out to dinner, make it count. Take an Uber, order the whole bottle, and have dessert.

I believe that your home should be the one place you feel safe and secure and happy… a reflection of all things that bring you joy.

I believe life is short, so make the most of it. Work hard. Love big. Be someone’s light.

Contact

Get in Touch
image

832-253-6632

ali@rastiello.com

Freelance Available

Austin, TX

How Can I Help You?