Michelle Vaughan is a marketing leader with more than 20 years of experience delivering impactful customer acquisition, expansion, and engagement results. As Vice President of Growth Marketing at Dynatrace, Vaughan leads a global team of marketers who work side-by-side with sales to make customers heroes. Known for blending creativity, data, and teamwork, she’s all about tackling tough challenges and delivering meaningful results.
But her work isn’t just about numbers and growth. Vaughan is passionate about fostering innovation within her team and keeping the customer at the core of every initiative. Named to our Marketers to Watch list in partnership with The Wall Street Journal, she shared her thoughts on leadership, innovation, and customer-centric marketing approaches.
What book or podcast do you recommend to marketing leaders today?
As marketing leaders, we need to be intentional in calibrating who is our audience and what do they care about. The metrics and detail-driven skill sets that initially help us grow our careers become information overload in an leadership role with too much information for teams to synthesize and act on. We need to shift our communication from “What do I want to tell them?” to “What do they need to know?” The book Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz is a great resource to learn how to use fewer words to make a bigger impact, and to make sure a message is heard and not lost in the noise.
How are you and your team currently using GenAI? In what ways is it most effective?
We continue to pilot new use cases and recently rolled out a GenAI marketing-specific platform across our teams. One effective example is using GenAI for rapid optimization of outbound paid digital assets to quickly optimize persona-based messaging and boost performance. We found GenAI could not only do the work much faster, it also performed better. The rapid improvement in quality of GenAI output is pretty exciting. We continue to evaluate additional use cases and we’re currently testing GenAI for localization and translation, reporting, and lifecycle marketing.
What’s a prediction you have for growth marketing over the next few years?
Automation is a powerful tool, yet it will never fully replace the authenticity and impact of human connection. We will continue to see advancements in product-led-growth (PLG) and self-service motions. At the same time, there will be an increased emphasis on leveraging customer advocacy and community. Peer connections, referrals, and experiences shared among customers with similar needs will become even more integral to building trust and driving growth.
Can you share a recent marketing insight you’ve learned and why it excites you?
Customers still crave in-person experiences. There was a huge demand for in-person experiences post-pandemic and something magical about the energy of people coming together after so much isolation. I think we all expected the demand for in-person would reduce over time but instead we continue to see a strong preference for in-person events and experiences. These human touchpoints are an opportunity for customers to learn the latest advancements first-hand and to connect and learn from each other.
What’s something innovative or exciting you’re currently working on?
I’ve been working with the team to build out several new programs this year and it’s been a ton of fun! One of the highlights has been expanding our customer advocacy programs – connecting even more closely with our customers. Sharing their incredible stories at our recent annual conference is just the beginning. We also recently launched a new Executive Briefing Center program and an Executive Advisory Board designed to further strengthen our partnership with our customers.
What’s the most pressing business challenge you’ve faced in the last year and what have you done to solve it?
For me, it’s been building a team from the ground up —an opportunity that’s been as exciting as it is demanding. From building the foundation and defining what success looks like, to hiring the right talent, onboarding effectively, and ensuring everyone is aligned so we can effectively deliver against these new initiatives. It’s been a balance of planning, agility, and grit. It’s so rewarding to see it come together.
What’s one leadership muscle you see as the most important for marketers to exercise?
Spend as much time being part of the team as managing the team. Collaboration is essential. It’s a great way to build trust and create the conditions for success. Ultimately, as leaders we don’t just manage, we inspire. Our teams are more likely to feel supported, understood, and valued when we spend quality time with them. It shows we are invested not just in the outcomes, but in the people who make the results possible.
What’s the most game-changing piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
Early in my career I was fortunate to have a great boss with entertaining expressions. One of his expressions has always stuck with me. He would say to the team, “Don’t get wrapped around the axle. Stay focused on the get.” He was right. Noise is everywhere. The ability to tune out the noise (or as he would say, “Separate the wheat from the chaff”) and stay focused on delivering what really matters is a powerful career accelerator.
What gives you energy and inspiration outside of work?
Staying grounded with family and friends, playing with my very sassy Shiba Inu who always makes me laugh, diving into a good book, or turning on my favorite music playlist.
Marketers to Watch is a recognition series to spotlight highly innovative and forward-thinking marketing leaders in the community. If you have someone you’d like to nominate for the series, apply here.
