118: From Burnout to Buy In: Leading a No-BS Global Marketing Org - with Thao Ngo, SVP of Marketing at Uptempo | REPLAY EP 13

**Originally published on April 12, 2023**

This episode features the one and only Thao Ngo - SVP of Marketing at Uptempo and a total gem of a leader. We talked about building team culture across time zones, leading through three back-to-back acquisitions, and why she ditched PR and the company podcast (and what’s actually working instead).

Thao’s smart, hilarious, and brutally honest in the best way. One of my fave convos.

- Jane

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In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, host Jane Serra interviews Thao Ngo, SVP of Marketing at Uptempo. Thao shares her unique journey from early-career marketing student to global marketing leader - and the lessons she’s learned from decades in high tech, M&A chaos, and building high-performing, human-first teams.

This episode covers:

• Leading through three acquisitions (and merging tools, teams, and time zones)
• The chaos and lessons of combining CRMs, MAPs, websites, and work cultures
• How to actually build team culture on Zoom (hint: not forced virtual lunches)
• Why they paused their podcast, PR, and newsletter, and what’s working better
• The live, no-recording MOPs huddles that build real community
• Her onboarding playbook, including a slide on "how to work with the CMO"
• Burnout prevention tips like calendar audits, Slack boundaries, and no-meeting blocks
• How Thao uses Slack photos and custom statuses to lead with personality
• What it's like to lead as an Asian woman in tech, and how she speaks up when it counts

Thao also shares why building trust and being yourself is the most powerful tool a marketer can have.

Key Links:

Guest: Thao Ngo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thaongo/

Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/

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