In this edition of our ABM Academy alumni spotlight series, we feature someone whose path into ABM demonstrates that the best career transitions build on existing strengths whilst opening new strategic horizons.
Meet Damien Skinner
Damien is regional marketing manager for Government at Pegasystems (Pega), a global software company founded in 1983 and publicly traded as PEGA on NASDAQ. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Pega is a platform leader in workflow automation and generative AI-powered decision-making for businesses, serving clients across financial services, healthcare, communications, media, government, insurance, manufacturing, high-tech, and consumer services markets.
Pega’s innovative approach combines the Pega Infinity platform with breakthrough AI capabilities including Pega GenAI Blueprint, Knowledge Buddy, and Socrates – positioning the company at the forefront of enterprise AI transformation. With solutions that enable real-time personalisation, intelligent automation, and AI-powered decisioning, Pega helps the world’s leading organisations achieve unprecedented business outcomes.
Damien brings a distinctive background to his ABM role. As a client-focussed, data-driven professional with experience spanning communications, digital marketing, and account-based marketing, his career journey took him through public relations agencies, advertising firms, digital marketing, and broadcast television. Before joining Pega, Damien worked as a media strategist for broadcast news stations in Washington DC, where he partnered closely with account executives to craft strategies for clients across diverse industries – essentially practising a one-to-few approach before he even knew about ABM.
His professional experience spans serving clients from IT, special events, home improvement, trade groups, real estate, food and beverage, fashion, and automotive sectors. Along the way, he’s held multiple roles including digital marketing strategist, account management, communications planner, email marketing developer, content marketing strategist, and social media specialist. He holds a certificate in digital marketing from General Assembly and studied at Georgetown University, bringing both strategic thinking and hands-on execution experience to everything he does.
We sat down with Damien to explore his intentional transition into ABM, the creative risks he’s taken, and what he’s learnt about elevating marketing from a support function to a strategic partner.
The interview
You’re at a dinner party and someone asks what you do – how do you explain ABM?
Account-Based Marketing is a highly targeted strategy that focuses on depth over breadth. Instead of casting a wide net like traditional marketing, ABM zeroes in on a select group of high-value accounts and aligns closely with their business priorities. It’s about creating tailored, meaningful engagement that drives impact where it matters most.
How did you get into ABM? Was it intentional or by accident?
I stepped into ABM with clear intention. Before joining Pegasystems, I worked as a media strategist for broadcast news stations in Washington, D.C. In that role, I partnered closely with account executives to craft strategies for clients across diverse industries, essentially a 1:Few approach. My focus was on understanding each client’s business, their industry landscape, and their audience, then leveraging the station’s capabilities to deliver impactful messaging. Transitioning to ABM felt like a natural evolution, taking those same strategic skills and applying them within a structured ABM framework to drive deeper, more personalised engagement.
What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your ABM career, and did it pay off?
Investing and launching the I AM AI campaign for the State of California account team. This campaign leveraged California’s technology interests in AI and legislation on AI’s usage for the betterment of the residents of the state. I took a big risk to make the principal AE on the State of California account to lead/be the face of the I AM AI campaign. If Al decided to leave the company, my campaign would be over, before it began. It was perfect, as the AE’s name is Al (looks like AI, doesn’t it?) the campaign was a play on words and the visual representation of the AE’s name Al and the A.I. I was not sure if the target audience, State of California IT executives would get the irony of the campaign and the message that the human-centred AI must be kept priority of AI development and use. It was well received in the State, at tradeshows in the state executives approached the Pega booth and Al (the AE) to mention that they had seen the campaigns main video. The campaign sought to accomplish two goals — introduce the Pega team to State executives and demonstrate that Pega is in alignment with the states mandate for Responsible AI. This campaign paid off with 10,000+ visits to the campaign landing page (within one quarter) and a 2025 marketing industry award for Innovation in the Business to Government space.
What was your ‘lightbulb moment’ during the Academy course?
My biggest realisation was that marketing isn’t about taking orders—it’s about creating influence. ABM elevates marketing from a support role to a strategic partner by building deep account and client intelligence. That knowledge earns you a seat at the table, enabling you to bring insights and a point of view that position you as the account’s CMO.
What’s in your ABM toolkit that you couldn’t live without – and what’s the most overrated thing everyone raves about?
Canva and Descript are indispensable for me—content creation is the backbone of ABM, and these tools make it seamless. As for overrated tools, I don’t believe any truly are. Every marketer gravitates toward what works best for their strategy and style. Tools evolve, and what was once essential can quickly become obsolete as campaigns and tactics shift. Personally, I enjoy leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot, but I still approach them as assistants rather than replacements. Technology is powerful, but the marketer’s strategic thinking will always be the differentiator.
Fast-forward five years – what does success look like for you?
Success in five years means being deeply embedded in the business, understanding its drivers, knowing our clients and target audiences inside out, and continuously innovating how we engage them. It’s about staying curious, learning relentlessly, and pushing boundaries to deliver impact. I want to be the go-to partner for teams that are hungry to connect with their clients, trusted for both strategic insight and creative execution.
If you could give aspiring ABM-ers one piece of advice, what would it be?
Never stop learning. Life nor ABM are static, it evolves with your clients, your industry, and the technology shaping engagement. Be a lifelong student: listen to stakeholders, study market trends, and learn from what others are doing well. Always look for ways to refine your craft. And don’t shy away from new technology, embrace it, understand it, and leverage it to create smarter, more impactful strategies.
The takeaway
Damien’s journey into ABM exemplifies intentional career evolution built on transferable skills. His work as a media strategist for Washington DC broadcast stations was essentially one-to-few ABM before the framework had a name – partnering with account executives, understanding each client’s business and industry landscape, then leveraging station capabilities to deliver impactful messaging. Recognising this alignment allowed him to transition into structured ABM with clear purpose, taking strategic skills he’d already developed and applying them within a more sophisticated framework for deeper, more personalised engagement.
Damien’s lightbulb moment during the Academy course reveals a fundamental shift in how marketing practitioners should view their role. Marketing isn’t about taking orders from sales or other departments – it’s about creating influence through deep account and client intelligence. This knowledge earns marketers a seat at the strategic table, enabling them to bring insights and perspectives that position them as the account’s CMO rather than tactical executors. It’s a paradigm shift that elevates ABM from a support function to a strategic partnership, fundamentally changing the relationship between marketing and the broader business.
His approach to tools reflects mature pragmatism. Tools evolve constantly; what’s essential today may become obsolete tomorrow as campaigns and tactics shift. Technology is powerful, but the marketer’s strategic thinking remains the true differentiator.
Looking five years ahead, Damien envisions success as deep business embeddedness: understanding organisational drivers, knowing clients and target audiences inside out, and continuously innovating engagement approaches. It’s about maintaining curiosity, learning relentlessly, and pushing boundaries to deliver impact.
Perhaps most valuable is his unequivocal advice to aspiring ABM-ers: never stop learning. Be a lifelong student who listens to stakeholders, studies market trends, and learns from others’ successes. Always seek ways to refine your craft. This commitment to continuous learning separates tactical executors from strategic partners.
At Pegasystems, Damien has demonstrated that intentional career evolution, creative risk-taking, and commitment to lifelong learning can transform how marketing operates. His journey from media strategist to ABM leader shows that recognising transferable skills and applying them within sophisticated frameworks can elevate both individual careers and marketing’s strategic value to the organisation.
Ready to elevate your marketing from support to strategy? Our next ABM Academy cohort is now enrolling. Discover our upcoming courses here.
Join us in two weeks for our next alumni spotlight, featuring another outstanding practitioner from our community.
