In my work with ABM programme leaders around the world, I often have the same conversations: how they make account-based growth a priority, where they choose to spend their limited attention for the biggest impact, and how they hold their nerve when the business wants something faster or shinier than ABM is designed to deliver.
So, in this month’s ABM-er, I’m building on the interview I featured from US-based Stephanie Winters McConnell in June, with excerpts from interviews with two more programme leaders – this time from APAC. Helen Nicholas from Accenture is based in Australia, while Christine Law from ServiceNow is based in Singapore. Both run sophisticated regional programmes that end up shaping thinking well beyond their own region.
Helen and Christine share how they’ve made ABM a business priority, where ABM has had the most unexpected impact, how it is evolving, and what skills will define great ABM-ers in the next few years.
Helen Nicholas: earning a seat at the leadership table
Helen is Client Relationship Marketing Managing Director for APAC at Accenture. She has built a reputation for combining data-led rigour with genuine curiosity, pushing her team to challenge convention rather than settle into a fixed playbook.
What did it take to move ABM from a programme to a business priority?
We only committed to accounts where the account lead was willing to give us a seat at the leadership table. That early positioning made it clear that we weren’t there to support around the edges, but to act as a strategic adviser.
Once we had that seat, how we showed up in conversations mattered. We earned credibility by showing up in a decidedly data‑led way. We could go to account teams and say: our data is telling us we need to build a relationship with this person – even when they hadn’t previously been on anyone’s radar. Asking those questions – and backing them with insight – changed the dynamic.
Demonstrating impact was equally important. We anchored everything back to clearly defined KPIs and outcomes. Historically, B2B marketing hasn’t always been able to point to that level of accountability. Having that discipline – and returning to it consistently – helped ABM shift from something the business experimented with, to something it relied on.
What role does ABM play in shaping business strategy and decision-making, and where has it had the most unexpected impact?
ABM brings discipline to prioritisation. The understanding built through ABM – particularly the strength, structure and health of business relationships – can inform how account teams think about their next moves. While ABM doesn’t dictate strategy, it provides a grounded lens that can shape conversations and decisions.
ABM has also introduced stronger rigour around collecting data, analysing patterns of engagement, and an evidence‑based view of what works in complex accounts. Over time, this has helped teams question assumptions and make more considered choices about how they show up with clients.
Looking ahead, how do you see ABM evolving? What will be different?
The biggest change will be the level of precision ABM can provide at scale. Increasingly, ABM’s value will come from helping organisations show up in exactly the right places – with the right clients, the right messages and the right channels – at the moments that matter most.
ABM is moving from a focus on activity to a focus on decision intelligence. Signals will matter more than volume: understanding what they tell us, how they combine, and how confidently we can act on them. The organisations doing ABM well will be those that can translate insight into direction – dynamically and in real time – rather than simply executing against static plans.
This evolution will be powered by stronger tooling and analytical capability, but the human component won’t go away. If anything, it becomes more important. As precision increases, so does the need for judgement. ABM leaders will increasingly operate as strategic advisers – helping guide choices, challenge assumptions and provide clarity in complex commercial environments.
A deep understanding of return on effort and return on investment will become increasingly important. As ABM becomes more targeted and more integrated into business decision‑making, confidence in where impact is truly created will be critical.
What skills and capabilities will define a great ABM leader and team in the next few years?
A great ABM leader in the coming years will need to be visionary. The leaders who stand out will be those who can imagine what’s possible, define what “great” could look like next, and inspire teams to move towards it.
Alongside that vision sits deep fluency in data, tools and insight – but not blind faith in them. The ability to understand data, form hypotheses, test ideas, and critically evaluate outcomes will become increasingly important. As AI and advanced analytics become more prevalent, discernment becomes a differentiator. The strongest ABM leaders won’t simply accept what technology serves up; they’ll question it, contextualise it and combine it with human judgement.
Understanding the human dimension will remain essential. As engagement approaches become more sophisticated, there is a real risk of sameness. Standing out, differentiating meaningfully, and creating genuinely human connections will require creativity, curiosity and empathy.
Leadership capability will matter just as much as technical skill. Growing people, helping them stretch, and creating pride in the work are critical. Building high‑performing ABM teams means fostering ambition, encouraging experimentation, and supporting individuals to do work that challenges and fulfils them.
Read Helen Nicholas’ full interview.
Christine Law: connecting ABM to the full customer lifecycle
Christine is Senior Director, ABM & Executive Marketing for APAC at ServiceNow. She has spent years navigating the interplay of sales, marketing and long-term account growth in one of the world’s most complex B2B markets, and recently brought ABM and Executive Marketing together under one team – a structural change other regions are now watching closely.
What did it take to move ABM from a programme to a business priority?
The shift happens when ABM is treated as part of the account strategy, not just a marketing initiative.
Structure plays a role. Where ABM sits, how it is funded, and how closely it is aligned to sales all make a difference. But there isn’t a single model that works in every context.
What matters more is staying connected across both the account and the wider marketing ecosystem. ABM needs to operate as a bridge, with the access and credibility of the account team, while still drawing on the full marketing ecosystem.
Alongside that, there is a shift in mindset. The relationship with the business changes – from asking marketing to deliver activities, to bringing problems to solve. That’s when ABM moves from support to partner.
Without that shift, ABM stays constrained. With it, it becomes part of how the business grows.
What role does ABM play in shaping business strategy and decision-making, and where has it had the most unexpected impact?
ABM contributes by bringing a more end-to-end view of the customer beyond the immediate sales cycle.
Sales teams are often focused on the deal in front of them. ABM looks across the full lifecycle: from engagement, through implementation, to adoption, satisfaction and growth. That more holistic perspective helps connect what can otherwise become fragmented.
In practice, that means influencing more broadly across the account – not just aligned to sales, but helping shape how different stakeholders are engaged. That includes senior decision-makers, as well as the teams responsible for implementing and using a solution day-to-day. In some cases, this also changes how customers engage. Without an immediate sales agenda, there is more space for open conversations and a deeper understanding of the account.
It also brings a more account-led mindset into the wider marketing organisation, shaping how programmes are prioritised and designed. In APAC at ServiceNow, we’ve taken this a step further by bringing ABM and Executive Marketing together within the same team. It’s not a typical structure, but it strengthens that connection, ensuring executive engagement is closely aligned to account priorities and integrated with ABM programmes. It’s now starting to be looked at more broadly across other markets.
ABM doesn’t own the overall account strategy, but it plays an important role in shaping it, often acting as the thread that connects it and bringing a more joined-up view of how the account grows.
Looking ahead, how do you see ABM evolving? What will be different?
ABM is evolving under increasing pressure, as expectations of marketing continue to shift.
Long-term investment has always been part of ABM, but it’s becoming harder to justify. Stakeholders move, priorities shift, and the value built in an account can reset quickly.
That makes multi-year investment models more difficult to sustain.
At the same time, there is an expectation of greater speed. AI is making parts of ABM faster, which raises the question of whether the overall model should move faster as well, with shorter cycles and more frequent pivots.
The challenge is how to balance that. How do you maintain depth in key accounts while becoming more agile in how you invest and respond? How that balance is resolved will be central to how the ABM model evolves from here.
What skills and capabilities will define a great ABM leader and team in the next few years?
One of the defining capabilities is the ability to adapt while maintaining momentum.
The pace of change is high, and priorities change constantly. One day the focus is on deals, the next it’s long-term account growth. And then it changes again. Leaders need to be comfortable adjusting quickly and not always having clear answers.
That requires resilience. You have to be willing to try, fail, reset and go again; even when it’s difficult, and even when your confidence takes a knock.
There’s also a shift in where capability sits. In some areas, younger talent is already ahead – particularly in how quickly they adopt new tools and ways of working. At times, they are simply better, and as a leader, you have to be open to that and keep learning.
Ultimately, it’s how you respond to constant change that sets leaders apart.
