Mark Absolom is Senior Regional Marketing Lead at Pegasystems, where much of his work supports government clients and the services that keep the country running. His route into ABM took in banking, technology and field marketing before his path led him to ABM, and along the way he has learned that the boldest risks, like building an EMEA campaign entirely around retro 1980s arcade games, tend to pay off. We caught up with Mark to hear about that risk, what clicked for him during his Academy course, and the advice he’d give any aspiring ABM-er.
Interview
You’re at a dinner party and someone asks what you do – how do you explain ABM?
It depends who’s asking — I want to answer in a way that’s most useful for that person’s level of marketing knowledge. Account-Based Marketing is a structured, scalable approach to relationship building: partnering closely with sales rather than sitting apart from it, with highly personalised messaging that’s relevant and easy to digest for the client.
How did you get into ABM? Was it intentional or by accident?
A bit of both, if I’m honest. I started in product marketing before moving from banking into technology, and then into a field marketing role — a role that gradually evolved into an ABM function as our global team changed its approach. It felt intentional too, though, because ABM was an area I’d always wanted to move into, so when the role morphed that way, it just made sense.
What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your ABM career, and did it pay off?
Moving from banking into technology was a big step, driven by my excitement around AI, cloud and the solutions SaaS companies were building. More recently, I created an EMEA legacy transformation campaign built entirely around retro 1980s arcade games — Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Asteroids — a real departure from anything we’d done before, yet ensuring it adhered to brand guidelines. It paid off: after testing it with sales, it performed so well it was adopted globally by the North American and APJ teams.
What was your ‘lightbulb moment’ during the Academy course?
If I had to pick one, it’s the power of client testimonials and case studies — clients want to hear from other clients, and that storytelling is hard to beat. The course also reinforced the importance of staying strategic rather than getting pulled into day-to-day tactics, and of using segmentation and personas properly.
What’s in your ABM toolkit that you couldn’t live without – and what’s the most overrated thing everyone raves about?
Dashboards and KPIs — I couldn’t do without them. They keep me honest on client engagement, net-new contacts and campaign impact, and stop marketing hiding from being measured. As for overrated: too much content. Volume creates noise; what actually matters is cut-through content reaching the right audience with the right message at the right time.
Fast-forward five years – what does success look like for you?
Looking back and knowing I made a genuine difference — helping the company support key clients and deepening those relationships in a way that mattered. I work largely with government clients, and there’s real meaning in knowing this work contributes to services that keep the country running, directly affecting citizens. Success is seeing that impact show up further down the line, even when it isn’t obvious straight away.
If you could give aspiring ABM-ers one piece of advice, what would it be?
Stay curious, never stop learning, and don’t be afraid to try new tools and ways of working. Think long-term and be strategic rather than getting stuck in the day-to-day. Create bigger moments: fewer accounts, more impact, always focused on the client.
Final thoughts
Mark’s story is a reminder that the boldest bets in ABM often pay off best — and that dashboards and KPIs earn their keep by proving it. His focus on fewer, bigger moments over sheer volume, paired with a genuine sense of purpose in the government work he supports, is exactly the kind of thinking the ABM Academy alumni community is built on.
Ready to start your own ABM journey? Get in touch with us or explore our ABM Academy courses to find the programme that’s right for you.
Read our previous Alumni Spotlight where we chatted to Nour Al Hadid, Industries and Sales Enablement Marketing Lead at PwC Middle East. Find out more about our ABM Academy Alumni network.
