Welcome back to our ABM Academy alumni spotlight series, where we celebrate the innovative practitioners who are reshaping account-based marketing across industries and geographies.
This week, we’re thrilled to feature someone whose unconventional career path – from manufacturing engineer to marketing strategist – brings a distinctive perspective to the world of ABM and ABX.
Meet Reena Jagtap
Reena is ABX vertical strategy lead at Henkel Adhesive Technologies, the world’s number one producer of adhesives, sealants, and functional coatings. With operations spanning more than 130 countries and over 800 manufacturing sectors, Henkel is at the forefront of industrial innovation – and Reena is helping shape how the company engages with its most strategic accounts.
Her journey into ABM was entirely intentional. Starting as a manufacturing engineer with over a decade of experience in marketing and digital, Reena’s drive to explore and innovate naturally led her towards account-based strategies. Her experience managing India’s SME ecosystem through e-commerce and lead generation, combined with her work strategising full go-to-market programmes in ABX, gave her a comprehensive view of the B2B landscape and helped develop the customer-focussed approach that makes her such a compelling ABM practitioner today.
Recognised as a 40 under 40 honouree by Business Mint and amongst the 50 under 50 inspiring women by Fox Story, Reena is also a winner of the prestigious Above and Beyond Employee of the Year award at Volkswagen Group Sales India. At Henkel, she’s leading the company’s evolution from traditional ABM practices to ABX – account-based experiences – which places the customer at the core of every strategy.
We sat down with Reena to learn about her journey, the risks she’s taking to transform measurement practices, and what she’s learnt along the way.
The interview
You’re at a dinner party and someone asks what you do – how do you explain ABM?
I am a B2B Marketer at Henkel Adhesive Technologies. My key responsibilities revolve around curating the go-to-market strategy for large account businesses, ABM is a B2B strategy that aligns sales, marketing and other functional resources on carefully selected target accounts within a specific market for deeper penetration and long-term sustainable growth.
How did you get into ABM? Was it intentional or by accident?
As a Manufacturing Engineer with over a decade in Marketing and Digital, my drive to explore and innovate naturally led me to ABM. My journey from managing India’s SME ecosystem (e-commerce and lead generation) to strategizing full go-to-market programs gave me experience across the B2B landscape, helping me develop a customer-focused approach that made ABM a natural fit.
What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your ABM career, and did it pay off?
Rethinking on the measurement metrics. Moving away from MQLs to account engagement scores that take the buying committee into consideration. This will help us have more enriching conversations with Sales.
What was your ‘lightbulb moment’ during the Academy course?
The Advanced ABM Practitioner program was a great platform to collaborate with a diverse group from different companies. Mutual learning always creates an impact, and I am very pleased that I could contribute and gain value from this program.
What’s in your ABM toolkit that you couldn’t live without – and what’s the most overrated thing everyone raves about?
Inflexion Group and Propolis (by B2B Marketing). Inflexion Group gives you the strategic backbone. Propolis gives you the community. Together, they help ABM Managers like me build smarter programs that are both data driven and creatively impactful.
Overrated? Vanity metrics (Clicks, MQLs): ABM is about account progression, not volume. They distract from what matters: engaged buying committees and revenue influence.
Fast-forward five years – what does success look like for you?
Success to me is about driving transformation that is focused on enhancing customer experience and generating business results.
If you could give aspiring ABM-ers one piece of advice, what would it be?
Immerse yourself in understanding the industry trends and growth opportunities. This will unlock ideas that will help you build existing accounts and expand to new ones enabling business growth and a higher market share.
The takeaway
Reena’s journey exemplifies how diverse professional backgrounds can enrich ABM practice. Her manufacturing engineering foundation, combined with extensive marketing and digital experience, gives her a unique lens through which to view account-based strategies. At Henkel, she’s not just executing ABM programmes – she’s fundamentally rethinking how success should be measured in account-based marketing.
Her emphasis on moving beyond MQLs to account engagement scores that consider the entire buying committee represents a significant evolution in ABM thinking. Rather than focussing on individual lead metrics, this approach recognises the complex, multi-stakeholder nature of B2B purchasing decisions. It’s a bold move that reflects Henkel’s broader shift from ABM to ABX – from account-based marketing to account-based experiences.
What stands out most about Reena’s approach is her commitment to continuous learning and industry immersion. Her advice to aspiring ABM-ers isn’t about mastering specific tools or tactics, but rather about developing deep industry knowledge that unlocks strategic insights. This focus on understanding trends and growth opportunities enables ABM practitioners to move beyond reactive campaign execution towards proactive business development that drives genuine account growth.
For those leveraging AI in their ABM programmes, Reena offers a balanced perspective: whilst AI tools can significantly enhance productivity and scalability in research and content projects, rigorous fact validation and ethical considerations remain paramount. It’s a nuanced view that acknowledges both the power and the responsibilities that come with AI adoption.
As Henkel continues its journey from ABM to ABX, Reena’s work demonstrates how measurement innovation, customer-centric thinking, and cross-functional alignment can transform how organisations engage with their most valuable accounts. Her focus on enhancing customer experience whilst generating business results offers a blueprint for ABM practitioners looking to drive meaningful transformation in their own organisations.
Ready to transform your ABM approach? Our next ABM Academy cohort is now enrolling. Discover our ABM Academy courses here.
Join us next week for our next alumni spotlight, featuring another exceptional practitioner from our community.
