This edition of our Alumni Spotlight features Selina Moutia, Senior Principal Vertical & ABM Enterprise Strategy Marketing, EMEA, at Red Hat.
Selina’s journey into Account-Based Marketing wasn’t planned — it was the result of being in the right place at the right time. Since joining Red Hat in 2017, Selina has transformed her accidental entry into ABM into a thriving career. Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of enterprise open source solutions, has provided the perfect environment for Selina to develop her strategic approach to ABM, working with complex, mission-driven accounts across diverse sectors.
What sets Selina apart is her willingness to take calculated risks and her unwavering focus on what truly matters: understanding the customer. Her approach has shaped her work with high-profile accounts and positioned her as an innovator in the field. In this spotlight, Selina shares the moments that defined her ABM career, her essential toolkit, and her vision for the future of the discipline.
The interview
You’re at a dinner party and someone asks what you do – how do you explain ABM?
ABM is where the account in question is treated as a single focused entity. I work in close partnership with the customer to raise visibility of my company’s products and services within their own organisation, helping them make the most of what they have to be successful in their mission.
How did you get into ABM? Was it intentional or by accident?
It started accidentally. I was a community manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland and was recruited by Red Hat in 2017. I learned my marketing career on the job, with the ABM certification course being my first formal marketing training.
What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your ABM career, and did it pay off?
I took a risk by writing a series of newsletters for an organization that had not requested them, but based on the account and ABM principles, it was the right move. Thankfully, the customer really liked and engaged with them, to such an extent that they have now created a formal framework and continue to produce these internally focused newsletters. This could have backfired and damaged my reputation with the customer had they not been well received.
What was your ‘lightbulb moment’ during the Academy course?
The reminder of the quote about purpose-driven versus profit-driven marketing and aligning with an account’s mission. It resonated strongly with my work with the eu-LISA account, as their mission is to keep Europe safe through technology.
What’s in your ABM toolkit that you couldn’t live without – and what’s the most overrated thing everyone raves about?
Essentials in my toolkit are the ABM soft skills – the ability to talk to and actively listen to the customer. The most overrated thing? An over-reliance on Al. If a marketer does not fully understand their account, Al can ‘trip you up’ by providing inaccurate information. We need to have accountability and ownership of our own work to avoid getting lost in the noise.
Fast-forward five years – what does success look like for you?
Being recognised as a thought leader and innovator in ABM strategy, creating ABM services, from what is today siloed ABM engagements, as we scale into the future with AI.
If you could give aspiring ABM-ers one piece of advice, what would it be?
In ABM, align with the mission of the customer and key individuals in your accounts. Marketing can have a bigger impact on profit and other metrics when working with organisations where ABM interactions are focused on purpose and mission, rather than profit.
Ready to develop your ABM expertise?
Inspired by Selina’s story? Explore our ABM Academy courses and join a global community of practitioners who are redefining what account-based marketing can achieve.
See our previous Alumni Spotlight with Vicky Jones, associate director and UKIMEA head of clients at Arup. And join us in two weeks to see who will be in our next edition.
