From the Pitch to the Platform: How Emma Brings Strategy, Grit, and Curiosity to Growth Marketing

She spent most of her time tearing down soccer fields as a striker—quick, scrappy, and relentless. She didn’t just play to win; she played to understand the game. “Soccer was always about reading the field and figuring out how everything connects,” she says. “I think marketing is kind of the same—it’s creative, but you’ve also got to know how to move pieces around to make the whole thing work.”

Today, Emma is a Growth Marketer at Localize. But her path into marketing wasn’t linear. She spent six years as an SDR first, learning how to pinpoint buyer pain, drive curiosity, and position solutions in a way that made people listen. It was a role that taught her how to spot opportunities in the chaos, and how to meet people where they are.

But over time, Emma wanted more than just the one-on-one play. She was drawn to the bigger picture—the strategy behind the tactics, the systems behind the campaigns, and the creative thinking that powers both.

“I’ve always been naturally curious,” she says. “I wanted to understand why something worked. Not just how to talk about the product, but how to shape the whole experience—how to create and capture demand, not just respond to it.”

Since stepping into marketing two and a half years ago, Emma has raised her hand for nearly everything—social, product marketing, email strategy, CRM migrations, SEO, reporting, you name it. But ask her what project stands out, and she’ll light up talking about the automated customer health scoring model she built in HubSpot.

“We had 20+ workflows, a bunch of calculated properties showing change over time, and so many interdependencies. I spent weeks mapping it all out, testing it, working with the CS team to get it right,” she says. “When we flipped the switch and it actually worked, it felt like a big win.”

It’s the kind of work Emma thrives on: solving hard problems, connecting dots across teams, and building scalable systems that help people do their jobs better. She’s not afraid of the messy middle—and she credits that mindset to both her time in sales and her early love of sports.

Emma’s biggest challenge? Wrangling the chaos of marketing without losing its creative edge.

“There are so many moving parts—campaigns, launches, content, cross-functional projects—and I’m constantly trying to operationalize it all without killing the fun,” she says. “It’s a balance between being strategic and staying playful. But that’s also what makes it interesting.”

She credits the Localize team with helping make that balance possible. Collaboration, she says, is one of the best parts of her job.

“One of my favorite examples was the website and SEO project. There were bumps, for sure, but seeing everyone jump in, bring ideas, and get aligned—that was a win. I think our ability to brain-dump openly and work through stuff as a team is what makes our marketing culture so strong.”

Emma is the kind of person who loves a challenge—but she’s also learned the value of momentum over perfection.

“I’m a total perfectionist,” she laughs. “But one of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten here is: ‘Done is better than perfect.’ That mindset helps me get out of my own head and keep moving forward. You can’t learn what works until you ship something.”

It’s that blend of strategic grit and forward motion that defines Emma’s approach to growth marketing—and her impact at Localize.

“Marketing touches everything. We get to support every team and help tie all the pieces together. Whether it’s product launches, customer education, or brand storytelling—we’re right there, figuring out how to connect with the right people in the right way.”

When Emma’s not untangling workflows or launching campaigns, she’s most likely watching the US Women’s National Soccer Team, cheering on her son Max at a club soccer match, or hanging out with her dogs (including a clumsy mountain cur with questionable couch skills).

She once won her family’s Thanksgiving eating competition (yes, it involved pre- and post-dinner weigh-ins), and she can solve a Rubik’s cube in under 45 seconds!

When asked what advice she’d give a new hire, Emma doesn’t hesitate:

“Learn everything you can about the product. Talk to people. Understand how the pieces fit together. That’s how you figure out where you can make the biggest impact.”

And if you’re lucky, you’ll get to work alongside her while she’s doing just that.

‍