Speaking Engagements

Executive Advisor, Insight Partners · Hundreds of Portfolio Companies · 20+ Years Operator & Investor-Side Experience

I speak to audiences navigating board pressure, retention questions they can't answer cleanly, and growth decisions where getting it wrong is expensive. These talks give them tools they can put to work Monday morning.

For SaaS conferences, VC/PE portfolio summits, and GTM leadership events, backed by decades on both the operator and investor side, with insight from hundreds of companies across multiple market cycles.

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A Stage Where the Stakes Were Real

In September 2023, I co-presented "The New Power Duo in Capital-Efficient Growth: Marketing and Customer Success" alongside Jared Brickman of Insight Partners.

The session walked the room through the Rule of 40 and its link to valuation, NRR benchmarks by ARR band, the operating model for pairing Marketing with Customer Success, and the post-sale playbook for Renew, Upsell, and Cross-sell.

This is the model I bring to every room: frameworks investors trust, delivered in language operators can act on Monday morning.

Pavilion Women's Summit, Booth Executive Education, Gainsight Pulse, INBOUND, UserIQ, Shine Bootcamp, Crux & Table.

Where I've Spoken, Hosted, and Moderated

Talk Topics

Making Retention a Board-Level Growth Conversation

Stop defending churn. Start controlling the narrative.

Retention moved from CS metric to capital credibility. Boards and investors now evaluate it as underwriting risk. This talk shows how to reframe customer health in the language of enterprise value, translate retention into revenue confidence, and walk into board meetings controlling the narrative instead of defending gaps.

Best for: Founders, CXOs, Revenue Leaders

Walk away able to: Reframe a churn conversation as a capital conversation before the board asks the question first.

The Translation Gap: Getting Boards to Listen to Customer Reality

When operators and investors are both right, but speaking different languages

Customer-facing teams see early warning signs in behavior and sentiment. Investors evaluate through cohorts, LTV, and retention curves. Both perspectives matter, but the translation layer is often missing. This talk shows how to bridge that gap by framing customer insights in the language of capital decisions so frontline intelligence becomes strategic advantage, not dismissed signal.

Best for: Portfolio leaders, Executive teams, VC/PE summits

Walk away able to: Translate frontline customer signal into the cohort, LTV, and retention-curve language investors already trust.

Scaling the Right Things: Pressure-Testing Decisions Before Resources Lock In

Speed without diagnosis means building the wrong thing faster.

When everyone's moving fast, the risk isn't being too slow. It's committing resources to the wrong problem and realizing it six months in. This talk delivers a diagnostic framework to distinguish signal from noise, pressure-test decisions before teams build, and avoid the expensive pivots that come from scaling the wrong solution.

Best for: Founders, Executive teams, GTM leadership events

Walk away able to: Run a pressure-test on the next big resourcing decision before a single dollar or sprint commits to it.

Talk Formats

Keynote Addresses

30-60 min

Built around decision architecture, not inspiration. Customized to your audience and industry. Practical frameworks attendees can apply to their business immediately.

Interactive Workshops

Half-day / Full-day

Hands-on sessions where attendees apply tools to their own real scenarios and leave with an executable action plan.

Fireside Chats & Panels

Conversational format, same directness. I bring insight from hundreds of companies and translate board-level concepts into accessible guidance. Works best with moderators who ask substantive questions.

Virtual Sessions

Interactive formats with real-time problem-solving, breakout applications, and structured exercises.

  • "I've been consistently impressed by Ellie's passion for customer experience, dedication to collaborate effectively, and analytical skills to provide in-depth insights. Her amazing competence is amplified by an engaging energy with an authentic and positive approach. I've loved partnering with her while getting to know her on a personal level too. I welcome every opportunity to collaborate with Ellie!"

    — Bente Vollan, Former SVP Global Head of SAP Concur Technical Support

  • "Ellie stands out for her exceptional skills in customer engagement and her ability to turn high-stakes challenges into opportunities. She consistently delivers impactful results that earn the confidence of executives and investors alike."

    — Crissy Costa Behrens, Insight Partners

  • "Ellie is one of the most impressive professionals I've had the chance to work with. She distills complex challenges into executable strategies and consistently delivers results that exceed expectations."

    — Sunny Saroya, SVP of Americas, Planview

  • "Ellie is the utmost professional — experienced, well-versed, and with the ideal work ethic. She never rests on her laurels, always hunting for opportunities to grow. Her out-of-the-box thinking and natural business acumen make her an asset in any situation. I would definitely recommend Ellie for any position or opportunity."

    — Nels Toriano, Strategic Business Leader

  • "Ellie has made a significant impact on my leadership through her coaching and contributions to the Customer Success industry. Her insights helped me strengthen cross-functional conversations and led to building a platform for my team to surface and resolve issues more efficiently. These wins have bolstered my confidence as a Director of Customer Success — I couldn't have asked for a better role model."

    — Radha S. Jagarlamudi, Director of Enterprise Customer Success

How to Book Me

1. Tell me about your event

Audience, format, topic area, and date. A few sentences is plenty.

I build every talk around your audience and industry. You get tools designed for your context, not recycled keynotes.

2. We discuss fit

Once we align on scope, I manage customization, preparation and delivery. You get a substantive talk without the typical speaker management overhead.

3. I handle the rest

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