Katherine Ilsley

A strategic and results-oriented marketing leader with a strong track record of driving growth in the fast-paced Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) industry. Demonstrated expertise in developing and executing data-driven marketing strategies, building high-value executive communities, and leading end-to-end demand generation and pipeline acceleration initiatives. Proven success in delivering high-impact campaigns, including flagship industry events like Gartner IOCS, UCISA, and KubeCon, as well as orchestrating large-scale internal conferences such as .NEXT, drawing 1,000+ attendees.

Highly skilled in brand awareness, experiential marketing, and customer engagement, with hands-on experience in hospitality programs, direct mail, virtual events, and advocacy initiatives that enhance loyalty and visibility. Adept at turning market intelligence into actionable insights, aligning cross-functional teams, and optimising performance through data-led decision-making. Passionate about crafting innovative, customer-centric marketing solutions that fuel acquisition, retention, and revenue growth in dynamic, high-growth environments.

High Impact Presentations Dale Carnegie
Issued Aug 2022

Future Leaders Program Cranfield University Issued Jul 2022

Forrester ABM Demand Base Marketing SiriusDecisions
Issued Feb 2021

SiriusDecisions B2B Marketing Foundations Pro SiriusDecisions
Issued Oct 2020
Credential ID 49463830

Inbound Marketing Certified HubSpot Academy
Issued Oct 2019

• Yoga, Running own website, Travel, Art, Hiking

I have worked with Kath for a number of years now and have only had positive experiences about how she works and engages both internally and externally.

First - Kath has a ton of energy and works extremely hard. She is passionate about delivering a first class experience in everything she does. 

Dom Poloniecki, VP of Solution Sales, Nutanix

I’ve always appreciated the engagement from Kath and consider her a great ambassador for Nutanix.  Her relationship building skills are obvious to see with the way she interacts with both Nutanix colleagues and customers.  It’s always a pleasure attending events organised by Kath and I do feel privileged to be on the guest list for such exceptional events. Anil Chopra, ex CTO, Berkeley Insurance

'I very much appreciate all of Kath's contributions to Nutanix; the first one that comes to mind is that she has a better relationship with many customers than the sales teams, which is huge credit to her!  I would also highlight the excellent work that she has executed in building the Nutanix Financial Services Round Table, it is one of the few C-Suite forums that we have in the company and shows her creativity. More recently, her execution of .NEXT London, especially in light of company people changes, was superb'.

Andrew Brinded, CRO, Nutanix

Kath has been a consistent part of that marketing drive, and during the time that I have had the pleasure of working with her, she has done nothing but continually grow in both what I perceive her remit to be, and the levels of professionalism that she delivers on behalf of Nutanix. In my view Kath has the tenacity, drive and ability to deliver anything that is asked of her. 

Nick Ovenden, CTO, Markerstudy