Sabrina Donley

About Sabrina Donley

Sabrina decodes growth bottlenecks, customer insights, and marketing confusion to transform complexity into clarity and build the structure that drives results. A transformational marketing executive with 25 years of accelerating growth and ROI in F150 public companies and PE-backed firms, she leverages an engineering background and deep expertise across technical industries to help CEOs harness marketing as a true growth engine. When growth stalls, Sabrina maps the commercial engine to uncover roadblocks, then builds data-driven, scalable marketing systems — aligned with business strategy, optimized for efficiency, and built to accelerate results. Known for her authentic, practical and collaborative style, she builds trust, pipeline, and long-term market advantage. As part of the firm’s small AI Vanguard Team of CXOs, she guides clients and fellow CXOs through the evolving AI landscape — using AI to sharpen decision-making, speed execution, automate what slows teams down, and improve AEO/GEO strategy so companies invest where returns are highest.

How Sabrina has Helped Businesses Grow

• Increased marketing-sourced pipeline contribution from 5% to 60% by partnering with GMs to build long-term strategic growth plans across 10 business units covering diverse technologies and industries.

• Tripled marketing ROI and doubled pipeline growth by transforming legacy marketing functions into digital-first engines, driving higher-quality leads, faster funnel velocity, and lower cost per opportunity.

• Captured $10 million in new revenue in one year by diagnosing pipeline leakage from high-risk prospects and launching an early services offering to improve engagement, retention, and sales conversion.

• Rebuilt marketing post-divestiture for a carve-out in the IT services space—revamping the brand, realigning go-to-market strategy, and launching account-based programs that increased win rates by 40% and cross-sell revenue by 27%.

• Established a global group marketing function across 12 autonomous business units to improve resource efficiency and modernize capabilities – consolidating 15+ websites, creating a brand rationalization roadmap, and launching shared tools and training.

• Built scalable demand engines and a culture of innovation by introducing test-and-learn campaign frameworks, performance metrics, and non-punitive team reviews.

• Drove a 25% increase in employee net promoter score (eNPS) by leading executive communications and employee engagement through acquisitions, divestitures and organizational restructuring.

How Sabrina Leverages AI for Business Impact

• AI for Strategy: Synthesizes customer interviews, market trends, and internal documentation into differentiated positioning and GTM strategies; guides clients on adapting to AI-driven discovery and shifting search dynamics across B2B and B2C markets
• AI for Planning: Designs structured, AI-enabled workflows (e.g., interactive content briefs, messaging systems) that translate strategy into repeatable plans—ensuring alignment, consistency, and scalability across teams and external partners
• AI for Execution: Deploys custom GPTs and embedded AI tools that operationalize messaging, brand voice, and regulatory constraints within day-to-day content development—driving ~40% faster content production, >75% efficiency gains, and reduced review cycles
• AI for Governance: Implements AI-assisted compliance systems, including GPTs trained to simulate FDA-style regulatory review, enabling faster, compliant content generation in regulated environments such as medical devices
• AI Thought Leadership (Chief Outsiders): Core contributor to internal AI leadership initiatives, shaping AI Search strategy, tools, and client-facing education (reports, assessments, webinars) to help CEOs and CXOs capitalize on AI for growth and visibility

Client Resources

• GEO – What it is and Why You Should Understand It

Executive Experience

• VP of Global Marketing & Communications, Porex Corporation (Filtration Group)

• Head of Marketing, Global Data Center Services, Cyxtera Technologies

• Head of Marketing, Global Data Center Services, Lumen (formerly CenturyLink)

• Senior Director, Global Marketing Communications & Digital Strategy, Lumen (formerly CenturyLink)

• Director & Global Brand Officer, Emerson Network Power (now Vertiv)

• Corporate Marketing Manager, Emerson

• Marketing Manager, Dade Behring (now Siemens Healthineers)

Education

• Northwestern University, M.S., Integrated Marketing Communications

• Northwestern University, B.S., Biomedical Engineering

• Northwestern University, B.S., Journalism

Download Sabrina's Resume Here