Vice President, Strategic Events, Experiences & Customer Marketing

Okta is seeking a visionary, results-oriented, and deeply collaborative Vice President of Strategic Events, Experiences & Customer Marketing to lead our global experiential strategy, internal culture-driving events, customer marketing portfolio, and brand partnership programs. This executive leader will be responsible for creating world-class physical and digital experiences that strengthen Okta’s market leadership, deepen customer lifecycle relationships, accelerate pipeline and revenue growth, and inspire our global workforce.

Reporting directly to the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), the VP will oversee Okta's flagship customer conference, Oktane, alongside the company's broader external event portfolio, our comprehensive customer marketing organization, global brand partnerships, and our most critical internal milestone events (Company Kick-off, Sales Kick-off, and Presidents Club).

The ideal candidate is an accomplished marketing executive with deep expertise in large-scale event production, end-to-end customer advocacy, executive engagement programs, and internal corporate culture activation. You are equally comfortable developing long-term business strategy, inspiring high-performing global teams, and partnering with C-level stakeholders.

What You'll Do

Define & Lead Okta’s Global Events Strategy

• Architect the Portfolio: Develop and execute a comprehensive global event and experience strategy aligned directly with corporate growth objectives, product launches, and brand priorities.
• Elevate Oktane: Continue evolving Oktane as the industry’s premier identity and security event, positioning it as a must-attend annual gathering for enterprise technology leaders.
• External Portfolio Management: Oversee Okta's broader external footprint, including executive summits, industry trade shows, customer advisory boards, regional roadshows, and bespoke executive engagement programs.
• Data-Driven Impact: Establish measurable business outcomes for all external events tied to pipeline creation, customer retention, executive engagement, brand sentiment, and revenue acceleration.

Champion Modern Customer Marketing & Advocacy

• Own the Customer Lifecycle: Lead and scale the global Customer Marketing organization, shifting from traditional reference management to an integrated lifecycle engagement strategy that drives net-revenue retention (NRR) and upsell opportunities.
• Amplify Customer Voices: Oversee global customer advocacy, community building, executive reference programs, and high-impact customer storytelling that humanizes Okta's business value.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Partner seamlessly with Sales, Customer Success, Product Marketing, and Corporate Communications to embed the "voice of the customer" into all major marketing campaigns and product milestones.
• Executive Community: Expand and nurture our Customer Advisory Boards (CABs) and exclusive executive networks to foster peer-to-peer connection and long-term brand loyalty.

Strategize & Execute High-Stakes Internal & Sales Events

• Drive Corporate Alignment & Culture: Mastermind the strategy, content orchestration, and production of Okta’s most critical internal milestone events—specifically Company Kick-off (CKO) and Sales Kick-off (SKO)—ensuring global alignment on corporate strategy, product roadmap, and go-to-market priorities.
• Incentivize Excellence: Oversee the end-to-end execution and premium experiential design of Presidents Club, celebrating and rewarding Okta’s top performers in an elite, world-class setting.
• Internal Stakeholder Partnership: Partner closely with the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), People Leadership, and the Executive Team to ensure internal events motivate the field, reinforce company culture, and accelerate sales velocity.

Drive Strategic Brand Partnerships

• Activate Global Alliances: Lead the strategy, activation, and ROI measurement of Okta’s global brand partnerships and sponsorships.
• Innovative Experiences: Identify breakthrough partnership opportunities that increase brand equity, unlock unique customer experiences, and support broader business objectives.
• Integrated Marketing: Ensure brand partnerships are fully integrated across events, digital content, executive engagement, and demand generation efforts.

Partner with Executive Leadership & Develop Teams

• C-Suite Advisory: Serve as a trusted advisor to senior executives, including the CEO, President, CRO, CMO, and Product leadership, shaping how they show up at key internal and external moments.
• Lead with Inspiration: Guide, mentor, and scale a multi-disciplinary global team spanning Strategic Events, Customer Marketing, and Brand Partnerships, fostering a culture of innovation, operational excellence, and accountability.

What We're Looking For

• Experience: 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in event marketing, experiential marketing, customer marketing, or corporate communications within high-growth enterprise software, SaaS, or cybersecurity organizations.
• Proven Scale: A track record of successfully directing large-scale global event portfolios (thousands of attendees) alongside high-stakes internal corporate events (CKO/SKO).
• Customer Marketing Expertise: Deep understanding of modern B2B customer marketing frameworks, advocacy programs, customer community platforms, and customer lifecycle dynamics.
• Executive Presence: Exceptional communication, emotional intelligence, and stakeholder management skills; comfortable advising and influencing C-level executives.
• Operational & Financial Acumen: Experience managing significant, complex global budgets, vendors, and agency partners with a strict eye on ROI, data compliance, and operational excellence.
• Analytical Mindset: Proven ability to connect creative experiences and customer marketing initiatives to hard business metrics (pipeline, retention, brand equity, and employee engagement).

Success in This Role

Success will be measured by your ability to:

1. Elevate Oktane and Okta's event portfolio into industry-defining, pipeline-generating experiences.
2. Build a powerhouse Customer Marketing engine that measurably boosts customer retention, advocacy, and lifetime value.
3. Deliver inspiring, seamless internal events (CKO, SKO, Presidents Club) that align the company, energize the sales force, and anchor Okta’s corporate culture.
4. Scale and nurture a world-class, cross-functional team that consistently delivers execution excellence.

At Okta, we believe experiences create lasting impressions, customer relationships drive growth, and our brand comes to life through every interaction—both internal and external. This role sits at the absolute intersection of all three.

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