Mimecast is an AI-powered, API-enabled connected Human Risk Management platform, purpose-built to protect organizations from the spectrum of cyber threats.
We connected with Graham Douglas, Chief Customer & Revenue Officer at Mimecast, to learn about his background, her responsibilities, what drew him to Mimecast, and more.
In this video
Graham answers:
- His Role and Responsibilities
- A typical day in the life
- Graham’s Background
- What attracted Graham to Mimecast
- Why now is a good time to join Mimecast
Video Transcript
My name is Graham Douglas. I am the CCRO at Mimecast, which is the Chief Customer Revenue Officer.
In my role, I am responsible for the sales team, the solution engineers, customer success, customer support teams, professional services, and a whole host of other things that fall under the remit of go-to-market, such as revenue operations and enablement. Within this role at Mimecast, we have a population of maybe 2,100 people. About 1,000 of those people roll up under my organization, so it is quite a sizable responsibility within the company.
A typical day is a combination of different events, both internal and external. Each day I try to have conversations with customers and prospects, and then of course I have internal meetings for cross-collaboration with my marketing peers, the product engineering teams, legal, and the rest of the C-suite. Typically, I’m looking at metrics around how the company is performing, how we are serving our customers, and how we are engaging with the market in general.
I also look at how we are collaborating with our alliance partners and our partner ecosystem, who often are the front end to our customers. In most cases, we have an indirect relationship with the customer served through the partner and alliance community; there are some rare exceptions where we have a direct engagement or contract, but nevertheless, we still talk to them in a three-way conversation. There is a lot going on in a typical week, but most of it is focused on operational excellence and how we function in the role. I spend a lot of time making sure we’re driving value and user adoption for our end customers. If we have user adoption, we have a higher chance of having a successful, happy customer and a much longer-term, effective relationship.
I didn’t come out of college with the burning desire to become a salesperson or a sales leader, but I fortuitously fell into this industry and have been rewarded ever since. The real benefit was that I was lucky enough to meet mentors who took me under their wing and showed me how to do this job professionally and effectively. Throughout the years, that led me to work at great companies such as Compaq Computer, Hewlett Packard, Parametric Technology (PTC), and Cloudera. I also had a long run at Oracle, which is one of the largest companies in the world. I did over 10 years there, and part of my background has also involved living in and running teams across different continents. That combined into having global roles, and now, of course, I have the global responsibility for customer revenue.
What attracted me to Mimecast was its rich heritage in the email security space. Through acquisition and organic growth, it has developed a rich product set and a platform that serves an increased need in cybersecurity. They had a point of view about human risk and human risk management being the eighth layer of that security posture. When I spoke to the executive team and the CEO in particular, I was enthused by the vision, the strategy, the execution, and the timeframe.
I chose this role about 11 months ago, and every day provides a greater opportunity to serve Mimecast’s 42,000 global customers. I am still growing and learning, which validates the decision to join. There have also been a lot of new leaders in the executive team, which has brought a vibrancy and urgency to develop new product sets and go-to-market motions. We’re starting to see the fruits of that labor right now, and I think we’re well-placed going into the next 12 to 24 months for our existing customers and prospects alike.
We have a great culture, a great attitude, and great collaboration across all members of the team in all offices and continents. I think for anyone coming to Mimecast, no matter the position, there is the opportunity to work with like-minded people who are going to lift you up and help you achieve your goals.
The best part of that is the customers we have. I have worked at many companies, and I would say that the engagement and enthusiasm our customers have for our vision is second to none. I genuinely mean that. For anyone considering Mimecast or who has the opportunity to come here, they will have the ability to make their full potential happen.
