Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Alison Durant, Chief Marketing Officer at EngageSmart.
Where did you grow up and how would you describe yourself as a child?
I was born and raised in Massachusetts and was a competitive sailor growing up. Sailing has always been a huge part of my life and has shaped who I am today. I was only a few months old the first time my parents took me on the water, and I began competing as soon as I could hold a tiller.
I was and still am extremely competitive and learned a lot of valuable skills competing in a sport that requires both quick-thinking and a true partnership with the rest of the crew. Sailing is a sport dominated by men, so what I lack in strength and size, I make up for in skill, determination, and communication skills. All of this has translated over into my professional life and success today.
What did you study in college and what was your first job out of school?
I studied Campaign Management at Franklin & Marshall College and landed my first job as an Account Executive at an agency focused on medical devices and diagnostics. I took on several public relations agency roles before moving into a leadership position at Horn Group where I spent ten years building the Agency’s Boston practice, shaping the external communications programs for startups and what are now some of the largest companies in enterprise technology. PR requires both quick and strategic thinking as well as close collaboration with a variety of personalities in high-stakes scenarios - similar to the skills required to win on the racecourse.
Can you share the details on your career path and what were the critical moments or turning points that got you to where you are today? Was there a person who influenced and/or inspired you along the way?
A real pivot point on my professional journey was the shift from client service and strategic communications on the agency side to in-house marketing. Suddenly, I had one client but more stakeholders than ever to consider in day-to-day operations. When I joined Endeca (acquired by Oracle), there was a very palpable sense of building something great together with some of the smartest people I’ve ever worked with. My Endeca colleagues have gone on to build amazing new companies and to take leadership positions in formidable enterprises. It didn’t feel like a turning point at the time but looking back it very clearly stands out as the point when I realized that the companies and teams you surround yourself with matters. We should be asking ourselves - are you inspired and challenged to think bigger by your colleagues? Do you feel supported by your team to try new things and take risks in the spirit of innovation and competitive advantage? You can say you are going to do all those things, but without an atmosphere of mutual support and good humor at work, things easily fall into status quo.
Sabrina Horn was certainly a big influence early in my career. So much of what she embodied as an authentic leader, confidant to CEOs, and mentor to her teams still shapes the way I view my work and my role as a leader. Authenticity is talked about a lot because it matters. Sabrina walks the walk and during the decade I spent at Horn Group, she inspired her people to bring not only their best selves to work, but their whole selves. I strive to do the same thing for my peers and my team. We can’t possibly be as innovative, competitive, or productive otherwise.
What is your current role and responsibilities?
As the Chief Marketing Officer, I oversee all aspects of EngageSmart marketing. This means wearing many hats, but my primary focuses are building our corporate brand identity and supporting our solution marketing teams in their efforts to build and grow awareness in the markets they serve.
Much of the value in EngageSmart is in the strength of our vertically tailored solutions: SimplePractice, InvoiceCloud, DonorDrive, and HealthPay24. While these solutions have been connected for several years, the EngageSmart brand is fairly new, so a big priority for me is to help build awareness for and understanding about Corporate brand both internally and externally. Another, and equally important, priority is to grow our Enterprise business. Each vertically tailored solution serves a distinct audience (municipal tax and utility billers; enterprise nonprofits; and healthcare and hospital systems).
In addition to working with EngageSmart leadership and the executives of all our solution groups, I partner across the organization with key functions like HR to drive internal communications and employee engagement, corporate communications, content marketing brand identity, public relations, social media, and so much more.
I joined EngageSmart in the fall of 2020 as the company’s first marketing leader and less than a year later, we took the company public. Many critical functions worked to together to ensure our teams were operating in complete alignment required to be successful as a public company. This was a huge undertaking, and one that I’m very proud to have been a part of. But in a lot of ways, the real work has just begun—we have a whole new set of audiences to engage. It’s exciting, and it’s going to require a lot more people to help us continue to develop our amazing solutions and continue to delight our customers and their clients as we grow. Did I mention we are hiring?!
Looking back, is this where you thought you’d be professionally? Was it always your goal to be in this position?
As a competitive sailor, I grew up on teams and have always enjoyed working with others. I knew I wanted to be around smart, creative thinkers and doers. People with vision who also put in the work to make it happen. Marketing and strategy appealed to me, but I’m not sure I understood what it entailed until I found myself doing it. Again, it was the people and learning opportunities that I sought out first; the actual subject or area of the work came second to that. I think it's extremely important to be open-minded when entering the job market because you never know when new opportunities will present themselves. I entered the working world and joined an agency following college graduation based on a relationship I had in the sailing world.
For people who are looking to be in a similar position, what advice would you give to others in terms of helping them achieve their career goals?
In terms of long-term career goals, I can’t stress the importance of working with people you can learn from. Much like sports, you only get stronger, smarter, and more skilled by playing with folks who excel in areas you don’t. Also keep in mind that if you have joined the right team, you bring a unique point-of-view and skillset to the job. You want to be around people who inspire you to learn and grow, but who also support your curiosity and build the confidence of the team in positive ways.
Spend time considering who influences you. Is there a mentor or two you can consult and strategize with? Will they also be your champion in the workplace? Do you have confidence among your peers that you can turn to on the hard days? Finally, who are you mentoring and championing for? A solid network is critical to success. I’m not just talking about connections in positions of influence; I’m talking about people you can directly learn from and vice versa in very tangible, productive ways. Who you surround yourself with on a daily basis, how you treat them, and how they treat you can make a much bigger impact on your career path than simply a few powerful contacts. I also believe that our networks make for a happy work life—something we all need, or the journey just isn't’ worth it.
EngageSmart’s company culture really stood out to me when I was looking to make the next step in my career. EngageSmart has leading products in the markets our solutions serve, delighted customers, and most important to me, employees who were excited to come to work. I knew I wanted a position where I could grow as a person, and where I’d be supported in building something new. I think most people want to make an impact in some way and to also be impacted positively by the people they work with – I found this at EngageSmart.
What are the most important skills that you need to do your job well?
The ability to understand, and connect with, your audience cannot be understated. On a day-to-day basis, I may be connecting with four or five different audiences. It can be easy to over-simplify the audience groups into internal and external, but if it’s internal—which solution am I connecting with? And from an external perspective, am I connecting with clients? Shareholders? What message do I want each audience to walk away with? What do I want them to do? Understanding and connecting with your audience is a critical foundation of marketing and communications in any organization.
Adaptability and creativity are next on my list. We live in a time of rapid change and growth, what may have worked well six months ago can suddenly stop working. Having the ability to think outside the box, quickly problem solve, and adapt to our ever-evolving environment is key.
Finally – the ability to stay focused. As a leader overseeing multiple solutions, I often find myself being pulled in different directions with competing asks—which could lead to distraction and stalled execution. However, staying truly mission-focused allows me (and my team) to quickly weed through the work that may not directly align with our strategy and goals—and focus on what does.
What do you find most interesting/rewarding about your work? What’s the most challenging?
I touched on this a little bit, but culture at EngageSmart is extremely important — and working with such dedicated, fun, and supportive people really is rewarding. Our leadership team has worked hard to build an inclusive work environment where employees are excited to come to work.
Given that the EngageSmart brand is still relatively new, one of the biggest challenges for me as a marketer is around sharing the overarching brand story. It takes a lot of thoughtful work at the strategic level, but our biggest challenge (and of course, opportunity) is building understanding and advocacy from employees throughout the organization. We’ve got distinct solution groups under the EngageSmart umbrella that have established brands that are known and loved by their respective customers and employees. I need to partner with the solution teams and help preserve the enthusiasm for each of these while also building equal understanding and excitement around our corporate brand.
One thing I love about marketing is the ability to craft a brand’s identity and connect with customers in meaningful ways. The good news is that every member of our team is united behind the company ethos to make people’s lives easier with our products and solutions. At EngageSmart, we believe that every time someone says “it shouldn’t be this hard,” they’re right. Whether it's paying bills or booking an appointment with a therapist, our jobs help make our customers’ lives easier. That is really gratifying.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment?
There are two separate things that come to mind. First, I love helping employees grow within our organization, and to develop their own career. I’m proud to be a mentor to some of the amazing former colleagues. It's very rewarding to support these talented individuals and watch them achieve their goals, many of whom have moved on to run their own marketing departments and build their own new teams.
I’m also extremely proud of our team’s work taking EngageSmart public last fall. Leading the marketing efforts for our IPO, alongside colleagues in Finance, HR, Legal, Operations, and more was both challenging and rewarding. Working together as a newly established team to become a public company was an important step in our company’s growth, and I’m proud to have been a part of that. With amazing solutions and a team of top talent, I’m also very excited about the next stage of growth for EngageSmart.
Are you involved with any professional organizations outside of the company? Volunteer work?
As I’m sure you can tell, sailing has always been a huge part of my life, and still is. I’m on the leadership council at the Buzzards Bay Coalition, as well as the Board of Directors for the New Bedford Yacht Club. I think it's important to find meaningful causes outside of work, so I’m fortunate to be a part of these organizations and their missions to support the Southcoast of Massachusetts. I have also helped fundraise and plan events for the Community Boating Center of New Bedford, as well as the Lloyd Center for the Environment. It’s been great giving back to the community that introduced me to my favorite sport and hobby.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
We are an active family and I spend a lot of time outdoors with my husband and our two kids. We split our time between Sunapee, New Hampshire and Dartmouth, Massachusetts and spend a lot of time sailing together in the summer and skiing in the winter. It’s great to share sports with my family that we all enjoy and can do together. The newest addition to our family is an Australian Shepherd, named Rhea, who ensures hiking is a part of every-day life,
Both my son and daughter are involved in high school sports and watching their games is priority for me. Not sure the kids feel the same way! Being the parent of a pitcher and a goalie is tough stuff!
I’m so fortunate to work for a company that prioritizes health and well-being and encourages employees to take time with their family. There is a fair amount of data that shows that people are not taking enough vacations even when they have enough paid time off. I try to lead by example and encourage my coworkers and employees to do the same.
How do you manage stress?
Getting outside is my favorite way to manage stress. Whether it’s a dog walk or a quick trip on the boat, the fresh air is renewing. I also love working in the garden – pruning and weeding are little projects that provide instant gratification. I’m totally clueless, but herb gardens are hard to mess up!
I love talking to my kids about their day, their games, their goals – even weekend plans. I try to set evenings aside for that stuff, and while I can’t say it happens every night, it does help me stay rooted in what really matters.
How many cups of coffee do you have in a day?
Ha! A lot – probably eight. I also am known to enjoy a box or two of candy during the day. Hot Tamales, Good-n-Plenty and Peeps!.
Any book or podcast recommendations?
I highly recommend reading Make It, Don’t Fake It by Sabrina Horn — it's one of my favorite books. Sabrina is one of my mentors, and I worked with her for about ten years. “Make It, Don’t Fake It” is something I strive to live by in my professional and personal life. An enjoyable and sustainable workplace needs to be driven by authenticity, as does any marketing strategy or business plan designed to put customers first.
What advice do you have for recent college graduates?
Network as much as possible! People are often hesitant to reach out because they don’t want to seem annoying or assume they don’t know anyone who can help them. Your network is much bigger than you think — you have friends, family, coworkers, and alumni networks. It may surprise you how willing some people are to help. Networking is more than just looking for job opportunities. It's about building relationships and maintaining connections for the future.
And, when you’re out there interviewing, I think it's extremely important to focus on the company’s mission and try to envision yourself working there. Hiring is a two-way street — while the company is interviewing you, you should be making sure the company is a good fit for you. Pay attention to how companies present themselves publicly. Do their values align with yours? How do they support their employees? How real is the person interviewing you willing to be about the challenges of the job? Consider the opportunities it presents. Ask hiring managers what they do outside of work—and how much they know about their colleagues’ own passions and pursuits. That can tell you a lot about the people you’re going to be working with, and in turn, the culture of the company itself and how it supports the whole selves of its employees.
