Marketing Executive · Vice President

Building revenue engines.
Authoring brand growth.
Amplifying talent.

20+ years engineering demand, authoring brand stories, and amplifying the talent that makes it all happen.

$3.2M closed · 1,875 MQLs
Built from zero in 18 months
$4.6M
Above plan — SeqStudio Flex
80%
Team engagement · +9 pts above avg
View Work Samples

Featured Podcast

Heard on Razor Branding™

Razor Branding Podcast — The Sunny Side of Branding with Sunshine Makarow

He Said, She Said · Razor Branding™ · Dec 29, 2025 · 52 min

The Sunny Side of Branding: Emotion, Evidence, and Marketing That Works

A conversation about marketing in highly regulated healthcare — balancing emotional connection with scientific proof, persona-driven messaging, and why measuring marketing is non-negotiable.

Healthcare Marketing Persona Strategy Brand Building ↗ Listen Now

Career Story

Two decades of building what's next

From founding a surf magazine to VP of Marketing at a global medical device company — a career defined by building from zero, leading with data, and making marketing matter.

2023 – 2026

Nanosonics

Vice President, Marketing – Americas

Joined as the company's first dedicated demand generation leader in the Americas. Built the full-funnel marketing engine from scratch: strategy, team, tech stack, and programs — delivering 1,875 MQLs and $3.2M in closed-won revenue within 18 months. Led the commercial launch of trophon3, the company's flagship product, and drove strategic development for CORIS ahead of 510(k) clearance. Awarded President's Club 2025.

Demand Generation Product Launch ABM Medical Devices President's Club 2025

2013 – 2023

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Marketing Director → Senior Manager → Channel Programs Manager → Regional Marketing Manager → Digital Marketing Manager

A decade-long journey through five progressive roles at one of the world's leading life sciences companies. Launched the award-winning SeqStudio Flex instrument ($4.6M above plan). Delivered ServiceHub — a first-of-its-kind web platform that drove a 7% above-target lift in service contract attachment. Produced original video content series. Grew channel programs to drive double-digit international revenue growth. Started as a digital marketer and grew into a global marketing director.

Product Marketing Marketing Operations Channel Marketing Life Sciences Best New Life Science Product 2022

2019 – 2020

AkuShaper CAD Software

Business Development Lead

Joined a surf industry SaaS business to drive growth. Diagnosed a churn problem, built a data-driven retention program, and improved customer retention by 35%. Advanced OKR frameworks, P&L models, and email automation sequences that increased trial-to-paid conversion by 62%.

SaaS Retention Marketing OKRs Email Automation

2010 – 2013

Teamwork Athletic Apparel

Brand Manager

Led a full brand repositioning for a national athletic apparel company: persona development, voice of customer analysis, and digital go-to-market architecture. Grew social audience 207% and led a cross-functional marketing team of 8.

Brand Strategy Digital Marketing Repositioning

2000 – 2006

Surf Life for Women Magazine

Founder, Publisher & Sales Director

Founded and built an independent surf media brand from zero to 1,000+ global retail distribution locations. Grew subscriptions 200% and newsstand sales 400%. Recognized by the International Periodical Distributors Association for cover excellence. The original demand generation story.

Entrepreneurship Publishing Sales & Distribution

Work Samples

Selected highlights

Key programs, campaigns, and initiatives spanning strategy, demand generation, product marketing, and brand.

Team Leadership↗ View Case Study

Building the Team Behind the Results

Nanosonics · 2023–2026

Built and led a high-performing Americas marketing team from scratch using strengths-based development, consistent 1:1 coaching rhythms, and a culture of growth — grounded in a spirit of continuous improvement and deliberate in-person team building.

80% engagement · +9 pts above company avg · 100 score on "My leader genuinely cares"

Demand Generation↗ View Case Study

Americas Demand Gen Engine — Built from Zero

Nanosonics · 2023–2026

Architected and launched Nanosonics' first full-funnel demand generation function in the Americas — building the team, campaign architecture, and reporting infrastructure across ABM, paid search, content syndication, field events, and sales enablement.

1,875 MQLs · 946 SQLs · $3.2M closed-won in 18 months

Product Launch↗ View Case Study

Trophon3 Commercial Launch

Nanosonics · 2025

Led end-to-end Americas go-to-market strategy for trophon3, Nanosonics' flagship ultrasound probe reprocessing device — from positioning and messaging through campaign architecture, asset development, sales enablement, and field training.

233 pipeline opportunities · $1.3M pipeline influence · 58% win rate

Product Launch · Award Winner↗ View Case Study

SeqStudio Flex Global Launch

Thermo Fisher Scientific · 2022

Directed the global commercial launch of the SeqStudio Flex genetic analyzer across Americas, EMEA, and APJ — owning positioning, launch campaigns, channel partner enablement, trade show strategy, and post-launch performance across 10+ markets.

$4.6M above revenue plan · Best New Life Science Product Award 2022

Sales Enablement · eLearning↗ View Case Study

eLearning Video Series — Engaging Education

Thermo Fisher Scientific · 2021–2022

Created two original branded eLearning video series — a 6-episode service training series and a 4-episode competitive series for SeqStudio Flex — to train the global sales org in an engaging, memorable format. Both were adopted organization-wide.

2 series · 10 episodes · Globally adopted by sales training org

Marketing Operations

ServiceHub — First-of-its-Kind Sales Platform

Thermo Fisher Scientific · 2021

Identified a gap in the global sales team's ability to configure service products. Led conception, vendor selection, UX requirements, build, and global rollout of ServiceHub — enabling reps to research, configure, and price any service SKU in real time.

7% above-target service attachment rate · Adopted globally by sales org

Channel Marketing

Global Channel Partner Programs

Thermo Fisher Scientific · 2016–2019

Built and scaled channel marketing programs across Tier 1 and Tier 2 biosciences distribution partners globally — developing partner playbooks, incentive structures, co-marketing programs, and activation kits across Americas, EMEA, and APJ.

5.1% growth (2017) · 9.2% growth (2018) · +20% China · +5% APJ

OKRs & Business Strategy

OKR Framework & Survival Planning

AkuShaper · 2020

During a critical business pivot at a SaaS startup, built an OKR framework, 90-day operating plans, and P&L scenario models — using ProfitWell and trial analytics to prioritize churn reduction and trial conversion as the two highest-leverage growth levers.

35% retention improvement · 62% trial-to-paid conversion increase

Brand Strategy

Brand Repositioning — Athletic Apparel

Teamwork Athletic Apparel · 2011–2013

Led a full brand repositioning — persona development, voice of customer analysis, brand standards, and digital go-to-market architecture for a national athletic apparel company targeting the cheerleading and team sports market.

New brand identity · 207% social media audience growth

Let's connect

Open to Sr. Director, Vice President, and SVP marketing roles.

sunshinemakarow@gmail.com LinkedIn