If someone would have told Carole when she was younger that she would be working in Venture Capital, she probably would have asked: what even is that? Hailing from a family of doctors, the term “VC” wasn’t even part of her vocabulary. However, she admits she probably would never have headed into medicine herself (her early ambitions were to work with interior design – thank “The Sims” and the Rosebud cheat for that), and the path she subsequently carved out for herself led via double degrees in business and in communication, to non-profit work, to leading marketing at startup- and scaleups before ultimately joining Oxx.
I am quite curious by nature, and like both trying new things and figuring out how they work. So, while many of my friends followed a rather linear road, I have perhaps found it more natural to carve out my path via process of elimination.
Carole joined the Oxx team in February 2023, and thanks to her propensity to try new things, brought with her years of operational experience from high-growth SaaS and fintech companies like Klarna, Nosto, and Trustly. Quite early, she realised that it was within marketing that she thrived, in the interface between creativity, strategy and building and nurturing relationships, and she’s since held a variety of marketing roles in different industries. At Oxx, she’s leveraged her organisational strengths and creativity as she has been focused on shaping the firm’s marketing function from the ground up. This has meant practically setting foundational marketing ways of working across all channels, including operationally running all events and community efforts. On a higher level, it means ensuring that Oxx’s brand aligns with who we are and the firm’s long-term vision, and that it comes across in a way that resonates with our stakeholders.
Carole’s background in SaaS means she’s well-acquainted with the unique challenges tech companies face when growing and scaling, and especially what the marketers are juggling with at the various stages of growth. She thoroughly enjoys being a sounding board to any of the marketers in the portfolio. Carole believes that marketing should play a strategic role in any business, and will forever champion marketing’s place at the table.
Responding reactively to things that are thrown at them is practically a rite of passage for any marketer working in tech, but marketing is most efficient when it’s proactive. I find that structure feeds creativity, since it allows me to clear space in my mind. It’s great if I can use any of my past experience to help our marketing leads with challenges they are going through.
At Oxx, Carole has been adamant that Oxx’s boutique brand reflects who we are as people, and is encouraging everyone to let their personality shine through in all touch-points. While the SaaS marketing work revolved mainly around products and services, at Oxx, the task is to ensure the team is in the limelight. And there is so much about this team that is special – not least the mix of brilliance, humility and humour. For her part, Carole contributes by not holding back on the puns, and will often relay stories of her latest project or DIY, and the mishaps encountered along the way.
