Chris Thomas is a PMP certified professional with extensive experience in B2B technical product marketing, product launch, marketing programs management, and trade show marketing. He has led projects for marketing systems implementation, content development, translation management, and technical training. He is skilled in project management, marketing and sales systems implementation, software and medical device product launch, technical documentation, trade shows, market research, and technical training. He has an MBA with a focus on MIS and telecommunications. His experience includes roles managing marketing programs, events, and product marketing.
PMP Certified Marketing Leader with 20+ Years Experience Driving Product Launches, Marketing Programs, and Trade Show Success
1. Chris Thomas
CThomasPMP@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/cthomas1
(630) 409-1286
PMP Certified multi-discipline professional with extensive experience in B2B Technical Product
Marketing, Product Launch, Marketing Programs Management, Trade Show Marketing. Expertise in
Marketing Content Development, Translation Management, Sales and Marketing Software
Implementation, Technical Training.
Highly skilled, seasoned leader and communicator, equally at home working with internal teams and
business partners to drive product development and launch projects, business process development
and change management; contractor and operations management; and customer and business
partner support.
Natively analytical, technologically adept and effective in matrixed, multi-national project teams.
Recognized for positive, rapid and innovative responses to operational issues, collaborative team
building, and no-nonsense project management.
Specialties
Project Management
- Marketing and Sales Systems Implementation
- Software and Medical Device Product Launch
- Technical Documentation and Translation
- IT and Industrial Trade Shows
- Industrial Equipment Fabrication
- Market Research and Voice of the Customer
• Brand and Product Message Development
• Vendor and Contractor Management
• International Business Partner Support
• Technical Training
• Technical Service Operations
EDUCATION
Project Management Institute 2017
Certified PMP
DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois 2001
MBA with concentration in MIS and Telecomms
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Vision Solutions (High Availability Software and Services)
Senior Manager, Marketing Programs 2013 – 2016
Led projects for marketing systems implementation and accelerated departmental budget accrual
reporting and forecasting. Managed all marketing projects, from review and acceptance of proposals
through to definition, development of content and coordination of demand generation tactics.
• Enabled threefold increase in marketing deliverables production.
• Achieved 18% reduction in overall per-piece cost for all collateral and content translation while
expanding translation program to 11 languages.
2. • Vastly improved quality and turnaround times even with workloads as high as 90-100 projects per
month.
• Reduced workload for in-house graphic designers by over 20%.
• Improved content quality and cut production turn-around time to two weeks or less.
Vision Solutions
Marketing Manager, Events 2010 – 2012
Managed all aspects of $1M global trade show program, including direct project management for
over 90 U.S. trade shows annually and direction of trade show operations globally.
• Revamped and integrated trade show and field marketing programs globally within 3 months
during a major corporate merger and rebranding cycle.
• Completed Exhibitor™ CTSM™ training.
• Achieved 35% reduction in Cost per Response from trade shows with 10% increase in Marketing
Qualified Lead flow-through, despite 20% reduction in total lead counts.
• Leveraging German language and project management skills, successfully contracted, planned
and executed Vision’s stand and event programs at CeBIT 2012 in just 7 weeks, after extremely
late Executive decision to participate.
Vision Solutions
Marketing Programs Manager 2007 – 2010
Led core product and brand message development, marketing launch planning. Developed and
executed qualitative and quantitative marketing and customer research survey programs.
• Researched and wrote first editions of the “State of Resilience” market trends report, gaining
industry and media attention for Vision Solutions as a dominant market player and thought leader.
• Drove the highest webcast attendance to date for Vision Solutions: 500+ full attendance out of
800 registrations.
• Developed a detailed, multi-factor profile of the company's small-to-medium sized business (SMB)
customers, resulting in re-focusing / reallocation of marketing and sales budgets and programs.
Vision Solutions
Product Marketing Manager 1999 – 2007
Developed product and brand positioning, messaging, core content and sales enablement materials
for all products.
• Managed product pricing initiatives from business case development through quote/RFP systems
implementation and sales team communication.
• Managed global corporate participation in IBM Premier Business Partner cooperative marketing
programs.
• Led competitor and market research, developing and managing a shared, searchable SharePoint
repository.
• Wrote and managed development of more complete and accurately targeted collateral, thought
leadership content and media communications for product launches.