Global Head of Go-to-Market, Business Development, and Digital Transformation Sales, FIS Global
Somesh Chablani is a proven Senior Executive and Global Leader with 28 years of rich experience in Go-to-Market, Global Sales, Customer Success, Operations, and Marketing & Business Development. He has a strong track record of Go-to-Market strategy, digital sales, exceeding revenue, and profitability targets. He is highly successful at building strong teams to drive on both current and future objectives. Somesh is an active member of leading Industry Associations and forums such as the Chief Customer Officer Institute, Customer Experience Professionals Association, Public Relations Society of America, Outcome Selling Advisory Ecosystem, American Marketing Association, The American Association of Inside Sales Professionals, Toastmasters International, and many more. Besides being a Global Leader & Customer Advocate, Somesh is an avid Toastmaster and Public Speaker. He works on many philanthropic initiatives such as Youth Leadership, financial literacy, women’s participation, and leadership in technology, entrepreneurship, and laughter and wellness.
If you could write a book about your life, what would the title be, and why?
If I reflect on my personal journey, the one word which describes a potential book, which I may write, is the word “Amazing.” Because life has been an amazing journey with amazing people, amazing adventure, and amazing opportunities. I am very blessed to be born in a huge family with amazing people & relatives. Through my early childhood through high school, I got exposure and access to very good teachers & mentors who helped me to build a strong academic foundation. And then, when I joined the corporate world, I got to work with very great leaders. And I also got the opportunity to travel to many places and countries. That’s why I also say it’s been an amazing adventure because when you travel places, you explore new things. And that makes you very adaptable and open-minded. When you are open-minded, it helps you to look at things from different perspectives; you respect other people’s opinions and start identifying amazing opportunities. So the one word, which nicely describes me and my life, and my journey would be “amazing.”
Tell us something about your professional journey.
I have a little over 28 years of experience and typically held global leadership roles in different functions. For example, I’ve led global marketing, global business development, cloud product management, and, more importantly, sales and pre-sales teams. I have worked in various countries – Singapore, London, on the West Coast, and the East Coast, and travel to more than 15 to 20 countries across the 28 years. I have an MBA in marketing as well as finance. Currently, I work with a global financial technology leading the Go-to-market function. Technology has been the core in which I’ve been working, but it’s been a good blend of working in marketing and sales. Over the last few years, I lead global sales and business development teams in Manila, India, Singapore, UK, Poland, and the US. In addition, I got an opportunity to get connected with leading universities and professors to hire young talent and grads to build and scale the digital or virtual sales function. Even before the pandemic, I was already managing and scaling up teams, accelerating growth with digital sales. So it’s been a tremendous professional journey as well.
Why did you get involved with the AMA-New Jersey chapter? Why is this organization important to you?
I have been an active member of the AMA in different chapters for many years. Marketing is a function very near and dear to my heart. As I said, I have been very fortunate to work out of different cities and places. A few years back, I met Jamie and other AMA team members in the executive marketers meeting, which was terrific. With such great leaders and support, I have been an active member of AMA NJ since then and also been part of various initiatives, especially and the executive marketeers networking group. And I value the community for its collaborative environment, talented professionals, and, more importantly, a vibrant industry marketing knowledge hub.
What is the best advice you would give to new professionals in your industry?
I will make this very simple with three-pronged advice. First, be a data-driven leader because we live in a world of data. Data provides insights, and insights will give you the ability to make the right decisions. Second, be abreast of the industry trends and what’s happening with technology, such as artificial intelligence, marketing automation technologies, including digital marketing. And third, become a very resilient and strong leader, think big, be bold, and execute flawlessly. So that will be my three specific nuggets of advice to any new & young professional.
If someone wants to connect with you, what is the best way to reach out to you on social media?
You can reach me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/someshchablani.
I have a personal website as well. https://www.someshchablani.com/
