Shah Carson is a Portfolio Marketing Leader at Merative, a data and software partner for health and government social services, with tech and expertise to drive real progress.
With nearly 20 years of experience in B2B SaaS marketing, Shah builds alignment between product, marketing, sales, and channels to drive revenue and business growth. At Merative, she spearheads portfolio marketing initiatives, supporting an ecosystem of AI partners and leading cross-functional product and campaign launches.
Known for her creativity, collaboration, and thoughtful execution, Shah enjoys bridging teams to define plans that solve customer needs. She thrives in dynamic environments where she can leverage her strength in realizing strategies through building partnerships, processes, brands, and innovative solutions.
Shah is based in the Boston area and is always exploring ideas to serve patients, members, clients, and citizens better through data, AI, and workflow technologies.
How did you find out about the PMM Leadership Accelerator Program?
I first came across PMA during the pandemic, whilst I was mid-scrolling on my phone, and some ads popped up. I subscribed to PMA’s email updates – and have now been subscribed for a number of years – and I thought, “I’ve always wanted to do something with PMA,” like take one of the many courses available. Then I got an email about PMA’s PMM Leadership Accelerator Program!
What was your motivation for enrolling in this program?
I’ve been doing all manner of industry portfolio marketing and product solutions for an incredibly long time. And I recognized that, in my browsings and research, there’s a lot of terminology being used and new templates and frameworks, and so on, that I really wasn’t aware of. I realized I needed to catch up.
I spoke to my manager about the fact that it’s high time I refresh my skills and knowledge after so many years of working in this industry.
So that was the impetus for wanting to jump into this leadership program – to become more informed and results-driven – and, essentially, to see what’d happen.
What did you enjoy most about the Leadership Accelerator Program?
I loved digging into all these interesting concepts and ideas about how the marketing discipline has evolved over time. The knowledge offered in the program was introduced and covered very well.
It was great to hear the first-hand accounts of people like myself, the guest speakers, the lecturers, and everyone else who was brought into the course. The perspectives and insights were incredibly interesting.
My peers told the story of new ways they were doing things and shared the knowledge they’d garnered, as well as getting into concepts that I was familiar with. So I learned a lot from seeing people like myself talking about their work and their expertise.
Which topic have you found the most insightful or useful?
Oh, the career progression topics, undoubtedly. They were incredibly insightful and meaningful. They addressed things like:
- The skills you need as an individual contributor
- How you move to a leadership role
- How you think about leadership
- How you think about organizational design
- What C-Suite means
All of this and more! Ultimately, that’s one of the hardest things to come across in your career – how do you open that door? What are the skills you need to advance? How exactly do you advance? As well as gaining insight into the career journeys of others.
I’ve found this to be hard to come by, and I think my peers would say the same. No one really tells you this because there is no one, single formula to further your career, so it’s always kind of a mystery.
This was incredibly interesting. And someone at the PMM leadership accelerator program actually decided to tackle the question: How does one get to the next phase?
How should you be thinking if you’re a director versus an executive, etc? So I thought that was incredibly valuable. It was unexpected, but it was. It was very insightful.
What resources or activities have you found the most helpful?
Oh gosh, all of them. I mean the templates. The templates are amazing. I haven’t yet taken advantage of my new membership to go and check out the past recordings, but I definitely will.
I know there’ve been many in-person events where you capture the presentations of many illustrious speakers. I haven’t checked that out yet, but I expect I’ll get a lot from this. For now, the templates and articles have been really, really cool.
How have you utilized your learnings in your work?
I’ve yet to fully utilize the resources in my work, but I’ve conveyed to my manager how interesting the course was and how valuable it was for me, and really pressed him to make sure that my colleagues all take the course as well.
So I’d say it’s been useful. It’s been so useful that I think that all of my teammates should take it and be aware of all of the things I’ve been able to learn.
I plan to implement my new learnings soon, i.e. a new budget, new marketing programs – everything’s coming.
Has there been an instance where the program helped you overcome a professional challenge?
That’s a yes. It’s changed my entire mind frame – my notion of career progression has evolved.
This one’s a hard one to answer because, as I’ve just touched on, I’ve not yet utilized all of the resources. However, my mindset has changed and I’m planning to use my knowledge to give advice to my peers and folks who are earlier in their careers and are looking for mentoring.
So where I have the opportunity to share my newfound knowledge, I will.
How do you see the value of this program in comparison to other professional programs?
The fact that it’s so specifically focused on product marketing is ideal.
There are other programs out there whose focus is broader and includes the likes of product management, development, user interface design, and so on. But the leadership accelerator program is focused on product marketing specifically, which I find perfect. It’s very pure in that the attention is being paid to this discipline specifically which is so important – hard to come across.
What would you say to fellow PMMs considering enrolling in this program?
I’d say that they can look forward to having a much better appreciation for data: How it connects to your job, and how it connects to success in your job. I’ve learned that, through sharing data, you can eliminate those silos that stifle business activities and, ultimately, company-wide success.
I thought what was really interesting in the program was the emphasis on shared KPIs, shared goals, and everything your data can capture. The program clarified how you can be much more successful in getting your job done with the influence of data.
So that was a huge aspect for me. Throughout the program, there was a very clear focus on the things you can achieve, and the information was delivered in a highly practical and informative way. As well as this, the live case studies offered by product marketing peers are super helpful.
Overall, I have a greater appreciation for data now. I recognize how critical it is to understand your data, that the data you’re using is also integral to others around you, and that sharing it is important. It’s how we build those inter-grown, cross-functional alliances that are necessary to make product marketing successful.
Any final thoughts?
This was an amazing career refresher, and I’d say to someone new joining the world of product marketing, that this program is an incredible head start if you want to progress quickly.
Are you ready to join Shah and accelerate your journey to product marketing leadership?
Designed with world-leading PMMs, this interactive accelerator program will fast-track your trajectory to becoming a confident, informed, and results-driven leader.
Join an intimate pod of aspiring and new PMM leaders, like you, and walk away with a lifelong network of peers, and the skills, resources, and clarity needed to take the next step in your career.
In just eight weeks, you’ll walk away with…
✅ Complete clarity on how to be more informed, confident, and impactful in every aspect of being a world-class product marketing leader.
🏆 All of the knowledge, tools, and skills needed to build and scale a gold-standard product marketing team.
🔮 Endless leadership insights from PMMs at some of the biggest companies in the world such as LinkedIn, Shopify, Hotjar, Unbounce, and so many more.
💫 The latest industry techniques, skills, and knowledge. Learn it today, and apply it tomorrow. This cohort’s designed to deliver instant impact.
🤝 A group of like-minded PMM peers to not only share and accelerate the learning journey with, but take with you throughout your career. Connections are key…
The program has even helped students progress into their next role faster than they could have done on their own.
