In this interview, Elizabeth Lee, Field Marketing Lead, Data and AI Platforms ASEAN at IBM, shares her perspectives on field marketing, cross-functional collaboration, and customer-centric growth. She explores how AI, data-driven insights, and market localisation shape campaign effectiveness across ASEAN, highlighting the role of human insight, storytelling, and personalised engagement in building meaningful B2B customer relationships.
Welcome to the interview series, Elizabeth. Could you tell us about yourself and your marketing journey?
It’s been an interesting journey, and a colourful one when it comes to marketing. One of my earliest stints had me leading marketing for a floating fish farm (aquaculture in Singapore, where I even got to take home fish sometimes!). I’ve since exchanged the fish for software marketing.
I began my full-time career at a cybersecurity startup, dual-headquartered across Singapore and Amsterdam, so my experience has been global, varied, and nimble. I started with an expansive role, learning to build everything from scratch: marketing communication efforts, press releases, analyst meetings, storyboarding, copywriting, threat and thought leadership content, social media cadences, product positioning, messaging, client relations, and more for our endpoint detection and response product.
Today, I’m a technology software marketer at IBM. I’ve had stints in consulting, top accounts marketing, account-based marketing, and global product marketing. For the past few years, I’ve been dedicated to the data, AI, and cybersecurity portfolios, including quantum-safe, as part of IBM ASEAN. I get to stay close to the pulse of the fast-moving technology world and help co-create and tell the stories of technologies I believe will redefine how we work and think.
What does strong collaboration between field marketing, sales, and product teams look like when driving pipeline growth?
Everyone is a co-creator. It’s impossible to do anything in a silo, because that typically results in limited outcomes. I believe everything should be done thoughtfully. The only way to do that is to stay connected and include various key stakeholders from day one, while being data-centric so the team can make smart bets, refine this over time, and make informed decisions.
We’re constantly refining and optimising how we run campaigns and who we run them for, while keeping the overall strategies and priorities of the business in mind. I appreciate that a big part of my team’s culture is being reflective and consistently metacognitive. We’re always thinking about how we can improve the way we work, thinking about our thinking, and ensuring that local market insights inform our highly curated tactics for the best relevance and results.
How is your field marketing strategy structured across different ASEAN markets?
ASEAN is incredibly diverse, and one size doesn’t fit all. We tailor our approach to each market’s level of maturity and readiness. In more mature markets like Singapore, the conversation may be about advanced use cases, innovation, and next steps. In emerging markets, the focus may be on building awareness, momentum, and nurturing. There are also unique drivers in each geography that require country-specific strategies. It’s always audience-first, and everything else flows from that. A huge piece is having a keen understanding of the audience, their entry points, and being successful at localisation in an agile way.
What metrics do you use to assess field marketing performance, and how do those insights shape your strategy?
I look at marketing-qualified leads, conversions, and how marketing progresses opportunities and moves leads down the funnel. Alongside the numbers, there’s a lot of qualitative data we can tap into, like feedback from sales and clients. It’s also important to keep the entire journey in mind and the quality of outcomes. Those insights shape each planning cycle moving forward: which topics and formats to scale, what to refine, and how to better create and improve our campaigns and client experiences.
“AI-powered personalisation will become a big priority for businesses, but it will also hinge on trust, nuance, and a genuine understanding of the clients.”
How do you see AI shaping field marketing, campaign execution, and customer engagement in the coming years?
AI has already changed how we work. I find it especially valuable for repetitive, well-defined tasks, like optimising campaigns and tailoring content at scale. It gives me a good starting point and means I don’t need to start from a blank page. That frees up time for deeper thinking and the analytical/strategic work that matters most. Ultimately, AI is a great partner. Notably, a key differentiator still lies in human insight, critical thinking, acumen, and instinct, which are refined through real-world experience and being close to the field.
Moving forward, AI will also usher in hyper-customisation for clients. People notice immediately when an experience feels overly generic. AI-powered personalisation will become a big priority for businesses, but it will also hinge on trust, nuance, and a genuine understanding of the clients.
How has your experience in hosting, podcasting, and live streaming shaped the way you approach B2B marketing and storytelling?
This is my favourite question! Everyone loves a story, especially one that is well-researched and consistent with what the data says. A huge part of that is being a credible host so that you grow engagement, loyalty, and trust with your audience.
Hosting and podcasting teaches you to put the audience first and connect with their needs. People pay attention when content is curated, intentional, and adds value. That requires a keen understanding of who you’re speaking to so that you can keep engagement warm. Similarly, B2B marketing is a lot about keeping touchpoints warm with high intentionality and bringing the client through the entire client journey with purpose and clarity.
The best podcasts and livestreams feel participatory. Whether it’s an exhibition booth, a C-level roundtable, an activation, a stage, or a fireside chat, the audience is looking to be welcomed, to learn and reflect, and to be part of the story you’re sharing.
About Elizabeth Lee
Elizabeth Lee is a technology marketer with experience spanning cybersecurity, consulting, account-based marketing, and global product marketing. She develops integrated campaigns that drive demand generation and pipeline growth across Southeast Asia, focusing on data, AI, and quantum-safe technologies. Having started her career at a cybersecurity startup, she brings a global perspective and versatile marketing expertise. Beyond marketing, Elizabeth is an on-screen host, emcee, and podcast producer passionate about storytelling and technology innovation.
