Interview with Heather Zynczak, chief marketing officer, Pluralsight
This article is part of a series featuring business executives who choose to live and work in Utah. If you know of an executive we should interview, please contact us.
Heather Zynczak is chief marketing officer at Pluralsight, a technology skills development platform. She leads a data-driven organization that delivers real, qualitative results.
Excited by the company’s mission, culture and opportunity to expand into the enterprise, Zynczak joined Pluralsight in 2016. She is responsible for the company’s digital revenue and is responsible for leading the company’s go-to-market strategy. Her leadership and growth-marketing mindset contributed to the company’s successful IPO in May 2018.
In her 20-year career, Zynczak has held executive marketing positions at some of the world’s largest and fastest-growing enterprise tech companies. She is passionate about data-driven marketing and a champion for women in tech.
Zynczak enjoys sharing her experience and insights and is published in Fast Company, Forbes, Fortune, Inc., and other high-profile publications.
Pluralsight is an enterprise technology learning platform that delivers a unified, end-to-end learning experience for businesses across the globe. Through a subscription service, companies are empowered to move at the speed of technology, increasing proficiency, innovation and efficiency. Pluralsight provides members with on-demand access to a digital ecosystem of learning tools, including Pluralsight IQ, directed learning paths, expert-authored courses, interactive labs and live mentoring.
How did you get started in the industry?
I graduated with a finance/accounting degree when the software industry was beginning to take off. Instead of following a traditional finance path, I chose to pursue a career in technology. My first job was as a web developer, working more than 80 hours a week building a custom billing system for a large power company.
What top two professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
The marketing leaders at Pluralsight are some of the best marketers in the business. Each one of them is a true craftsman and expert in their field. They inspire me every day. I am incredibly proud of the accomplishments we achieved. And, the best part is we also have a ton of fun working together. I laugh daily at work.
When I joined Pluralsight, the business was in a transition-moving from a business-to-consumer and small commercial business-to-business motion to a true enterprise company. Our head of sales and I partnered to form a strong cross-functional team that demonstrated the value of our platform Fortune 500 companies. Together, we built a significant enterprise business, one that has grown to serve 70 percent of the Fortune 500 companies and put Pluralsight on the path to go public.
What drew you to Utah?
I lived in San Francisco for over a decade. Our first son was a newborn when we were considering leaving the Bay Area. My husband lived in Park City before law school and put Utah on his list. I had never been to Utah, but my “spreadsheet analysis” of our four final cities proved Utah to be the winner.
It has been a wonderful place to raise our three sons, and I’ve never looked back.
What do you like most about living in Utah?
There are so many things to love about Utah.
First, the great outdoors. Our family loves to take advantage of all the amazing activities Utah has to offer. From biking to hiking to skiing to sitting on our back porch staring at the mountains, we live outside.
Second, the thriving tech community. I am grateful to be a part of the early stages of a huge tech boom. Utah’s growth and potential rivals any other tech community in the U.S. It has been an amazing experience to be a part of this movement.
What do you like most about doing business in Utah?
I love the sense of community. Silicon Slopes brings everyone together for the common good of the community as a whole. I love going to tech events throughout Utah and feeling a sense of camaraderie. It has been a highlight of my career to feel like a pioneer in the Utah tech scene.
What advice do you have for individuals considering starting a business, or relocating their business, to Utah?
Join us! The Utah community has so much to offer. There is a large talent base of highly educated, multilingual professionals, with a growing base of local entrepreneurs who are actively investing.
Connect with her on LinkedIn.