Celest Turner Hall

⌁ Portfolio · 2026 · Atlanta, GA

I commercialize AI for companies that actually have to sell it.

I'm Celest Turner Hall, a Chief Commercial Officer, Chief Storyteller, and AI commercialization executive. Twenty years inside PE-backed and public-company SaaS, telco, and enterprise teaching markets to buy what's new, and teaching organizations how to sell it.

Celest Turner Hall
Let's Have a Conversation Today
20+
Years building growth
5x
TAM expansion (EDB)
+49%
SaaS penetration (Sage)
12
AI launches (Aptean)

Trusted across two decades of brands

ApteanEDBSageIntelVerizonAT&TJohns HopkinsAEGON
01The Story

A strategic operator
in twenty words.

"I turn ambiguous AI ambition into structured GTM, repeatable pipeline, and brand authority across PE-backed and public SaaS, telco, and enterprise."

The longer read

I'm an AI-native marketing and commercialization executive who builds the connective tissue between product, GTM, and revenue. I've launched AI and SaaS platforms inside PE-backed and public companies, expanded addressable markets by 5x, repositioned legacy brands into modern SaaS stories, secured first-time inclusion in Gartner and IDC reports, and architected the operational launch rigor that lets product marketing scale without losing its narrative. My teams have been global and distributed, my budgets have run into the multimillions, and my work is measured by ICP engagement, pipeline quality, and the moment a market starts repeating your language back to you. I am a strategic growth operator.

02Career Arc

Twenty years, eight companies, one operating system.

2025–2026
Aptean

Global Vice President of Product Marketing

Led global product marketing and go-to-market for a vertically focused, PE-backed SaaS and AI platform organization.

  • Launched AppCentral, Aptean's AI platform and ecosystem, alongside nearly a dozen AI-enabled solutions with a unified market narrative and activation plan.
  • Architected data-driven GTM infrastructure integrating PRFAQ launch rigor, funnel reporting, GEO/AEO readiness, ABM strategy, and ADR/SDR cadences.
  • Refined ICP and messaging to lift ICP engagement 25% and cut pipeline noise.
  • Expanded analyst coverage across Gartner, IDC, and G2, and led agentic AI training for 100+ employees.
2024–2026
Shining Opus

Founder & Chief Commercial Officer

Built an advisory practice helping enterprise and mid-market leaders translate generative AI and data strategy into commercial outcomes.

  • Designed AI innovation workshops for Microsoft SMB and nonprofits to accelerate AI adoption.
  • Built executive data storytelling frameworks for emerging leaders at Randstad.
  • Advised and delivered a framework for a Product Management Center of Excellence at Benchmark Senior Living.
2022–2024
EnterpriseDB

SVP, Product Marketing & Strategic Planning

Led product marketing, strategic planning, insights, and GTM transformation for a global data and AI platform company.

  • Aligned executives on a 3-year AI growth plan that expanded TAM 5x.
  • Defined product-level growth targets and go-to-market tactics that contributed to 20%+ YoY growth.
  • Rebuilt competitive intelligence, ICP modeling, and lead scoring, lifting new customer acquisition 15%.
  • Secured first-ever inclusion in Gartner's Magic Quadrant; served as interim CPO and media spokesperson.
2017–2022
Sage Group

VP, Marketing Strategy & Customer Insights

Repositioned a legacy software brand into a modern SaaS company through research, segmentation, and global PLG.

  • Led global research with nearly 10,000 SMBs that anchored Sage's brand transformation from legacy to modern SaaS brand.
  • Launched Sage's first SaaS products internationally, contributing to 51% growth.
  • Developed relationships with IDC analysts and drove Sage's first inclusion in the IDC MarketScape.
2010–2016
Intel Corporation

Partner Marketing & Campaigns Manager

Led strategic partnership marketing and enterprise campaigns across telco and enterprise accounts.

  • Managed sell-thru and sell-with relationships with OEM, Telco, and Big Box with a marketing investment of $4M.
  • Exceeded ROI goals by 25% across B2B / B2C campaigns and retail merchandising.
  • Negotiated Intel's first partner marketing agreement with Cisco for NFV, doubling projected lead volume.
  • Secured Intel's first Verizon partnership for 4G computing devices, delivering 3x ROI targets.
2006–2010
Verizon Wireless

Marketing Strategy Manager

Designed Verizon's first B2B e-marketing and content strategy for SMB, enterprise, and government customers.

  • Built 14 digital marketing programs that reduced call center costs 10% through self-service.
  • Established co-marketing with Microsoft, General Dynamics, and other partners, creating 200% engagement uplift.
  • Expanded opt-in email participation by 300% and lifted customer retention.
2005–2006
BellSouth

Senior Marcom Manager

Led SMB customer marketing: acquisition, win-back, contract renewals, and search.

  • Managed multimillion dollar integrated marketing budget across radio, TV, direct mail, research, and creative testing.
  • Expanded media strategy that increased acquisition response rates by 25%.
2001–2005
Johns Hopkins University

Director of Product Marketing

Led marketing for Advanced Academic Programs, delivering record revenue and enrollment.

  • Managed marketing investment and a team of 10 across direct mail, TV, radio, OOH, and digital.
  • Brand transformation lifted program awareness 10% in one year.
  • Exceeded tuition goals consistently; grew post-baccalaureate premedical applications by 50%.
03Capabilities

What I'm hired to do.

Sixteen disciplines that converge into one job: commercialize what's new before the market knows it needs it.

  • 01AI Commercialization & SaaS Growth
  • 02Go-to-Market Strategy
  • 03Demand Generation & Pipeline Acceleration
  • 04Product Marketing & Product Launch
  • 05Account-Based Marketing Strategy
  • 06Thought Leadership & Influence
  • 07Brand Strategy & Advertising Media Mix
  • 08Customer, Competitive & Marketing Insights
  • 09ICP Development, Segmentation & Targeting
  • 10Strategic Planning & M&A
  • 11Revenue Forecasting & Marketing ROI
  • 12Lifecycle Marketing & Retention
  • 13Analyst Relations (Gartner, IDC, G2, Forrester)
  • 14Executive Comms & Thought Leadership
  • 15Marketing Leadership & Transformation
  • 16Partnerships & Ecosystem Marketing
  • 17GEO / AEO / AI Discovery Strategy
04Selected Work

Four stories from inside the room.

Metrics shown as relative gains. Absolute revenue and pipeline figures available under NDA.

AI Platform Launch · Aptean

From product launch to ecosystem narrative.

Launched agentic AI platform called AppCentral, plus nearly a dozen AI-enabled solutions, in a highly verticalized SaaS portfolio. Built a unified narrative, target-audience strategy, and PRFAQ-grade launch rigor so 12 launches told one coherent story to the market.

+25%
ICP engagement lift
12
AI solutions launched
100+
Employees AI-trained
TAM Expansion · EnterpriseDB

Reframed a data company as an AI platform.

Orchestrated and aligned the organization around a 3-year AI growth plan that expanded the addressable market by 5x. Rebuilt competitive intelligence, ICP, and lead scoring infrastructure, and earned the company's first appearance in Gartner's Magic Quadrant.

5x
TAM expansion
+20% YoY
Revenue growth
+15%
New customer acquisition
Brand Transformation · Sage

Legacy software brand to modern SaaS.

Led the research, segmentation, and positioning work that moved Sage off legacy perception into a modern SaaS story. Paired with a global PLG motion and GTM, I helped nearly double SaaS subscription penetration.

+49%
SaaS subscription penetration
+5
NPS points
10
Countries activated
Partner Marketing · Intel

First-of-their-kind partnerships at scale.

Negotiated Intel's first partner marketing agreement with Cisco for network function virtualization and secured the first Verizon partnership for Intel-only 4G computing devices.

2x
Projected lead volume (Cisco)
3x
ROI targets (Verizon)
+25%
ROI vs. plan
05Speaking & Thought Leadership

On stages where the next market is being defined.

Keynotes, master classes, and panels on AI commercialization, GTM, competitive intelligence, and modern marketing leadership.

  • 2026
    How AI Is Rewiring Product Marketing, GTM, and Growth (Keynote)
    Product Marketing Summit
  • 2026
    Taking AI to Market: What Companies Get Wrong and What Actually Drives Adoption
    Atlanta AI Week
  • 2026
    The Future is HER: AI in Marketing, PR, and Advertising (Panelist)
    Georgia AI in Manufacturing
  • 2025
    AI Innovation Panel (Panelist)
    Avante South
  • 2024
    Impact of AI on Small Business (GenAI Panel)
    Microsoft Philanthropies
  • 2022
    Leadership Panel
    The Boss Network
  • 2021
    Competitive Intelligence Master Class (Lead Instructor)
    Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
  • 2019
    Content Marketing Master Class
    DigiMarCon South
06Recognition

Awards that mattered. The experts voted for her work and impact.

2025
Chief Champion Award
Chief Executive Network
2024
EDB Sales Award
Nominated by Sales Organization
2023
Titan 100 Award
Georgia's Top 100 Executives
2023
AVA Digital Awards
Excellence in Digital
2020–22
IDC Research Council Member
IDC
2019
Innovation Marketing Excellence
Sage Group
07Education & Certifications

Always seeking knowledge and understanding.

  • M.A., Leadership & ManagementNotre Dame of Maryland University
  • B.A., EnglishUniversity of Baltimore
  • Executive CertificateLondon School of Business
  • Professional Certificate in Strategic ForesightUniversity of Houston
  • Certified Email MarketerMarketing Sherpa

Now booking · Q1 2026

Let's design what
your next chapter looks like.

CMO and SVP-level conversations, executive advisory, AI commercialization sprints, board introductions. I read every note personally.

Email
celestthall@gmail.com
LinkedIn
celestineturnerhall