David Richards
▶   About

David Richards

Product marketing leader in San Francisco. I build GTM engines from scratch, launch products people care about, and write narratives that move markets. When I'm not doing that, I'm probably on a bike or making nut butter.

01
Background

I grew up across three continents. Born in Portland, Oregon, I spent formative years in Amsterdam and Jakarta before returning to the US for college. That background gave me an early appreciation for how culture affects the way people experience products, services, and messaging.

I started my career in strategy consulting at Accenture, where I worked with Fortune 500 companies on customer experience, go-to-market, and M&A. Business school at Kellogg (MBA + MS in Design Innovation) was the bridge to product. I interned in product management at ServiceNow, then went all-in on product marketing at Domo, Moveworks, and Meter, where I built the PMM function from zero.

I approach problems from an analytical, user-first, and business-value perspective. My engineering background helps me get technical when it matters without losing sight of the story.

02
Education
Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
MBA (Marketing) and MS in Design Innovation
VP of D&I for MMM Program, Student Admissions Interviewer, IPG Team Leader
2019 - 2021
Duke University, Pratt School of Engineering
Master of Engineering Management (Strategy)
2014 - 2015
University of Southern California, Viterbi School of Engineering
BS in Biomedical Engineering
2010 - 2014
03
How I Work

This is a cheat sheet for how to work with me. I value first principles thinking, conscientiousness, and a good sense of humor.

Communication
Slack is my default. I'm also reachable by text. I prefer deliberating over documents to meetings whenever possible.
Meetings
A lot of work can be done asynchronously. When we do meet, I want a clear agenda, a purpose, and for everyone to come prepared. The best meetings end with a decision.
What energizes me
Strategic, creative work with a clear tie to business value. Building from scratch. Solving problems that matter.
What drains me
Spinning on ambiguous problems without moving forward. I like deep analysis, but I subscribe to the 80/20 rule. At some point, you have to ship.
Decision-making
Frame the problem, gather the data we have, make the call, learn from it. I'd rather be decisive and wrong than slow and right.
Feedback
I prefer giving and receiving feedback 1:1 and as close to real-time as possible. I welcome it.
Conflict
I believe in healthy conflict about ideas and decisions. It sharpens thinking. When it gets personal, it stops being useful.
04
Outside Work

Outside of work, I love to cycle the hills of Marin, cook up nut butters and actual full meals, sketch portraits, read engaging books, support the local independent theater, and get out on the mountain for some skiing.

05
Contact

I'm always open to a good conversation. Feel free to reach out.