Seasoned global technology executive Axel Kirstetter on focus, execution, and the end of one-size-fits-all GTM
Executive summary
Axel Kirstetter brings nearly three decades of experience building go-to-market teams across SaaS and global technology companies. His approach to growth is shaped by clear priorities, disciplined execution, and the ability to make hard choices as organizations scale.
In this episode of In Other Words, Axel joins host Jason Hemingway to discuss how organizations to share how teams scale go to market across countries and cultures while keeping messaging human, relevant, and driven by focus and execution.Having led marketing in both startups and billion-dollar enterprises, Axel has seen the full spectrum of globalization, from Europe’s regulatory ecosystems to Silicon Valley’s speed. His message is grounded and refreshingly pragmatic. “Global growth isn’t global at all! It’s a series of local expansions. You can’t go everywhere at once. You have to choose.”
From aligning headquarters and regional teams to embedding AI into product marketing workflows, Axel offers a blueprint for how companies can combine precision, agility, and cultural empathy without compromising authenticity or execution discipline.
Scaling go-to-market without losing the human touch
As Axel reflects on his 30-year career in Europe and in the U.S., one change stands out above all. Global reach is easier to unlock but harder to get right. “The hegemony of English, the internet, and the availability of information have made global access easier than ever. What used to require long business cases and years of planning now starts with ‘let’s see what happens’.”
Yet easier access, he cautions, doesn’t mean easier success. Buying models, channels, and customer expectations vary so widely that assuming consistency is one of the fastest ways to lose relevance.
He points to the insurance sector as a case in point. “In the UK, people buy home or car insurance on comparison sites. In the U.S., it’s mostly through brokers. In India, it’s through QR-based mobile payments. If you don’t understand those systems, your go-to-market makes no sense.”
The takeaway is simple, but important. Winning in new markets starts long before language. It begins with understanding how people buy, what they expect, and what they trust.
Authenticity and the power of local insight
Axel believes the key differentiator for brands today is authenticity, especially in the age of AI-generated content. “With GenAI, the volume of output is huge. To stand out, you have to sound human.”
That doesn’t mean avoiding risk, but managing it wisely. Humor, for example, can be a powerful way to humanize a brand, yet it rarely travels well.
“Even between the U.S. and UK, humor lands differently. You need local teams to tell you what works,”.
His advice for marketing leaders is to bring research back to the forefront. “Market testing, message validation… these things disappeared for a while when VC money was easy. Now they’re essential again,” he says. “Before you scale a campaign, test it. Save yourself the pain later.”
The rise of the AI teammate
When the conversation turned to AI, Axel described a practical framework for integrating it into marketing teams. “There are three types of tasks. Those only humans can do, those humans can do with AI, and those AI can do alone,”.
He envisions a near future where managers supervise both people and “AI agents.” “You might manage six humans and 25 AI workflows. That’s the new frontier”.
To illustrate, he described how his team uses AI to build battle cards; competitive intelligence documents for sales.
“Traditionally, a person might produce one every two weeks. With agents handling research, layout, and distribution, we can do one a day,”
Axel emphasizes that “human in the loop” remains non-negotiable. “LLMs miss nuance, things like reputation, or what ‘do nothing’ means as a competitor. AI is great at facts, not at context. We still need human judgment to fill those gaps.”
From org charts to work charts
For Axel, the future of marketing is defined by tasks rather than heirachy. “We’re moving from org charts to work charts,” he says. “It’s not just humans anymore. It’s humans, contractors, and bots all working side by side.”
That shift, he believes, will demand new management skills, knowing when to automate, when to delegate, and when to trust instinct. “Technology doesn’t replace critical thinking,” he said. “It amplifies it if you use it right.”
Building the product marketing operating system
Axel has spent years refining what he calls the Product Marketing Operating System, a framework designed to make go-to-market planning predictable and transparent.
It starts with market insight. Understanding the problems worth solving. Then comes the marketing plan, where priorities and commitments are defined. Only then does the team move into positioning and messaging, followed by activation assets and measurement.
“Too many teams start with the website. Don’t do that until the positioning is clear. Otherwise, you’ll just rewrite everything later.”
That discipline pays dividends, especially in regulated industries. “Every country has its own compliance rules,” he explains. “Our job is to shorten the time between a regulatory change and having a compliant product in-market. It’s not just time to value, it’s time to compliance.”
Regional product marketing. The missing piece to GTM execution
Many companies, Axel notes, misunderstand how critical regional product marketing is. “Product marketing isn’t just a corporate function. You need people in-market who can translate strategy into relevance.”
Regional Product Marketing Managers (PMMs), he explains, are the link between headquarters and the field, evangelizing the roadmap, enabling sales, and feeding local insights back into product. “It’s how you turn positioning into participation,” he tells us.
Whether explaining data hosting laws in Germany or GDPR compliance in France, regional PMMs ensure that messaging meets local reality. “It’s about adapting without diluting,”.
Lessons in leadership, focus and execute
When asked about leadership lessons, Axel’s answer was immediate: “Focus and execute.”
Focus, he explains, means deciding what not to do. “Everyone loves a long list of priorities. But if you have ten, you really only have two,” he says. “You can’t do everything and you shouldn’t try.”
Execution is about accountability. “You have to earn your seat at the table. Titles don’t earn you trust. Delivery does.”
It’s a mindset that applies globally and locally alike. “Check in with your teams, understand what resonates, and trust your people. Global consistency matters, but local authenticity wins.”
Think local, grow globally
For Axel Kirstetter, the path to global success is paradoxical. The more local you think, the more scalable you become.
Whether designing AI agents, re-architecting Guidewire’s platform, or launching products across continents, his principle stays the same. Focus on what matters, execute relentlessly, and never lose sight of the people behind the process.
Or, as he puts it simply, “Global growth isn’t a straight line. It’s a series of choices made one market at a time.”
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