Marketing AI & Innovation Lead · B2B Enterprise SaaS · Amsterdam

Turning AI into real marketing performance

I build AI-first marketing functions that actually deliver — from governance frameworks and team adoption through to embedded workflows and measurable commercial outcomes. Not pilots for the sake of it.

Aileen Christensen
100%
AI tool adoption across 150+ marketers — 90%+ active usage
€250k
Annual content cost savings through AI workflow transformation
12+
Years in B2B SaaS at Elsevier, growing a product from $20M to $40M ARR

About

AI adoption is a people problem, not a technology problem.

I've spent over a decade leading product marketing and GTM strategy for enterprise SaaS at Elsevier — and the last two years building something most marketing leaders are still trying to figure out: an AI-first marketing function that delivers real commercial outcomes.

My background spans product marketing, GTM strategy, and AI transformation. I understand the full arc: from value proposition and positioning through to the operating model changes required to embed AI into how teams actually work.

What I see most leaders get wrong is treating AI as a technology rollout. The organisations that win will be the ones that build the conditions for adoption — not just buy the licences.

I hold an Executive MBA from IE Business School (Dean's List), am a Certified Scrum Master, and write publicly on Substack about AI, leadership, and designing a simpler, more intentional career.

  • AI Transformation & Adoption Strategy Specialist
  • Go-to-Market Strategy (B2B SaaS) Core
  • Product Marketing & Positioning Core
  • Customer Lifecycle & Retention Marketing Core
  • AI Governance & Operating Model Design Specialist
  • Agile Marketing & Team Transformation Applied
  • Executive Messaging & Narrative Design Applied
  • Change Management Applied

Experience

Elsevier
12 years 8 months · Amsterdam
Feb 2025 — Present
Elsevier
1 yr 2 mos

Marketing AI & Innovation Lead

Leading the AI transformation of a 150+ person marketing organisation. Owns a €300,000 annual programme budget and translates AI capabilities into measurable commercial and operational outcomes across multiple business units.

  • Built and presented an 18-month AI vision and strategy to the management team, partnering with each marketing team to establish AI-related OKRs and live trials — embedding accountability at team level
  • Deployed Jasper AI across 50 marketing professionals, achieving 100% adoption and 90%+ active usage within months of launch — delivering €250,000 in annual cost savings and cutting content production from 3 hours to 20 minutes per asset
  • Implemented Monday.com to streamline cross-functional planning, reducing the planning cycle from months to weeks and saving an average of 10 hours per person monthly
  • Established an AI governance framework covering 150+ employees, defining guardrails for agentic tool deployment — since adopted by other marketing units across the business
  • Leading a cross-functional team of 5 agent builders developing internal AI agents targeting operational inefficiencies, with external agent deployment targeted for early 2027
Jan 2024 — Feb 2025
Elsevier
1 yr 2 mos

Senior Marketing Manager, Customer Engagement

Owned GTM and customer engagement strategy for the Analytical Products portfolio (SciVal, Scopus, Scopus AI), managing a €50,000 paid media budget across LinkedIn and Spotify to drive product awareness and renewal performance across a global enterprise user base.

  • Designed and executed A/B tested paid media campaigns comparing human-created vs. human+AI content, generating commercial insights while positioning Elsevier as a thought leader
  • Launched a podcast + paid media programme from concept to live in 3 months — reaching 30,000 senior users via email, 500,000 paid impressions, 70% open rate, 20% CTR, 10% forward rate
  • Mapped end-to-end user journeys across 12+ SaaS products, translating behavioural data into GTM strategy for onboarding and renewal
  • Contributed to exceeding annual renewal revenue targets by an average of 10% across the SaaS suite
May 2022 — Dec 2023
Elsevier
1 yr 8 mos

Marketing Owner · Senior Digital Marketing Manager

Led a 5-person product marketing squad with full P&L accountability for retention across the University Research Administrator and Leader segment. Managed a €500,000 annual budget spanning paid media, contractors, events, and sponsorship.

  • Built and launched a product certification programme from zero — 400 annual completions, with certified users recording an NPS 10 points higher than non-certified peers
  • Led full marketing transformation from siloed waterfall to agile squads — reducing campaign timelines by 50%
  • Developed a new value narrative and brand story for the SaaS solutions suite, adopted across all marketing, events, and sales training for 5,000+ employees
Oct 2020 — Apr 2022
Elsevier
1 yr 7 mos

Senior Digital Marketing Manager · Certified Scrum Master

Owned end-to-end customer lifecycle marketing for the Research Leaders and Funders segment, managing a €100,000 budget across in-product messaging, paid media, and organic social.

  • Designed and launched 200+ in-product campaigns, resulting in a 200% increase in feature adoption and 50% reduction in support tickets
  • Managed end-to-end social strategy for the Elsevier Impact Conference, producing 200+ pieces of content across pre-, during-, and post-event phases
  • Built organic and paid media programmes driving 2,000+ webinar sign-ups, contributing to pipeline and product feedback loops
Jan 2020 — Oct 2020
Elsevier
10 mos

Senior Product Marketing Manager, Scopus

Embedded product marketing partner to the Scopus Product Management team, developing differentiated value propositions and GTM strategies across Research Offices, librarians, and academic researchers.

  • Developed segment-specific messaging frameworks, translating complex product capabilities into commercially relevant narratives for distinct audience decision drivers
  • Partnered with product and sales to align GTM execution across launches, collateral, and sales enablement materials
Sep 2016 — May 2019
Elsevier
2 yrs 9 mos

Product Marketing Manager, SciVal

Owned end-to-end product marketing for SciVal, an enterprise big data analytics platform serving university research offices, governments, and funding bodies globally. Managed a €150,000 budget across campaigns, events, and customer programmes.

  • Partnered with product under shared OKRs across 3 major and 12 minor releases — contributing to doubling the business from ~$20M to ~$40M ARR
  • Designed and produced the inaugural SciVal & Scopus User Conference — 200 European customers, NPS of 20, 4.7/5 satisfaction, 37 renewal conversations, $2.8M in cross-sell opportunities generated
  • Built multi-segment GTM programmes across universities, governments, and funding bodies with tailored messaging and retention campaigns per segment
Aug 2013 — Aug 2016
Elsevier
3 yrs 1 mo

Marketing Communications Manager

Developed and executed integrated marketing communications across Elsevier's scientific publishing portfolio. Designed and launched Elsevier's first chemistry challenge in collaboration with publishing partners — generating 500+ submissions in its inaugural year, 500% above target.

2018 — 2021
BeanTrails
Co-Founder

Co-Founder

Built and launched BeanTrails, a B2B advertising platform connecting local advertisers with coffee drinkers through compostable cup media — bringing hyper-local brand storytelling to independent cafes while helping businesses reduce landfill through sustainable materials.

Work that moved the number

€250k
Annual Cost Savings
Delivered through AI-enabled content workflow transformation across a 50-person marketing team
100%
AI Tool Adoption
Achieved across 150+ marketers with 90%+ active usage — built on governance and change management, not mandate
$2.8M
Cross-Sell Opportunities
Generated through the inaugural SciVal & Scopus User Conference with 200 European customers
$40M
ARR Growth Supported
Contributed to doubling SciVal ARR from ~$20M to ~$40M through product marketing and GTM strategy
200%
Feature Adoption Increase
200+ in-product campaigns drove 200% feature adoption lift and 50% reduction in support tickets
50%
Faster Campaign Delivery
Achieved through agile squad transformation — from waterfall silos to 2-week sprint cycles

Thinking & Writing

Between Here & Elsewhere

I write about AI and its real implications for how we work and lead — alongside leadership, identity, and designing a career that is intentional rather than automatic. Published on Substack.

Ambition & Identity
& then what?
Feb 16, 2026
On finishing something significant and the immediate reflex to replace it. What it means to let an achievement remain complete — not leveraged, not turned into a springboard.
Presence & Leadership
Standing there
Feb 03, 2026
On giving the graduation speech at my Executive MBA and learning how to stop managing the moment long enough to actually live inside it.
Momentum & Meaning
The Space After Achievement
Jan 28, 2026
The strange thing about finishing something big is how quickly the silence arrives — and how quickly the mind goes hunting for the next thing to fill it.
Read all essays on Substack →

Education

IE Business School
Executive MBA · Dean's List
Business Administration & Management
2024 — 2025
Yale School of Management
Behavioural Science of Management
June 2025
Monash University
Business, Marketing & Management
2003 — 2007

Contact

Let's work together

I'm open to senior marketing leadership roles in B2B technology — particularly where AI strategy, GTM, and operating model transformation intersect.

I'm also available for advisory engagements with CMOs and marketing leaders building AI-first functions.