Jess Walker McFarland, Customer Advocacy Leader, on Leadership & Building Advocacy for IPO Readiness
Thu Jan 08 2026
About the Guest
Jess Walker McFarland is a customer marketing and advocacy leader with experience at BMC Software (7+ years), Splunk, and Rubrik (3.5+ years). At Rubrik, she led customer advocacy and executive programs through the company's IPO. She's currently a free agent exploring what's next.
Description
In this episode, Sunny sits down with Jess Walker McFarland, a customer marketing and advocacy leader with experience at BMC Software, Splunk, and Rubrik, to discuss building customer advocacy programs, preparing customer stories for IPO, and what it really takes to make the leap from senior manager to director.
Jess shares how she transitioned from partner marketing to customer advocacy at Splunk, why she sought out the challenge of IPO readiness at Rubrik, and her management philosophy of "enable, empower, and get out of the way." We dive into how customer storytelling changes when your audience shifts from buyers to investors, what makes the senior manager to director leap so difficult, and her take on AI: the tools are incredible, but the thinking is still your job.
Whether you're navigating your first leadership role or preparing your advocacy program for a major company milestone, Jess's insights on building trust with your team and articulating the "why" to stakeholders will give you plenty to think about.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Early Career Beginnings
00:38 Navigating PR and First Major Career Pivot
03:14 Expat Experience and Life-Changing Moments
09:10 Transition to Field and Partner Marketing
15:14 High Growth at Splunk and Leadership Lessons
25:33 The Leap from Senior Manager to Director
27:26 Navigating Leadership and Team Dynamics
30:29 Transitioning to Rubrik and IPO Experience
38:51 Exploring AI and Personal Growth
47:16 Recommendations and Final Thoughts
Jess Walker McFarland: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicawm/
Sunny Manivannan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnymanivannan/
More
About the Guest Jess Walker McFarland is a customer marketing and advocacy leader with experience at BMC Software (7+ years), Splunk, and Rubrik (3.5+ years). At Rubrik, she led customer advocacy and executive programs through the company's IPO. She's currently a free agent exploring what's next. Description In this episode, Sunny sits down with Jess Walker McFarland, a customer marketing and advocacy leader with experience at BMC Software, Splunk, and Rubrik, to discuss building customer advocacy programs, preparing customer stories for IPO, and what it really takes to make the leap from senior manager to director. Jess shares how she transitioned from partner marketing to customer advocacy at Splunk, why she sought out the challenge of IPO readiness at Rubrik, and her management philosophy of "enable, empower, and get out of the way." We dive into how customer storytelling changes when your audience shifts from buyers to investors, what makes the senior manager to director leap so difficult, and her take on AI: the tools are incredible, but the thinking is still your job. Whether you're navigating your first leadership role or preparing your advocacy program for a major company milestone, Jess's insights on building trust with your team and articulating the "why" to stakeholders will give you plenty to think about. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Early Career Beginnings 00:38 Navigating PR and First Major Career Pivot 03:14 Expat Experience and Life-Changing Moments 09:10 Transition to Field and Partner Marketing 15:14 High Growth at Splunk and Leadership Lessons 25:33 The Leap from Senior Manager to Director 27:26 Navigating Leadership and Team Dynamics 30:29 Transitioning to Rubrik and IPO Experience 38:51 Exploring AI and Personal Growth 47:16 Recommendations and Final Thoughts Jess Walker McFarland: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicawm/ Sunny Manivannan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnymanivannan/