Mary Smaragdis

Current

Senior Director, Brand Marketing at Yahoo!

Past

Director, New and Social Media, Sun News Network at Sun Microsystems
Director, Brand Marketing at Sun Microsystems
Executive Director at Sun Microsystems Foundation

Distinguished Marketing Director, Brand Experience at Sun Microsystems
Senior Manager, Web and eMarketing; Lifecycle and Audience Marketing at Sun Microsystems
Manager, PR, Executive Communications, Developer-Facing Programs at Sun Microsystems
PR at Insignia Solutions
States Editor, Weather, News Assistant at USA Today

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Education

George Mason University

Recommended

19 people have recommended Mary

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

Internet

Websites

My Blog

Mary Smaragdis’s Summary

Mary is Senior Director, Brand Marketing at Yahoo! Prior to joining Yahoo! she spent nearly 13 years at Sun Microsystems where she held principal roles in Social/New Media, Web Editorial, Brand Marketing, eMarketing, Lifecycle and Audience Marketing, PR, Executive Communications, and other functions. She also served as the Executive Director of the Sun Foundation. She has a background in journalism, having spent five years at USA Today. A prolific contributor to the blogosphere, Mary has been featured in Fortune magazine, CMO and other publications.

Mary Smaragdis’s Specialties:

Brand Marketing, Social Media, User Generated Content, Corporate Philanthropy, CSR, Citizenship, Strategic Partnerships, Business Development, Community Development, Corporate Blogging, Brand Experience, Public Relations, Messaging, Corporate and Executive Communications, Web, Outbound and Audience Marketing, Lifecycle Marketing, eMarketing, National Daily Print Journalism

Mary Smaragdis’s Experience

Senior Director, Brand Marketing

Yahoo!

(Public Company; YHOO; Internet industry)

September 2009 — Present (3 months)
Director, New and Social Media, Sun News Network

Sun Microsystems

(Public Company; JAVA; Information Technology and Services industry)

September 2008 — September 2009 (1 year 1 month)

Use emerging social ecosystems to grow the pipeline, accelerate the sales cycle. Help employees acquire new skills to leverage trends in social spaces. Drive the editorial agenda for the home page of Sun.com, and the Sun News Network. Results include:
-233% Y/Y growth in Sun Microsystems community, 188% Y/Y growth in I Love Java community, 225% Y/Y growth in other Sun communities on Facebook
-1,600% Y/Y growth in Sun Microsystems followers, 260% Y/Y growth in JavaOne Conference followers, 284% Y/Y growth in other Sun handle followers on Twitter
Engagement to traceable content request that led to highly qualified sales leads
- 26,000+ into the pipeline via social media activity in a typical month
Spearhead internal program to educate employees on using social media for business
- 600+ employees attend first session; 87% rate it Excellent/Above Average
Lead editorial strategy for Sun.com Home Page, Sun News Network
- 1.2M unique monthly visitors
- Editorial content segmented across seven audience demographics
Director, Brand Marketing

Sun Microsystems

(Public Company; JAVA; Information Technology and Services industry)

February 2008 — September 2008 (8 months)

Use external social media platforms to elevate brand profile and create opportunities for consumers, students to express affinity to Sun
-110% Q/Q growth in Facebook community; 8X Q/Q growth on Twitter
Establish and lead a cross-company virtual team defined by stakeholders using social media, user generated content spaces to drive business objectives for the company
-70+ individuals from 15+ organizations engaged in sharing best practices; institutionalizing knowledge; establishing yardsticks for measuring impact of the work in these emerging spaces
Lead Business Development activity for strategic brand partnerships
Executive Director

Sun Microsystems Foundation

(Public Company; JAVA; Information Technology and Services industry)

August 2006 — February 2008 (1 year 7 months)

Infuse renewed energy and momentum into the work the Sun Microsystems Foundation
- Initiate, structure, negotiate, execute and manage high impact strategic partnerships (e.g. UN Global Youth Leadership Summit)
- Re-align focus around the company’s cause – to eliminate the digital divide. Architect transition strategy; secure Board of Director approval; move into execution in first 30 days.
- Drive efficiencies in operations and management of the Foundation and its endowment; Comprehensive financial review and audits
- Build Friends of the Sun Foundation community, increasing the number of stakeholders invested in the success of the work. Hundreds of people in first 60 days; 12% actively investing time, talent.
- Establish formalized partnerships with 8 units across the company
- Drive 250% Y/Y increase in Global Giving Drive; 45% Y/Y growth in employee volunteerism
Distinguished Marketing Director, Brand Experience

Sun Microsystems

(Public Company; JAVA; Information Technology and Services industry)

January 2005 — August 2006 (1 year 8 months)

Deliver high impact, low cost programs that showcase technology in action fueling momentum for causes taking on the world’s hardest problems. Examples:
- Partner with the ONE Campaign to connect U2’s fans to the movement to end AIDS and Poverty via an SMS campaign deployed as part of the Vertigo concert experience.
- Partner with Live 8 concerts in advance of ’05 G8 Summit to use SMS infrastructure to amplify voice of supporters and web infrastructure to mobilize movement.
- Partner with Oxfam to leverage Sun infrastructure at Coldplay concerts, mobilizing fans in initiatives to help developing nations participate in global markets.
Senior Manager, Web and eMarketing; Lifecycle and Audience Marketing

Sun Microsystems

(Public Company; JAVA; Information Technology and Services industry)

January 2002 — January 2005 (3 years 1 month)

Engage customers and prospects in online relationships that deliver value to the user while moving them through a customer lifecycle.
- Launch first eMarketing program branded with the CEO’s name by bringing forward content strategy that positions Sun as industry thought leader and the premiere purveyor of network infrastructure
- Launch of Sun's first consolidated general publication eNewsletter
- Own global lifecycle marketing plan and drive a distributed virtual team for a strategic initiative that had been subject of daily escalation calls. In 12 weeks, it’s used as standard of excellence
- Put the muscle of Sun behind strategic initiatives by achieving message alignment and content strategy synchronization for outbound vehicles involving 70+ program owners
Manager, PR, Executive Communications, Developer-Facing Programs

Sun Microsystems

(Public Company; JAVA; Information Technology and Services industry)

January 1997 — January 2002 (5 years 1 month)

Drive developer engagement to grow the Java ecosystem
- Deliver on aggressive PR strategy
- Manage the executive communications strategy for the president of the JavaSoft division
- Drive online activity for an exploding developer community by owning the content strategy for Sun’s Java developer web properties
PR

Insignia Solutions

(Public Company; INSG; Computer Software industry)

September 1995 — December 1996 (1 year 4 months)

Own messaging, general awareness campaigns, press activity, customer reference program, partner program, executive communications.
States Editor, Weather, News Assistant

USA Today

(Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; Newspapers industry)

January 1990 — June 1995 (5 years 6 months)

Contribute to the News section of the print edition with work on news and feature stories, states briefs, graphics, long-term planning for major news coverage including presidential elections and political conventions.

Mary Smaragdis’s Education

George Mason University

B.A. , Government and Politics

Additional Information

Mary Smaragdis’s Websites:

My Blog

Mary Smaragdis’s Interests:

Fluent in Greek; basic skills in Spanish, French.

Mary Smaragdis’s Groups:

Sun Foundation Board Special Director, 2006-07; Sun Women in Management Board 2005-06, Delegate to the first US-Iraq Women’s Business Summit sponsored by the Global Peace Initiative of Women, 2006, AWT