Our Fronteer Spotlight series highlights some of our awesome team, the work we do, and what inspires us every day. Interested in joining us? Check out the openings on our jobs page.

Tell us a little about yourself.

Keiko: I’ve been a marketer throughout my career — and now I lead the marketing team at Front. Even though I received my degree in International Relations at Stanford, my minor in Psychology was always more interesting to me. I love understanding how people think and how they make decisions, so a career in marketing was a natural fit for me.

What brought you to Front?

K: I first met Mathilde Collin, Front’s CEO, in 2015 when we were introduced by a mutual acquaintance. I reconnected with Mathilde two years later when I was taking some time off from work. I was so impressed by the product, and blown away by the people and their passion for Front. I joined Front in May 2017.

“I was so impressed by the product, and blown away by the people and their passion for Front.” – Keiko Tokuda, Head of Marketing

How did you get into marketing?

K: Most marketers say that someone took a chance on them to get into marketing, and I’m no exception. I didn’t have any prior work experience or internships, so I struggled to find my first job. But I kept applying for roles and eventually got a chance to interview for a marketing job at a Japanese company launching a new sports drink in the US. The GM of the business was impressed with my educational and athletic background, being bilingual in Japanese and English, so he gave me a shot. I learned a lot about CPG marketing, but eventually found my calling in tech and product marketing working at Google, Eventbrite, and now here I am at Front!

What motivates you?

K: Every single team member on my team motivates me every day — seeing and helping them develop skills, learn and grow, try new things, work through challenges, find their career paths, and thrive at work is very rewarding. They inspire me to keep challenging myself and do my best at work.

“Every single team member on my team motivates me every day — seeing and helping them develop skills, learn and grow, try new things, work through challenges, find their career paths, and thrive at work is very rewarding.”
– Keiko Tokuda, Head of Marketing

What’s your favorite Front feature, and how do you use it?

K: I love real-time editing of shared email drafts. I’ll draft emails for our CEO, or the recruiting team will send me a draft for a candidate email. We use the internal comments to discuss and edit the email copy together.

What does a typical workday in your shoes look like?

K: I start my day by opening up the Front app on my iPhone on the way to work. My mornings are generally reserved for higher level thinking, like building out marketing strategies or launch plans. I also carve out time every day to provide feedback on my team’s work.

Most of my meetings are 1:1s with my team members, which I always look forward to. I also spend some time every week meeting potential candidates for coffee, talking to my mentors or people I mentor, and swapping notes with marketing leaders at other companies. My day is usually done by 6pm, and when I see that I’ve accomplished my top priorities for the day, I go home feeling great!

Name a challenge you’re looking to tackle in the next year.

K: Building a world-class team of marketers that continues to work well together as we scale and grow the business.

What’s a fun fact the team doesn’t know about you?

K: I’ve competed in 3 of the 4 Grand Slam junior tennis tournaments: US Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon. ????

What’s your favorite memory from being on the Front team?

K: Getting to know Fronteers at the company offsite in Austin, Texas.