APPLYING FOR PRODUCT MARKETING LEAD, ZOPA BANK

CON HARBIS

I build products and take them to market.
Most people do one or the other.

15+ years across product marketing and product management. The last 7.5 leading product marketing for a $400M+ global payroll portfolio at Xero, sitting on the Payroll leadership team alongside Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers. I've been building with AI tools and actively optimising how I work, inside and outside the day job. It's become part of how I think, not a side interest. Based in London.

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Con Harbis
London · No sponsorship required
Previously at
Xero Carsales ahm Jetstar
WHAT I DO

Multi-Market GTM

I run go-to-market across regions where the product is different in each one. Different maturity, different ways it sells, shared positioning with real regional variation underneath. At Xero that meant the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

Positioning and Messaging

I develop value propositions and messaging frameworks that turn technical, complex products into something each buyer trusts. Payroll meant several distinct buyers at once, each with different priorities and language.

Demand and Enablement

I run experiment programmes across messaging, activation, and channels, and build the enablement that backs them: GTM playbooks, battlecards, and field materials used by internal teams and accounting partners.

Product Team Proximity

I sit on the product leadership team alongside Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers, shaping feature concepts and trade-offs before they're built, not just how they're sold.

WHY ZOPA BANK

A direct fit

PORTFOLIO OWNERSHIP

Owned product marketing for a $400M+ portfolio across the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, not a single product or a single launch.

REGULATED CONSUMER FINANCE

Payroll carried its own multi-jurisdiction compliance requirements across the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Different product, same discipline: positioning built to hold up under regulatory and trust-sensitive scrutiny.

SEGMENTATION AND ICP

I led UK segmentation and ICP development, identifying target customer cohorts and modelling opportunity by segment to inform annual GTM strategy and product investment priorities.

DEMAND AND ENABLEMENT

Quarterly experiment programmes across messaging, activation, and channel mix, plus the GTM playbooks, battlecards, and field materials commercial teams and partners actually used.

LONDON-BASED

Based in London. No sponsorship required.

BY THE NUMBERS
0%
Revenue growth
Contributed to, across AU, NZ, and UK
$400M+
Portfolio managed
Xero Payroll, processes $150B+ annually
0%
Activation increase
In six months, GTM experiments
0%
UK growth YoY
Most recent role
$6M+
Revenue at launch
Standalone product
0+
Years across PMM and PM
SaaS, fintech, travel, insurance
SKILLS & EXPERTISE

Where I'm strongest

Skills in action
154%
Revenue growth via GTM alignment
Helped drive 154% revenue growth across AU, NZ, and UK through positioning and aligning Product, Sales, and Marketing.
ICP
Segmentation to market strategy
Led UK market segmentation and ICP development, identifying target customer cohorts and modelling opportunity by segment to inform annual GTM strategy and product investment priorities.
18%
Activation uplift via GTM experiments
Ran quarterly experiment programmes with GTM and Product teams, testing messaging, activation flows, and channel mix. Activation improved 18% in six months.
NA
North American market entry
Ran the competitive and market analysis behind Xero Payroll's Canada entry evaluation, and led the GTM kickoff for the US once a new partnership direction was confirmed.
AI
Building with AI, not just following it
I've been pushing how far I can take these tools, inside the day job and outside it. It's shifted how fast I move, how I pressure-test ideas, and how I approach problems I haven't faced before. Not a trend I'm watching. Something I'm doing.
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
"

I led product marketing for Xero Payroll, a $400M+ portfolio processing $150B+ in annual payroll for 3M+ employees across the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Payroll is financial infrastructure. It has to run accurately, on time, every time, and the marketing job was turning a technically complex, compliance-heavy product into something each buyer trusted before they would move.

UK segmentation and ICP development shaped annual GTM strategy and product investment priorities. Quarterly experiment programmes with GTM and Product teams drove an 18% activation increase in six months. I also led the early positioning and announcement strategy for Xero Payroll's AI features and prepared the messaging and go-to-market ahead of Xerocon.

Before moving into product marketing, I worked as a product manager, running NZ Payroll at Xero and, before that, at Carsales and Jetstar. That background changes how I work with product teams. I understand the build trade-offs, the roadmap constraints, the engineering reality. I sat on Xero Payroll's leadership team alongside Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers, contributing to what got built, not just how it got positioned.

Brief take
✓Contributed to 154% revenue growth across UK, AU, and NZ
✓Led UK segmentation and ICP development
✓18% activation increase in six months via GTM experiments
✓Led positioning and announcement strategy for Xero Payroll's AI features ahead of Xerocon
✓Built GTM playbooks, battlecards, and field materials used by teams and partners
✓Sat on Xero Payroll's leadership team alongside Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers
✓Multi-region product marketing across the UK, Australia, and New Zealand
✓Building with AI tools and optimising how I work
CAREER HISTORY
Xero
Mar 2022 – Apr 2026
Senior Global Product Marketing Manager

Led global product marketing strategy for Xero Payroll and employee management offerings across AU, NZ, and UK. Core member of the Payroll leadership team alongside Product Managers, Designers and Engineers. The payroll platform is a $400M+ revenue portfolio processing $150B+ in annual payroll for 3M+ employees globally.

  • Grew UK product 13% YoY with activations up 18% in 6 months through quarterly GTM experiments with Product and Sales teams
  • Led early positioning and announcement strategy for Xero's AI-powered features, translating technical capabilities into customer-facing value
  • Led UK market segmentation and ICP development, identifying target customer cohorts and modelling opportunity by segment to inform annual GTM strategy and product investment priorities
  • Contributed to Canadian market entry evaluation as part of the new growth markets team, leading competitive and market analysis that informed the build/buy/partner decision. Led GTM kickoff for US market entry following confirmation of new partnership direction
  • Led Xero Payroll messaging and presence across Xerocon, regional roadshows, and accounting industry events, including beta recruitment programmes ahead of product launches
Global GTMPayrollRoadmap InfluenceAI PositioningICP DevelopmentXerocon
Global Product Marketing Manager
Sep 2018 – Mar 2022

First PMM for Xero Payroll globally. Came in with no inherited playbook and built the positioning, messaging frameworks, GTM playbooks and sales enablement across AU, NZ and UK.

  • Helped drive 154% revenue growth across AU, NZ and UK through strategic positioning and aligning product and sales teams on GTM execution
  • Launched standalone payroll product in 3 months, scaling to $6M+ annual revenue and establishing Xero as market leader
  • Established PMM processes and frameworks that improved how products and features were launched across the organisation
  • Created GTM playbooks and sales enablement materials across all regions
PositioningGTM PlaybooksSales EnablementMulti-region
Product Manager, NZ Payroll
Mar 2017 – Sep 2018

Led NZ Payroll product within a global team. Defined product vision and 3-year strategy through market research and stakeholder consultation, managing delivery using agile and lean approaches.

  • Drove subscribers by 80% and employees paid by 87%, directly driving revenue growth and market expansion
  • Launched Contractors feature that became the global template, closing a critical gap in the NZ market and rolling out to all international regions
Product ManagementRoadmapAgileNZ Market
ahm (Medibank)
Dec 2015 – Oct 2016
Digital Product Manager

Led digital transformation, guiding cross-functional teams to deliver customer-focused experiences aligned with digital-first strategy. Developed CRO roadmap to improve conversion and customer experience.

  • Reversed declining conversion trends with 19% increase in online purchases through data-driven purchase form redesign
  • Drove 12 to 13% conversion uplift by building a resume journey feature for returning visitors
CRODigital ProductConversionHealth Insurance
Carsales
Apr 2010 – Dec 2015
Senior Product Manager

Managed product portfolio of 10 market-leading online brands, driving revenue growth, product innovation, and UX improvements while leading cross-functional teams across Product, UX, Marketing, Sales, and Customer Experience.

  • Launched complete quicksales website redesign and new iOS app within a 3-month timeframe
  • Supported SEO/SEM strategy that kept multiple brands at number one market positions
  • Recognised for exceptional performance with Product & Technology Monthly Award
Product StrategyMarketplaceTeam LeadershipAgile
Jetstar
Sep 2007 – Apr 2010
eCommerce Product Manager

Drove eCommerce innovation for Jetstar's digital booking, mobile, and airport experiences. Managed development of 13 multi-language web and mobile sites.

  • Managed implementation of world-first SMS Boarding Pass solution into Web Check-in system
  • Launched Jetstar's first mobile websites across multiple languages in the early smartphone era
  • Created new revenue streams through flexible booking and seat selection products
eCommerceTravelMobileDigital
KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Work I'm proud of

XERO — UK GTM

Helped grow UK payroll 13% YoY, with activations up 18% in six months

Ran a quarterly experiment programme with GTM and Product teams, testing messaging, activation flows, and channel mix to find what moved the numbers.

XERO — MARKET STRATEGY

Led Xero's UK segmentation and ICP development

Led UK market segmentation and ICP development, identifying target customer cohorts and modelling opportunity by segment to inform annual GTM strategy and product investment priorities.

XERO — PRODUCT LAUNCH

Took a standalone payroll product from zero to $6M+ ARR

Launched a standalone payroll product in 3 months, scaling to $6M+ annual revenue. Ran service design workshops to shape the launch experience and owned the end-to-end GTM execution that got it to market.

XERO — AI GTM

Led the positioning and announcement strategy for Xero Payroll's AI features ahead of Xerocon

Translated technical capabilities into customer-facing value, developing the messaging framework and positioning that gave the sales team something they could explain and buyers could actually understand.

XERO — MARKET ENTRY

Contributed to North American market entry across two separate initiatives

Led competitive and market analysis for the Canadian market entry evaluation, informing the build/buy/partner decision. When a new partnership direction was confirmed for the US, led the GTM kickoff to activate it commercially.

FOUNDER & DIRECTOR

Founded a youth football coaching business and ran it for three years alongside a full-time senior role

Built The Football Practice from scratch: brand, curriculum, booking system, and customer experience. Scaled to 50+ players across five weekly sessions. Ran profitably for three years. Closed by choice.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

A bit about me

Product Marketing Leader

15+ years across product, commercial, and customer. Before moving into product marketing I spent years as a Senior Product Manager at Carsales, and then at Xero as Product Manager for NZ Payroll. It changes how I work with product teams and how I think about what the market actually needs before we build anything.

My career has involved complex SaaS: compliance-heavy products, multi-region markets, buyers who need educating before they'll move.

Founder & Director, The Football Practice

I founded and ran The Football Practice, a youth football coaching business, for three years alongside a full-time senior role at Xero. Built it from nothing: brand, curriculum, operations, customer experience. Scaled to 50+ players across five weekly sessions before closing by choice.

I spotted a gap in the market, built something from scratch to fill it, and learned what worked by watching what kids and parents actually responded to.