Inna Gardner on LinkedIn: Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo™ 2024, Denver, CO (2024)

I have often said that being asked to lead sales for Americas Marketing has been the highlight of my 26+ year career. Last week I got the opportunity to be one of the hosts for Winners Circle in Austin, TX. Very different than a year ago when I was the new kid to the team and barely knew anyone. What an unbelievable show Gartner puts on! I’m still reeling from the experience. This particular trip was also a once in a lifetime experience because I brought my father as my guest. He sailed for the first time, dressed up as Sonny Bono for the 70s party, as an avid poker player he got to meet Molly Bloom of Molly’s Game, met all of my and my sister Esther Russell’s amazing coworkers and got to see me in action (“what exactly do you do here???”). 4.5 months ago he had a near fatal heart attack known as the “widow maker”. By some miracle, I was there in that moment, called 911 and performed CPR and saved his life. Many of you know the story and how this experience changed both of our lives forever. I may have saved his life in that moment, but if it weren’t for him, I’d be living in war torn Ukraine right now. He saved my life, too. To the Americas Marketing sales team, there are not enough words to express my gratitude for the support, kindness and laughs-til-you-cry you have brought to my life. You all deserve to be celebrated every day. Being the best team ever is so On Brand.Julie Abbott Carrie Burke Anne Donnelly Luke Engle Chris F. Erik Greenberger Erik Hass Jocelyn Kattke Sandy Knechtel JT Mackey Frances Mayer Kristen Rachinsky Andrew Sicnolf Carlos Tholt Carl Monaco Stacie Aleski Micah Williams Kim Vann Mario Costa David Mouber Joe Zubkoff Christopher Centeno Sophia Goh-Manuel Jake Young Kelsey Artt Matt Bowman, M.S. Catherine Smith

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We just passed the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, my birthplace and blessed country that cuts across every aspect of my life. Five months ago today, our dearest friends and family members in Kiev heard from their 20 year old son for the last time. He’s been missing in action since. So many of you have asked about Sasha and sadly, it does not appear that this story will have a happy ending. Sasha’s grandmother Luba is a very special part of my family. 45 years ago she worked with my grandmother, who orchestrated an under-the-table adoption on Luba’s behalf. That child Alena is now Sasha’s heartbroken mother. Luba also lived with my sister Esther Russell and was nanny to both of her boys, my nephews. We’ll never stop praying for their family and Sasha’s safe return, and for all of the people of Ukraine.🇺🇦 #saveukraine #slavaukraina #славаукраина 🇺🇦

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I’m delighted to recognize my longtime friend and colleague Kristen Rachinsky for her recent Excellence in Leadership Award for Americas Marketing!A portion of my recognition speech for Kristen, which was shared in our Global Sales and Americas Marketing kickoffs:“Kristen exemplifies the very best of Gartner leadership capability, operational excellence, best practice execution and followership. She has a long track record of incredible results including Top Achiever, Eagle and consistent year after year Winners Circle. On top of this strong performance, this year she added MSE AE to her portfolio and you could see the impact immediately. People all over GBS tell me how much she has impacted their careers and ask to come work for her. Kristen, thank you for all that you do - congratulations and well deserved!”Kristen Rachinsky, Excellence in Leadership is so On Brand.

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There’s no such thing as a bad year. Life is a 1000 piece puzzle with light and dark pieces, fitting together oh so perfectly. Even when you can’t find the missing pieces or you’re working on a big section of dark sky where all the pieces look the same. Yes, some really bad things happened this year. All you have to do is look at my bio or my social media to know that. But never again will I say “this was a bad year” because it wasn’t - an entire year cannot be bad. Reframe how you think about years…heck, days. I’m working on it myself. This past year was also filled with some incredible highs. I saved my dad’s life with CPR when he went into cardiac arrest. I tell you this because I became a champion for CPR certification, and if you’re ever confronted with one of these scariest moments of your life, I’ll feel like I did good. But the one that seems most fitting for LinkedIn is my move to Americas Marketing after 20+ years selling and renewing HR. Everyone has at one point been the new kid. The first time I met most of my new team in person was at Winners Circle in Maui in April 2023. There’s probably not much that is more intimidating - standing on stage representing a team I didn’t lead, getting recognition I didn’t earn. Oh and you spend a lot of time in a bathing suit. But from the minute the plane landed I knew this was the best thing, and the best people, that had ever happened to me in my career. To the 155 leaders and salespeople (and 200 more NCVI partners) in Americas Marketing, thank you for being one of the very best parts of 2023. I specifically want to call out the VP Dream Team: Stacie Aleski Kristen Rachinsky Julie Abbott Carlos Tholt Erik Hass Anne Donnelly Carl Monaco who thanked ME with a hilarious and touching gift that is oh, so me. No, thank YOU. 2023. What a year. Literally. Let’s do this again.

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“Women, you deserve to be in an environment where you are celebrated, not tolerated. A place where you have what you need to grow and thrive. A place where you can operate completely authentically. A place you love. A place that loves you.” - Jennifer McCollum, CEO of Linkage, Inc. and dear former colleagueJennifer’s words resonate with me deeply - quieting my inner critic, leading with authenticity and making a commitment to myself to pursue my own development. The world wants and needs more female leaders. As Jennifer says, even our smallest positive actions generate energy that fuels the mighty winds of change. I’m proud to stand in the breeze with all the incredible women making an impact every day. And oh my gosh, I’m in a place that I love.

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Excited to announce that the Gartner Marketing & Communications Awards are now OPEN for entries! FREE to enter for all Marketing/Communications professionals. This is an amazing way to showcase your achievements and receive global recognition. 13 categories to choose from and you can enter as many categories as you like. You have until January 19th to enter. https://lnkd.in/eCccQgim

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As a mother and a leader, I feel compelled to share how devastated I am about what is happening to the innocent people of Israel and Palestine right now, and acknowledge that Jews around the world are hurting. I’m a Jewish refugee from Ukraine. My very young parents and I left the former Soviet Union in 1979 to escape persecution for a better life in a country that opened its doors to people from all backgrounds and walks of life. I’m a naturalized American citizen who took an oath and a test and passed with flying colors of red, white and blue. I know LinkedIn is primarily a business platform, but we are told to bring our best and most authentic selves to work. What are we if not a 1,000 piece puzzle made up of many pieces and experiences, both weak and strong? Right now I’m a puzzle that is a bit broken; maybe there are some missing pieces under the dining room table, but like every time before, I get put back together. If you’re feeling a bit like a broken puzzle right now, you have a friend in me. A couple of weeks ago I posted about our family friends’ son in Ukraine who has been missing in action for more than two weeks. Thank you to everyone who has embraced my story over the past couple of years and asked about these dear friends. I appreciate and love you for all your notes and messages, but sadly, it doesn’t seem this story will have a happy ending. Here are two of my puzzle pieces, still very much intact. A picture of my dad and me in Ukraine, standing in front of the house he grew up in, and a picture of us in Israel at a family wedding. Thank you for helping me put the rest back together, and I hope I can do the same for you.

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“Proud Ukrainian Immigrant.” It’s written in my bio, clear on my social media, it’s reflected all over my home and speaks as loudly as “Mom,” “Jewish,” “UVA,” “Gartner” or any other aspect of my values and personality. I’m a fluent Russian speaker and referred to myself as Ukrainian and Russian, interchangeably, my whole life. There is a family in Ukraine that is as close to mine as any blood relatives - a story involving my trailblazing grandmother Maria Gendelman, perhaps for another time. Maybe you haven’t heard much about the war in Ukraine recently, but it’s very much still going on. Our dearest friends haven’t heard from their 20 year old soldier son/grandson, Alexander, and his comrade, Sergei, in more than a week. In whichever capacity you can give, there are so many organizations that could use your help. In whichever capacity you pray, please keep them in your thoughts. I hope to be able to share better news soon. #saveukraine #slavaukraina #славаукраина 🇺🇦

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This is going to be a can’t-miss event for Chief Marketing Officers and their teams!

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