As the VP of Marketing for HootSuite, Dee Anna McPherson leads marketing strategy for the popular social media management platform. She is responsible for driving growth and building the company’s global brand.

Before joining the HootSuite team, McPherson served as VP of Marketing at Yammer, where she established Enterprise Social Networking as a new category of business software and propelled the company to a top market position. Her efforts at Yammer helped deliver 300% annual growth, resulting in its $1.2 billion acquisition by Microsoft.

Since graduating from Purdue University with Bachelor of Communications, McPherson has had an accomplished marketing career. As a partner at the Horn Group in San Francisco, she led the San Francisco office, providing counsel to startup executives. McPherson served as the global head of Public Relations for PeopleSoft, and also held Senior Vice President roles at both Edelman and Ogilvy.

McPherson lives near San Francisco with her husband and young son.

Dee Anna McPherson

VP of Marketing @ HootSuite

• Age: 44
• HQ: Vancouver
• Apple or Android? Both

• First Job: Gymnastics instructor
• Hobby: Interior design, yoga & hiking
• First Car: ’86 Ford Granada

What mobile device can you not live without?

My iPhone.

Can we take a peek at your iPhone’s home screen?

What app do you use most often for work?

I use HootSuite daily for managing all of my social networks, as well as Yammer, GoodData, and Marketo.

What social media network or website do you frequent most when you’re not working?

Facebook, Houzz, and NextDoor.

What’s the first thing you check on your phone in the morning?

I use HootSuite to first check the news, and then see what our customers are saying across different social networks.

What work challenge keeps you up at night?

Building out our marketing organization around the world.

What was your most exciting work development last year?

HootSuite’s acquisition of uberVU.

How many miles did you travel in 2013?

I traveled 40,000 miles last year.

What other career would you like to try?

This is a tough question, because I love what I do. If I had to answer, I wish I had the talent to be a professional dancer or photographer.

What does your desk look like?

You’ll notice it’s pretty empty. I never sit at my desk. I like to move around, whether I’m at our Vancouver headquarters or when working from home in the San Francisco Bay Area.

What is the last business book you read?

Noble Selling Purpose by Lisa Earle McLeod.

Outside of your company’s efforts, what ad campaign or video caught your eye recently?

Microsoft’s 60-second “Empowering” commercial that aired during the Super Bowl, was a standout. The entire campaign, which is about how technology can empower people, is really fantastic.