On the coast, far from the office
Dan Ireland · Atlanta, GA

Built to move people.

I build the engines that carry product vision into the field: designing immersive experiences, leading global teams, and turning insight into action with empathy and operational rigor.

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(01)EthosEmpathy · Rigor · Service
Portrait of Dan Ireland
Dan IrelandAtlanta · 2026

"Give people a destination worth caring about and the freedom to find their own way there, then clear the road as they run."

My path is unconventional: non-profit field leader, Army combat-arms officer, quality engineer, global product marketer. But the thread is consistent: I move toward the hardest problems and build the teams that solve them creatively.

I don't manage programs so much as build activation engines, the connective tissue between product vision and the people who sell, buy, and use the technology. Operational discipline isn't a constraint on creativity; it's what makes creative risk sustainable and scalable.

How I lead
a philosophy shaped by hard earned experience
  1. Lead with empathy; create through relationships.
  2. Offer a destination worth caring about.
  3. Treat virtue as a pole star, not a checklist.
  4. Trade gut-feel for evidence.
  5. Build things that outlast your time here.

Selected recognition:
Bronze Star Medal · Eagle Scout · MA, UT Austin (3.94 GPA) · Leader NPS 100, 2025.

(02)Trajectory2007–Present

One thread, many terrains.

2021–Now
Portfolio Activation Lead
Dell Technologies · CSG · Atlanta

Lead a 21-person global team across four regions, turning Dell's $48B client portfolio into hands-on customer experiences: immersive demos, advisory programs, and deep-dive training. Built the Power BI + Salesforce measurement framework behind a 2,100+ program portfolio, and launched the "Activation Incubator," a rapid-cycle innovation model.

2,100+ programs$180M+ budgetNPS 100
Open detail +
2019–2021
Consultant, Commercial Product Marketing
Dell Technologies · Global

When COVID shutdowns became inevitable, I pivoted a five-month, multi-site in-person plan into a five-week virtual series in days, engaging 2,500+ sellers (+24% YoY) and setting the template for virtual enablement across the org.

Crisis pivot+24% YoY
Open detail +
2017–2019
Advisor & Senior Advisor, Product Mgmt & Marketing
Dell Technologies · Commercial Desktop

Owned the revamped go-to-market strategy for the Intel Unite collaboration solution end-to-end, driving sustained >30% worldwide unit growth across four consecutive quarters. Managed a $29M OpEx budget.

$29M OpEx+30% · 4Q
Open detail +
2015–2017
Quality Staff Engineer, Process Excellence
Dell EMC · Enterprise Quality

Led a cross-functional continuous-improvement workstream with the Chief Customer Office that identified $500K+ in operating-expense savings and redesigned Voice-of-Customer governance.

$500K+ savedVoC
Open detail +
2009–2019
Officer & Company Commander
U.S. Army · Fort Hood · Kandahar

Combat-arms officer and brigade planner; later commanded a 190-soldier company, turning a bottom-ranked unit into a top performer. Led joint multinational patrols on a deployment to Afghanistan.

Culture turnaround190+ led
Open detail +
2007–2008
District Executive
Scouting America · Connecticut

Non-profit field professional across five towns: membership growth, fundraising, and volunteer management supporting 2,000+ youth.

Fundraising2,000+ youth
Open detail +
CapabilitiesRelative depth, by domain
Product Marketing & GTM EnablementLaunch · narrative · readiness
Cross-Functional LeadershipGlobal teams · stakeholders
Operational ExcellenceProcess · quality · scale
Portfolio & Launch StrategyVision → roadmap → activation
Change ManagementCrisis pivots · culture
Insights & AnalyticsEvidence over gut-feel
FoundationalExpert
(03)Selected WorkActivation · 2023–2026

When product vision meets the field.

Tech Rally immersive demo
Tech RallyImmersive, hands-on demos
Fig. 01 · Case study +
Workstation experience zone
Demo KitsExperience zones
Fig. 02 · Case study +
The Activate Table
IncubatorThe Activate Table
Fig. 03 · Case study +
What's Inside Matters
Showcase Design"What's Inside Matters"
Fig. 04 · Case study +
Experiential Marketing Summit panel
SummitEMS Executive Forum
Fig. 05 · Case study +
Return on Emotion keynote stage
Stage"Return on Emotion"
Fig. 06 · Case study +
Portfolio strategy vision
MeasurementInsights → Action engine
Fig. 07 · Case study +
Client Insights Week
AdvisoryClient Insights Week
Fig. 08 · Case study +
PC Advisor enablement tool
EnablementTraining at scale
Fig. 09 · Case study +
Field-tested

Exploration is the throughline.

Cross-country skiing in the backcountry
(04)EvidenceNumbers that survive scrutiny

Big programs, real measurement.

I run the portfolio like an operator, and I built the Power BI + Salesforce measurement framework behind it. I'd rather publish a number I can defend in a tough room than one that looks great until someone asks how it was calculated. Every figure below is one I'll stand behind.

$180M+
Approved program budget · cumulative, FY21–FY27
2,100+
Unique activation spend activities globally
113K+
Customer engagements in a single year (2024)
$185M+
Co-investment secured · exceeded program spend (~1.1x)
21
Team members across NA · EMEA · APJ · LATAM
~75%
Of budget concentrated in experiential & demo formats

Tech Rally Anywhere

The flagship, in context
FY25 influenced pipeline by program · $B · stats below are flagship, all-time
0
Customer events, all-time
$1.11B
Closed-won opportunity value
0
Won conversion on influenced pipeline
0
Won value vs. program spend

"Influenced" counts opportunities the program touched, not revenue it alone produced. I label it that way on purpose.

Programs That Fund Themselves

Cumulative · FY21–FY27
Co-investment exceeded program spend

From Rooms to Reach

2019 → Now
In-person → virtual → hybrid enablement
(05)Field NotesIn my own words

How I think about the work.

On building fast

Build it as you go.

We created the Activation Incubator with no blueprint, just the belief we could move fast if we built the right model. What used to take months now gets piloted in weeks.

On what we measure

Return on Emotion.

The metric most experiential marketers aren't tracking but should be. Engagement that moves people is what actually moves pipeline, so we built the measurement to prove it.

On change & AI

New craft, new doors.

Theater absorbed candles, then electricity, then film, and stayed theater. Agentic AI moves faster, but the response is the one we've always had: we adapt, and new doors open.

(06)Beyond WorkCuriosity doesn't clock out

Eagle Scout, active volunteer, and avid traveler featured in two seasons of the show, Van Go.

Custom van build interior
Part-time #vanlife pivot
Late 2020–2023
Team RWB
Doing hard things, together
Team RWB
Service abroad and at home
Service abroad
and at home
Wherever the trail leads
Wherever the trail leads
Passion for the outdoors
Paul Woodruff seminar at UT Austin
Passion for learning
and the arts
Family at a live theater production
The house lights dim
Live theater, always
0
Countries
0
US states
0
Volunteer hrs
0
Seasons · Van Go
Recognition
  • Bronze Star Medal
  • Two Meritorious Service Medals
  • Order of Saint George
  • Eagle Scout
Education
  • MA, Human Dimensions of Organizations · UT Austin (3.94)
  • BA, History & American Studies · Roger Williams
Service
  • Team RWB
  • Dell Veterans & Supporters ERG
  • Hiring Our Heroes
  • Scouting America
  • Austin Theater Alliance
Faves
A few things on heavy rotation
Films TV Books Music Brands
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance KidFilm GhostbustersFilm InterstellarFilm No Country for Old MenFilm Everything Everywhere All At OnceFilm Station ElevenSeries The WireSeries Better Call SaulSeries Parks and RecSeries HomelandSeries The Twilight ZoneSeries TaskSeries The PittSeries The Marvelous Mrs. MaiselSeries True DetectiveSeries Thinking, Fast and SlowDaniel Kahneman The OverstoryRichard Powers The CrossingCormac McCarthy Daring GreatlyBrené Brown Demon CopperheadBarbara Kingsolver The Creative ActRick Rubin I Cheerfully RefuseLeif Enger Red RisingPierce Brown The Dog StarsPeter Heller The Terminal ListJack Carr American WolfNate Blakeslee A Gentleman in MoscowAmor Towles Jason IsbellArtist Ryan BinghamArtist Arcade FireArtist Paul McCartneyArtist Fleet FoxesArtist Taylor SwiftArtist Tom PettyArtist Durston GearBrand Meow WolfBrand PatagoniaBrand FahertyBrand Herman MillerBrand YetiBrand
Let's connect

Toward what's next.

If you're building something hard and need a leader who connects product vision to the people in the field. Let's talk.