For Modulr — Senior Product Marketing Manager

CON HARBIS

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

I've spent 7.5 years in product marketing and 15+ years across product marketing and product management combined, most recently running product marketing for a $400M+ global payroll portfolio at Xero, processing $150B+ in annual payroll across the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. 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.

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

Positioning and messaging frameworks

Build value propositions that adapt to each market's buyer behaviour and competitive context, while keeping the core story consistent.

Vertical GTM ownership

Take a vertical from proposition through to activation, working with Product on what gets built and Sales on what gets sold.

Sales enablement and competitive intelligence

GTM playbooks and competitive frameworks that help regional teams sell and support what we build.

Product team proximity

Sit inside the product conversation, not adjacent to it. Partner with Product on roadmap prioritisation and understand the build trade-offs before positioning gets written.

WHY MODULR

A direct fit

PAYMENTS AND PAYROLL INFRASTRUCTURE

Modulr's payments automation work sits close to payroll. Both are financial infrastructure that has to be accurate every time. I spent years inside Xero Payroll, a $400M+ portfolio processing $150B+ in annual payroll for 3M+ employees across the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

ECOMMERCE AND TRANSACTION FLOWS

Before product marketing, I worked inside Jetstar's ecommerce team, managing online purchase flows and check-in systems across flights, hotels, cars, and insurance for a travel business.

PRODUCT AND ROADMAP PROXIMITY

Partnering with Product on roadmap prioritisation is how I already work. I sat on Xero Payroll's leadership team alongside Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers, and helped shape what got built based on segmentation and market research, not just how it got positioned.

GTM PLAYBOOKS AND COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE

I've built GTM playbooks and competitive frameworks that regional teams across AU, NZ, and UK used to sell and support Xero Payroll.

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.

LONDON-BASED

Based in London. No sponsorship required.

BY THE NUMBERS
$400M+
Portfolio managed
Xero Payroll, processes $150B+ annually
0%
Revenue growth
Helped drive, across AU, NZ, and UK
0%
Activation increase
In six months, GTM experiments
0%
UK growth YoY
Most recent role
$6M+
Revenue at launch
Standalone product, 3 months to market
0+
Years across Product Marketing and Product Management
SaaS, fintech, travel, insurance
DATA IN ACTION

Where the numbers come from

Skills in action
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.
154%
Revenue growth via GTM alignment
Helped drive 154% revenue growth across AU, NZ, and UK through positioning and aligning Product, Sales, and Marketing behind a shared GTM strategy.
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
Market entry evaluation across two initiatives
Led competitor and market analysis for North America market entry evaluation, informing the build, buy, or partner decision. Once the partnership direction was confirmed, led the GTM kickoff for the US.
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.

The work most relevant to Modulr is the vertical ownership and the market intelligence behind it. 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 competitor and market analysis for North America market entry evaluation, informing the build, buy, or partner decision.

Before moving into product marketing, I worked as a product manager, running NZ Payroll at Xero and, before that, at Carsales.com and Jetstar. That background is part of why 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
✓Led product marketing for a $400M+ payroll portfolio, helping drive 154% revenue growth across the UK, Australia, and New Zealand
✓Led UK segmentation and ICP development informing annual GTM strategy and product investment priorities
✓18% activation increase in six months through quarterly GTM experiment programmes with GTM and Product teams
✓Sat on Xero Payroll's leadership team alongside Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers, contributing to what got built
✓Built GTM playbooks and competitive frameworks used by regional teams across AU, NZ, and UK
✓Building with AI tools and actively optimising how I work, inside and outside the day job
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 ahead of Xerocon
  • 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, 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
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
  • Created GTM playbooks and sales enablement materials used 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.

  • Helped drive 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
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.

  • 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.

  • 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. 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

I led the early positioning and announcement strategy for Xero Payroll's AI vision and features, preparing the messaging and go-to-market ahead of Xerocon.

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.