Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Interests
Timeline
Generic

Tanja Ellesøe

Global VP Of Retention & Engagement
Greve,83

Summary

Strategic, data-driven, and commercially minded leader with 25+ years of experience in Retention, CRM, Lifecycle marketing, and Customer engagement. Proven track record of maximizing LTV, growth, and revenue across both D2C and B2B businesses, with responsibility for 22 European markets.


Expert at building and scaling Retention and CRM functions (two full-scale setups of 40+ employees since 2017), creating segmentation-led strategies, and driving personalization and experimentation at scale. Skilled in leading cross-functional collaborations with Product, Data, Martech, and BI teams to reduce churn, optimize monetization, and improve customer lifetime value.


Purpose-driven and passionate about leveraging lifecycle marketing as a growth engine while contributing to meaningful business and societal impact.

Overview

8
8
years of professional experience
2
2
Languages

Work History

Global VP of Retention & Engagement

SkyShowtime
03.2023 - Current
  • Lead the Global Retention & Engagement function across 22 European markets.
  • Drive the full strategy for Retention, Engagement, Monetization, Lifecycle marketing, BI optimization, and Marketing operations.
  • Collaborates with Product, Data, and Marketing teams to define and execute strategies that reduce churn, increase frequency, and grow subscriber LTV.
  • Introduced segmentation-led lifecycle marketing, structured experimentation, and personalized communications at scale.
  • Built a 40+ person organization from the ground up, delivering measurable impact on LTV and subscriber growth.

Global VP of CRM

HBO Max EMEA
03.2018 - 02.2023
  • Directed CRM strategy for 40+ employees across 20+ markets, managing loyalty programs, lifecycle optimization, and customer growth.
  • Developed and delivered long- and short-term CRM and Customer Experience strategy, scaling personalization across markets.
  • Championed CRM as a growth lever, with strong commercial outcomes tied to churn reduction and engagement growth.
  • Introduced data-driven segmentation frameworks, advanced analytics, and program effectiveness tracking.

Education

Academy Profession Degree - Leadership & Management

CPH Business Academy
Copenhagen, Denmark
04.2001 -

Master's Degree - Marketing Communication Management

Copenhagen Business School
Copenhagen, Denmark
04.2001 -

Skills

  • Global and Cross-functional Strategic Leadership
  • Growth & Revenue Maximization
  • Strategic Retention Vision
  • Executive Stakeholder Management
  • Organizational Leadership & Scale-Up
  • Innovation & Experimentation
  • B2C & B2B Expertise
  • Change & Transformation Leadership

Interests

Spending time with family (husband and two kids), yoga, travel, and reading

Timeline

Global VP of Retention & Engagement

SkyShowtime
03.2023 - Current

Global VP of CRM

HBO Max EMEA
03.2018 - 02.2023

Academy Profession Degree - Leadership & Management

CPH Business Academy
04.2001 -

Master's Degree - Marketing Communication Management

Copenhagen Business School
04.2001 -
Tanja EllesøeGlobal VP Of Retention & Engagement