Chris Smellie

Director of AI @ Microsoft, ex-Meta 🕶️ | Instructor @ ID Hot Yoga 🔥| Corporate Side Hustler

New York City Metropolitan Area

About

Corporate credibility 💼 | Creator reach 🤳🏾 | Executive audiences 👨🏽‍💼 I help brands win mindshare with executives through high-signal content and keynotes 🎤 that cut through the hype and noise around AI 🤖, product marketing, and emerging tech 🚀 to focus on only the parts that ACTUALLY change how we work and live. I’ve built that corporate credibility inside global enterprise — leading product marketing at Microsoft and Meta, driving launches and cultural marketing moments behind products like Microsoft Surface, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Copilot, and Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses. At the same time, I serve a fractional CMO and Senior Instructor at ID Hot Yoga 🔥 — NYC’s largest independently owned yoga studio with 7+ locations and rapid expansion underway, applying the same enterprise principles we preach in corporate — positioning, distribution, customer obsession, and community 🧘🏽‍♂️ — to scale one of New York’s fastest-growing wellness brands. So I guess that means you can call me a Corporate Side Hustler I don’t just talk about AI, I’m consistently putting into practice out in the world. I'm open to partnering with brands and causes I believe in to bridge corporate success with personal sustainability — translating innovation into influence that actually matters.

Experience

  • Director, Product Marketing | Copilot Frontier at Microsoft
    Nov 2024 - Present · 1 yr 8 mos

    Lead a high-performing product marketing team for Copilot Frontier, Microsoft’s early-access AI program for enterprise customers. Drive positioning, executive engagement, customer storytelling, and go-to-market strategy to accelerate adoption of next-generation Copilot and agentic capabilities across the Microsoft ecosystem.

  • Advisor and Senior Instructor at ID Hot Yoga
    Jan 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 6 mos

    Lead brand, growth, member retention, partnerships, and social for New York's largest independent yoga studio, with 7+ locations and rapid expansion underway. Oversee positioning, social strategy, and community development to drive acquisition and long-term loyalty, while also serving as a senior instructor shaping the in-studio experience and culture.

  • Product Marketing | Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses at Meta
    Apr 2022 - Nov 2024 · 2 yrs 8 mos

    Led global product marketing for Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses and emerging AI wearables. Owned positioning, launch strategy, cultural marketing moments, and cross-functional GTM execution to establish Meta’s leadership in consumer AI hardware.

  • Microsoft (Full-time · 10 yrs 1 mo)
    • Sr. Product Marketing Manager | Microsoft Teams
      2017 - 2022 · 5 yrs

      Led product marketing for Microsoft Teams, driving enterprise positioning, adoption strategy, and executive storytelling at global scale. Partnered across product, sales, and marketing to support deployment within the world’s largest organizations, enabling workplace transformation and collaboration for millions of users.

    • Product Marketing Manager | Microsoft Surface
      2012 - 2017 · 5 yrs

      Owned the accessories portfolio for Microsoft Surface, leading product marketing strategy, roadmap, and P&L management. Drove gross profit margin growth across the business through pricing, positioning, and portfolio optimization. Partnered cross-functionally with engineering, finance, and sales to align roadmap decisions with commercial performance. Positioned Surface accessories as essential extensions of the premium device experience.