Nick Hayes

Cybersecurity Marketing Leader | Product Marketing, Category Creation & GTM for AI-Driven Cyber Defense | Ex-CrowdStrike, Ex-Forrester Analyst

New York City Metropolitan Area

About

Senior cybersecurity marketing leader with deep product marketing expertise, focused on building and owning categories—not participating in them. Nearly a decade as a Forrester analyst covering cybersecurity and threat intelligence, where I advised Fortune 500 CISOs and pioneered the Digital Risk Protection category. Then moved operator-side to CrowdStrike, Dataminr, and others to turn analyst-grade market insight into differentiated messaging, pipeline, and revenue. The best security marketing isn't louder. It's sharper. It names the problem buyers actually have, frames the category on your terms, and equips sales with defensible statements and proof points to sell against. That's the work. Led product marketing across diverse cybersecurity markets, including EDR, XDR, MDR, ASPM, AppSec, threat intelligence, threat hunting, exposure management, and identity protection. At CrowdStrike, drove product marketing for Falcon Complete MDR and Falcon OverWatch Threat Hunting, establishing CrowdStrike MDR as #1 in global market share while growing 3x attributable ARR. Most recently, I designed and executed an integrated GTM marketing strategy for Dataminr for Cyber Defense from scratch, scaling it into a multimillion-dollar product line in under 18 months through category-led positioning around Unified Cyber Risk Intelligence (UCRI) and Agentic, Preemptive Threat & Exposure Management. Exploring VP/Head of Marketing and Director/VP Product Marketing roles to define and scale what's next.

Experience

  • Principal Agentic AI Evangelist at Tenable
    Jun 2026 - Present · 2 mos

    As Principal Agentic AI Evangelist at Tenable, I'm working to shape the future of agentic cybersecurity. I engage with security practitioners, researchers, developers, and industry leaders to accelerate the adoption of AI-powered cyber agents and advance new models for human-machine collaboration in security operations. Through thought leadership, community activation, and ecosystem development, I help organizations navigate the transition to AI-native security operations.

  • Director of Product Marketing at Dataminr
    Dec 2024 - May 2026 · 1 yr 6 mos

    Led global PMM for Dataminr for Cyber Defense, defining category positioning around Unified Cyber Risk Intelligence (UCRI) and Agentic, Preemptive Threat & Exposure Management. Built and scaled GTM from scratch, growing the product into a multimillion-dollar line in under 18 months via integrated launches, ICP-led positioning, and full-funnel content. Drove Analyst Relations across Gartner, Forrester, and others, securing 15+ analyst mentions. Spearheaded post-acquisition integration with ThreatConnect, unifying threat intel, orchestration, and risk quantification into a cohesive platform narrative.

  • Director of Product Marketing at Legit Security
    Apr 2024 - Dec 2024 · 9 mos

    Built and executed a product-led marketing strategy that scaled marketing-sourced pipeline. Led GTM for new AI-driven capabilities, including an AI Security Command Center, while strengthening analyst positioning with multiple Gartner mentions and industry recognition.

  • Sr. Product Marketing Manager, MDR/XDR at CrowdStrike
    Aug 2021 - Apr 2024 · 2 yrs 9 mos

    Owned Product Marketing for Falcon Complete MDR and Falcon OverWatch Threat Hunting, driving 3x ARR growth while reinforcing category leadership. Led global launches and analyst strategy, messaging and positioning, top-tier industry placements, and high-performing pipeline and demand programs.

  • Director of Content Marketing and Communications at Flashpoint
    Oct 2020 - Aug 2021 · 11 mos

    Led Content Marketing and PR strategy to drive 55% growth in traffic, media coverage, and lead generation. Established thought leadership in cybercrime intelligence through high-impact research and data-driven narratives.