Mike Gutner

Chief People Officer & Advisor

Greater Boston

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Validated traits

Proactive
Driven
Nurturing
Collaborative
Adaptable

Artifacts

Toast, Inc. · VP Restaurant Success
Transformed Toast's Account Management Function from Reactive Firefighting to Strategic Revenue Growth
When I stepped into the Account Management function at Toast, I inherited a team of approximately 25 account managers struggling to support over 3,000 customers. The function was fundamentally broken: segmentation was virtually non-existent, many team members lacked either the technical aptitude or strategic account management skills needed for the role, and processes were entirely ad hoc. There was no performance management system, no competency framework, minimal enablement or training, and zero accountability. The team spent every day firefighting with no capacity for proactive customer work or revenue expansion opportunities. I prioritized ruthlessly, starting with the foundational building blocks in my first 90 days. I implemented performance management and competency frameworks to establish clarity around expectations and capabilities, then moved quickly to segmentation and territory redesign to ensure customers were matched with appropriately skilled account managers. This required some difficult decisions: we moved underperformers out who couldn't level up, and simultaneously recruited high-caliber talent to raise the bar. I also designed a new compensation model that rewarded high performance through bonuses and included an effective commission structure on upsells, creating clear incentives aligned with business outcomes. Territory design became sophisticated, taking into account account manager level, tenure, compensation, and the strategic importance of each customer. The transformation was dramatic. Upsells improved by double-digit percentages quarter-over-quarter throughout the first 12 months, while customer churn remained remarkably low despite the organizational upheaval. Beyond the revenue impact, we achieved a massive cultural overhaul—several of the rockstar hires I brought in have leveled up tremendously and moved into increasingly senior management roles across Toast. Perhaps most gratifying was that many of the people processes we incubated on my team—including competency maps, the performance management system, and upward manager surveys—were borrowed and scaled across the entire company, creating lasting organizational impact far beyond my immediate function.
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Google · AdSense Manager, Australia & New Zealand
Built Google's First AdSense Team in Australia & New Zealand, Driving 150% Revenue Growth
When I arrived in Australia and New Zealand, Google had AdSense publishers in the region but no localized support—growth was entirely organic, and the business lacked the infrastructure to unlock its true potential. I saw an opportunity to change that by building a dedicated local team and establishing a formal go-to-market motion tailored to the region's unique needs. I started by hiring four technical account managers who could serve as a hybrid of sales rep and account manager, giving us the flexibility to both acquire and nurture publisher relationships. Together, we built a publisher outreach program from scratch, created localized pitch decks that resonated with regional clients, and established weekly syncs with the California-based product team to surface and address regional product gaps. This wasn't just about scaling headcount—it was about creating a sustainable model for how Google could support publishers in satellite markets far from headquarters. The results were transformative. In the first year, we grew regional revenue by 150%. One of the most impactful breakthroughs came when a major retail client wanted to use AdSense on transactional eCommerce pages, but the product wasn't built for that use case. I partnered closely with the CA product team to customize ad units and bidding logic specifically for this client's needs. That solution worked so well it became a template that was rolled out globally, proving that insights from a regional team could drive product innovation at scale. This experience built my confidence in leading teams from the ground up, taught me what it truly means to operate as a global organization in a satellite office, and earned me credibility across the broader business for my ability to deliver results and build cross-functional relationships. It was a foundational chapter that shaped how I approached leadership in every role that followed.
Validated by 1
BM
View all 3

Testimonials

D
David Truong
Direct Report
Jul 10, 2026
on “Transformed Toast's Account Management Function from Reactive Firefighting to Strategic Revenue Growth”
O
Oye Delano
Direct Manager
Jul 10, 2026
on “Led much of Toast's People practice through COVID, IPO, and 100% Headcount Scale”
View all 3

Work history

Toast, Inc.

Rest Devices, Inc.

Google

Toast, Inc.

JAN 2018 - PRESENT · 8.8 years

Chief People Officer

JUN 2024 - PRESENT · 2.3 years

SVP People & Organizational Success

JUN 2022 - JUN 2024 · 2.1 years

Led much of Toast's People practice through COVID, IPO, and 100% Headcount Scale

I led Toast's People organization through three simultaneous high-stakes transformations: navigating COVID-19 disruption, preparing for and executing our IPO, and scaling the company aggressively in a hyper-competitive talent market. The challenge was to build systems and infrastructure that could support explosive growth while maintaining the quality and culture that made Toast successful. I took a systemic approach across several critical pillars, with a few to note. First, I redesigned our performance management system and culture to shift the organization from activity-based metrics to impact-driven accountability, creating clarity around what great performance looked like at scale with calibration and an aligned system across the entire company, including promotion process, hiring and termination rigor, and more. Second, I led our globalization strategy by establishing local HR infrastructure and cultural integration programs as we expanded into new international markets, ensuring we could compete for talent globally while preserving our core identity. The results were transformative. We scaled headcount globally across the business by more than 100% while maintaining if not improving quality of hire while keeping cost per hire below peer benchmarks industry. Employee engagement scores increased, signaling that our people felt supported and energized despite the pace of change.

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VP People & Organizational Success

JUN 2019 - JUN 2022 · 3.1 years

Enabling the success of all Toast employees through performance development and management, people analytics, employee experience and engagement, organizational effectiveness (OD), and people partnerships (HRBP). Leader of the Toast Leadership Council. 2020 Founders Award recipient.

VP Restaurant Success

JAN 2018 - JUN 2019 · 1.5 years

Transformed Toast's Account Management Function from Reactive Firefighting to Strategic Revenue Growth

When I stepped into the Account Management function at Toast, I inherited a team of approximately 25 account managers struggling to support over 3,000 customers. The function was fundamentally broken: segmentation was virtually non-existent, many team members lacked either the technical aptitude or strategic account management skills needed for the role, and processes were entirely ad hoc. There was no performance management system, no competency framework, minimal enablement or training, and zero accountability. The team spent every day firefighting with no capacity for proactive customer work or revenue expansion opportunities. I prioritized ruthlessly, starting with the foundational building blocks in my first 90 days. I implemented performance management and competency frameworks to establish clarity around expectations and capabilities, then moved quickly to segmentation and territory redesign to ensure customers were matched with appropriately skilled account managers. This required some difficult decisions: we moved underperformers out who couldn't level up, and simultaneously recruited high-caliber talent to raise the bar. I also designed a new compensation model that rewarded high performance through bonuses and included an effective commission structure on upsells, creating clear incentives aligned with business outcomes. Territory design became sophisticated, taking into account account manager level, tenure, compensation, and the strategic importance of each customer. The transformation was dramatic. Upsells improved by double-digit percentages quarter-over-quarter throughout the first 12 months, while customer churn remained remarkably low despite the organizational upheaval. Beyond the revenue impact, we achieved a massive cultural overhaul—several of the rockstar hires I brought in have leveled up tremendously and moved into increasingly senior management roles across Toast. Perhaps most gratifying was that many of the people processes we incubated on my team—including competency maps, the performance management system, and upward manager surveys—were borrowed and scaled across the entire company, creating lasting organizational impact far beyond my immediate function.

Validated by 1

Rest Devices, Inc.

MAY 2014 - JAN 2018 · 3.8 years

Chief Operating Officer

MAY 2014 - JAN 2018 · 3.8 years

At Mimo, we're building and leading the connected nursery, to deliver to parents a more intuitive, simpler, more accessible home. My job is to get the Mimo suite of products - starting with the Mimo Smart Activity Trackers and Nod Digital Sleep Coach - out to those parents to help them know more, sleep better, and feel more empowered. To do that, I led all people, sales, marketing, and user efforts: - developing an internal culture around goal-setting, accountability, personal development, and leadership. - identifying the best ways to find and work with parents, as quickly and as efficiently as possible. - partnering with big box and boutique retailers across the globe to put Mimo on their in-store and virtual shelves, and help their customers learn more about how Mimo can help them. - working with parents day-and-night to ensure their Mimo is giving them the most accurate information about their little one.

Google

JUL 2004 - FEB 2013 · 8.7 years

Head of Global Advertiser Platforms Solutions

AUG 2012 - FEB 2013 · 7 months

Head of 180+ person global operations organization delivering industry-leading custom deployment, support, and training solutions to Google's largest display advertisers, marketers, and agencies - a $1B+ revenue base growing at 20%+ YoY.

Head of Advertiser Solutions, Americas

JAN 2012 - AUG 2012 · 8 months

Head of Americas (NAM, LATAM) arm of global operations for Google's display advertising platform businesses - a $1B+ revenue base growing at 20%+ per year. Lead 130+ person organization across 10 global offices that services the region's largest agencies and marketers. Customers include Publicis, OMG and Aegis, among others.

Head of Americas Publisher Solutions, Media & Platforms

AUG 2011 - JAN 2012 · 6 months

Head of Publisher Operations & Services in the DoubleClick display advertising business (Vice President role at DoubleClick prior to Google acquisition). Led 100+ person organization across 7 locations throughout the U.S. and Latin America. Responsible for pre-sales, implementation, consulting, and technical account management across a $300M+ annual revenue base. Customers include Amazon.com, ESPN, eBay, NBC, Turner/CNN, and Pandora. Owned post-acquisition integration and turnaround of the group. Restructured and rebuilt subteams, raised performance standards & transformed culture, and led team to best results in history - including achieving 90%+ customer satisfaction across all customer channels.

Business Manager, Publisher Ad Serving Services

FEB 2009 - AUG 2011 · 2.6 years

Managed 50+ person post-sales services organization comprising of four primary teams: Training, Implementation & Consulting, Program Management, and Technical Support. Responsible for the delivery of world-class customer service to Google's largest and most strategic publisher base.

AdSense Manager, Audience Channels & Scalable Account Management

OCT 2007 - FEB 2009 · 1.4 years

Managed two separate teams and oversaw 8 direct reports focused on the development of publisher and advertiser services for Google's content network.

AdSense Manager, Australia & New Zealand

SEP 2006 - OCT 2007 · 1.2 years

Led the successful launch of Google's AdSense Online expansion to Sydney, Australia. Built the team from the ground up, managing four direct reports and generating $50MM in annual revenues.

Built Google's First AdSense Team in Australia & New Zealand, Driving 150% Revenue Growth

When I arrived in Australia and New Zealand, Google had AdSense publishers in the region but no localized support—growth was entirely organic, and the business lacked the infrastructure to unlock its true potential. I saw an opportunity to change that by building a dedicated local team and establishing a formal go-to-market motion tailored to the region's unique needs. I started by hiring four technical account managers who could serve as a hybrid of sales rep and account manager, giving us the flexibility to both acquire and nurture publisher relationships. Together, we built a publisher outreach program from scratch, created localized pitch decks that resonated with regional clients, and established weekly syncs with the California-based product team to surface and address regional product gaps. This wasn't just about scaling headcount—it was about creating a sustainable model for how Google could support publishers in satellite markets far from headquarters. The results were transformative. In the first year, we grew regional revenue by 150%. One of the most impactful breakthroughs came when a major retail client wanted to use AdSense on transactional eCommerce pages, but the product wasn't built for that use case. I partnered closely with the CA product team to customize ad units and bidding logic specifically for this client's needs. That solution worked so well it became a template that was rolled out globally, proving that insights from a regional team could drive product innovation at scale. This experience built my confidence in leading teams from the ground up, taught me what it truly means to operate as a global organization in a satellite office, and earned me credibility across the broader business for my ability to deliver results and build cross-functional relationships. It was a foundational chapter that shaped how I approached leadership in every role that followed.

Validated by 1

Strategic Account Manager, AdSense Online Sales & Operations

JUL 2004 - SEP 2006 · 2.3 years

Managed relationships, technical troubleshooting, and revenue growth for up to 50 strategic AdSense publishers. Annual book of business exceeded $10MM.

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Mike Gutner

Chief People Officer & Advisor

Greater Boston