About
    Lara Shackelford, CEO of Hawksmoor

    CEO

    Lara Shackelford

    Lara has spent 25+ years building GTM engines at the intersection of data and AI. She launched Hawksmoor after watching companies layer AI on broken systems and wonder why nothing worked.

    She started at Oracle launching Oracle Grid Database and early cloud applications. At SPSS, she helped shape the Predictive Analytics category before IBM's acquisition. She then launched DataStax and Looker from zero. Both are now acquired.

    In 2016, she debuted an AI-powered sales platform at Dreamforce. That same discipline now drives the GTM architecture she builds for enterprise revenue teams.

    She completed her postgraduate AI Strategy diploma at Oxford in July 2025. She identified the Generative AI shift in 2022, before most executives had a login.

    Lara is committed to advancing Women in AI through mentorship, speaking, and advocacy for greater representation.

    Lara leads every engagement directly, backed by a growing team of GTM operators and a vetted network of specialists and data architects.

    Track Record

    Six acquisitions. One IPO. Three categories shaped.

    SPSS → IBMDataStax → IBMPlatfora → WorkdayLooker → GoogleAltify → Upland SoftwareMarketo → AdobeQlik → IPO

    Categories:

    Predictive Analytics(SPSS → Gartner MQ)
    Data Discovery(Qlik → Gartner MQ)
    Big Data NoSQL(DataStax → Forrester Wave)

    Leadership Roles

    OracleMicrosoftIntelLooker (Google)QlikMarketo (Adobe)SPSS (IBM)

    Credentials

    AI Strategy Postgraduate Diploma, University of OxfordScaling AI & AI for Marketing Certifications, SmarterXAI Mastery Member, SmarterX4X LinkedIn Top Voice in AITop 100 CMOs, DiversityFirstTop 35 Leaders in B2B Marketing, DataCaptive

    Why Hawksmoor?

    01

    The Hawk's Vision

    Strategy from altitude. Execution at ground level. We see your entire GTM before we act, then dive with precision to the signal that matters most.

    02

    The Oxford Architect

    Nicholas Hawksmoor designed two of Oxford's most iconic structures. His work fused bold vision with meticulous craft. We carry the same spirit: architectures that endure, built with precision and purpose.

    Strategy Without Execution Is Theater.

    Signal Integrity changes that.