Richard F. Ashbaugh

About Richard F. Ashbaugh

AI AND DATA-DRIVEN GROWTH ARCHITECTI rewire how organizations think about growth. I fuse data with instinct, story with system and creativity with commercial impact. Whether rebranding a legacy firm to attract private equity investment or unlocking new global markets through a redefined ideal customer profile (ICP), I’ve delivered not just dynamic sales and marketing campaigns, but bold business transformations. I’ve built and rebuilt brands from the inside out, turning sleepy firms into category leaders, and repositioning global giants to outpace disruption. I\'ve launched AI-powered strategies that turned bold vision into measurable velocity and implemented tech stacks that modernized sales and marketing operations overnight. I’ve helped startups scale, consulting firms get acquired, and enterprises break out of stagnation while uniting leadership, revenue, and sales and marketing under one powerful growth engine. I’ve led sales and marketing AI initiatives that drove 30%+ revenue spikes and onboarded 100+ clients from healthcare, financial services, professional services, media to private equity. I’ve done it all by pushing boundaries, questioning assumptions, and treating every engagement as a launchpad for reinvention. If your brand needs to punch above its weight, own a new category, or spark a movement, I’m the CEO + CMO + CGO who turns ambition into action.TECH STACK FLUENCYFluent in today’s most powerful marketing technologies from Adobe Creative Suite and advanced CMS platforms (WordPress, Contentful, Magento) to performance analytics (Google Analytics, SEMrush) and automation tools (Marketo, Pardot). Adept at deploying Generative AI (ChatGPT, Claude, DALL·E, Firefly, GROK, Imagen, Midjourney, Mindseek, Perplexity) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) to accelerate campaigns, personalize experiences, and drive full-funnel growth. Skilled in CRM optimization (HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho), SEO and GEO strategy, and earned media intelligence (Cision, Meltwater), blending human creativity with machine precision to fuel brand performance.

Experience

1. Chief Executive Officer

   Mabbly

   Dec 2025 — Present · Chicago, IL, US

   As Chief Executive Officer, I lead an intelligence-driven digital marketing agency and go-to-market (GTM) partner for modern brands navigating the messy middle of growth, where clarity breaks down and momentum is hardest to earn. I turn ambiguity into competitive advantage by bringing brand strategy, behavioral insight, AI-driven intelligence, and high-velocity creative execution into alignment. My role isn’t just to steer the business, but to challenge the category, to dissolve outdated agency models, to build a company where bold thinking, technological fluency, and commercial rigor aren’t departments, but the DNA.I lead by pressure-testing everything we make against one simple question: Does it move the business forward? I oversee the transformation of client challenges into breakthrough narratives, distinctive brand systems and culturally sharp work that creates disproportionate impact. From shaping the firm’s growth strategy to architecting new offerings and pioneering new ways of working, I’m responsible for ensuring the agency stays ahead of the market, not just in it. I run the company with the belief that modern leaders don’t manage the status quo, but instead rewrite it.

Education

• Trinity Preparatory School

  High School Diploma

• Wesleyan University

  MA, Liberal Studies, Political Economy, International Economics

• TASIS-Switzerland

  Postgraduate

• Georgetown University

  Comparative Economics, International Law

• Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

  EMP, Marketing, Strategy, International Business

• Phillips Exeter Academy

  Postgraduate

• University of Wisconsin-Madison

  BA, Political Science, International Relations