John SorianoHome

About

Marketing got faster — more AI, more channels, more dashboards proving it works. I've gotten more interested in the slower question: what actually holds up, and why.

At PayMongo I run marketing for a fintech building real infrastructure for Filipino businesses — payments, capital, and money movement for people who never had proper access to it. The work is specific and grounded, and a little humbling. That's why I like it.

On the side I write at Oblique Asia, host its podcast, and I'm opening a coffee bar in Panglao. I read more than I publish. I think most marketing content is noise, including plenty of mine, so I'm trying to make less of it and make what's left worth the time.

Based in Manila. Cat dad of two.

John Soriano
Now

What I'm doing today.

  1. 2024 — nowManila

    PayMongo

    Head of Marketing & Communications

    Marketing for a payments company building financial infrastructure for Filipino businesses — payments, wallet, capital, money movement. The job is less about campaigns and more about getting the market to understand and trust us as the product grows up.

    • Rebuilt the brand in-house, end to end. Better perception, and a lot less spent on agencies.
    • Shipped a web and product-marketing layer that actually reflects the product as it is today.
    • Got product, growth, sales, and ops telling one story instead of four.
    • Built a small team that cares about the work, not just the dashboard.
    • Helped move how people see us — from 'payment gateway' to 'financial infrastructure.'
  2. 2025 — nowOn the side

    Oblique Asia

    Founder & Editor

    A small publication about the Southeast Asian tech industry. I write the longer pieces — the ones trying to explain the forces underneath, not just the week's headlines.

  3. 2026 — nowPanglao, Bohol

    Komorebi

    Co-founder

    A small coffee bar. A quiet room, good cups, no rush.

Before

Earlier roles, most recent first.

  1. 2024Remote · NYC

    DailyBot

    Growth Lead

    A short engagement with the leadership team to sharpen product marketing and go-to-market for a productivity tool used by teams worldwide.

    • Reframed the story: not just workflow automation, but something that holds remote teams together.
    • Rebuilt the growth funnel for acquiring, activating, and keeping SME and enterprise teams.
    • +12% qualified leads, +18% signups, +9% trial-to-paid in two months.
    • Redesigned onboarding from user research; retention up 8%.
  2. 2021 — 2023Singapore · Remote

    Dojo

    Head of Strategy → Business Development

    Led marketing and business development for a consulting firm expanding across Southeast Asia.

    • 18% YoY revenue growth from campaigns aimed at C-suite buyers across the region.
    • Closed nine new enterprise clients through positioning, proposals, and the room.
    • Ran market-entry strategy, competitive work, and contract negotiations across teams.
  3. 2019 — 2021Manila

    Penbrothers

    Marketing → Business Development

    Ran content marketing for a B2B staffing platform — thought leadership through to demand generation.

    • Built the content program across blog, social, email, and sales material.
    • Grew organic traffic through steady, planned SEO work.
    • Set up a client-acquisition engine of outbound, content, and relationships.
  4. 2019Singapore

    Creadits

    Creative Accounts Manager

  5. 2015 — 2018Manila

    The Bellevue Manila

    Design Associate

Useful for

Marketing is the trade, but the work runs into narrative, distribution, product, and the people doing it.

Brand & storytelling

  • Brand & positioning
  • Messaging
  • Content strategy
  • Campaigns

Demand & distribution

  • Full-funnel marketing
  • SEO & performance
  • Social & community
  • Analytics

Product GTM

  • Go-to-market
  • Product positioning
  • Sales enablement
  • Launches

Leading & operating

  • Team building
  • Stakeholder management
  • Planning
  • Exec communication
Education