14. From cold calls to global partnership strategy

From cold calls to global partnership strategy — Gabrielle Bäckman on building a career in partnerships

Gabrielle Bäckman didn’t set out to work in tech partnerships. She started her career doing “a million different things,” including time as a nanny, flight attendant, and PR intern. But once she found her way into sales, and then stumbled into a partnerships manager role, everything clicked.

Now, as Head of Partnerships at Teamtailor, Gabrielle leads a global team and helps shape strategic growth for the company — all while staying grounded in consistency, empathy, and clear alignment. Her journey shows what happens when you lean into the unexpected, keep executing, and build strong partner ecosystems with purpose.

1. Find your place by trying everything

Gabrielle didn’t follow a traditional path. She started with plans to be a psychologist, moved into PR, then detoured through hospitality — until she found herself sitting with a sales team.

“I asked, can I sit with them for the day? Can I do some cold calling?”

That moment was a turning point. She eventually took on a partnerships role without knowing exactly what it was — but quickly realized it was the right fit.

“It’s the perfect marriage of all commercial and strategic functions. And you get to do a lot of different things, which suits my personality.”

2. Master consistency to unlock growth

Early in her career, Gabrielle didn’t yet have the skills. What she had was follow-through.

“I figured very early on that if I stay extremely consistent and executional and actually keep the activity levels high, I can still be on top of the pile until I learn the skills.”

That consistency helped her succeed while she was still learning — and it’s a mindset she’s kept ever since.

“When we get really good at something, we kind of drop on the execution side. But if you maintain both, you really unleash your full potential.”

3. Build partnerships with strategy, not luck

Many companies try to scale partnerships before they’re ready. Gabrielle warns against this.

“Partnership is an overlay function and it collaborates with every part of the business,” she said. That means alignment needs to happen first — across product, sales, marketing, and finance.

“If you have a go-to-market that’s really struggling… then partnerships also struggle.”

Strong partnerships amplify what’s already working. They can’t replace a broken foundation.

4. Focus on customer value first 

Gabrielle sees too many companies chasing partnerships for the wrong reasons. “Too many companies partner to partner,” she said. “And you don’t really look at why is this creating value on the customer side.”

She’s learned to focus instead on mutual impact. “You need to understand what success looks like for your partner,” she explained. “Make sure you can either manage expectations or build a partnership that will support that.”

And forget about volume for volume’s sake. “Fewer partnerships, but you have to go a bit deeper and really create that curated experience for them.”

5. Treat internal alignment like a sales motion

Internal alignment is everything in partnerships, and Gabrielle treats it just like any other sales process.

“I have to understand what makes them look good at work,” she said of working with other internal teams. “What do they care about? What do they prioritize? And I need to understand how we can provide value.”

“If you keep talking about partnerships from a partnership perspective with other teams, you’re never going to get them to prioritize and strategically align the way that you would like them to.”

By understanding each team’s goals, she’s able to show how partnerships help them win — not just the company.

6. Lead by being real — not perfect

Gabrielle’s first leadership role came after months of building a new market from scratch. The promotion felt like a milestone — and a sign that all the uphill effort had paid off. But stepping into leadership brought new lessons.

“At the beginning, I had a hard time delegating,” she said. “And I’m also quite empathic… I’ve had to work on separating the feelings of my reps from my own.”

Over time, she developed a more coaching-led approach. “I spend a lot of time with them one-on-one… and seeing them grow.”

At the heart of it all is authenticity. “You need to find your own strength as a leader… and bring more of your personal, authentic self into work.” For Gabrielle, that’s what allows you to lead with clarity, without losing yourself in the process.

Conclusion: Partnership leadership that blends structure and heart

Gabrielle Bäckman didn’t plan to work in partnerships — but she’s become one of the people shaping how the function evolves. Through consistency, strong internal collaboration, and a clear focus on customer value, she’s built teams and programs that last.

Her advice? Don’t fake it — lead with your authentic style. Stay consistent. And most of all, don’t just build partnerships for the sake of it. Build them with purpose.