Laura Hughes
Laura Hughes is a seasoned Customer Success Executive with over 20 years of experience driving revenue growth and customer retention in the SaaS and technology sectors. Originally from Scotland, her career didn't start in customer success, it started in the field, achieving growth in every position she held. Sitting across from C-Suite executives and negotiated contracts, she learned the fundemental truth that would shape her entire career: the relationship doesn't end at the signature. Laura’s early exposure to complex client relationships naturally led her to transition into customer success, where she has excelled transforming the function into a strategic revenue engine. She has led global teams across North America, EMEA, and APAC, managing annual recurring revenues ranging from $50M to $350M, consistently achieving renewal rates above 90%. Her teams don't just hit targets; they consistently exceed them.
In her professional journey, Laura has become a recognized expert in creating revenue infrasture, building CS organizations from the ground up and scaling them to ensure successful outcomes for customers. She implements AI-driven solutions to increase operational efficiency and improve risk management processes, turning at-risk revenue into predictable growth. In her current role as Limited Partner at Stage 2 Capital and a fractional CCO, Laura partners with B2B software companies during scale-up phases and beyond, sharing her operational insights and supporting companies in building long-term, capital-efficient growth.
Beyond her operational achievements, Laura is a passionate mentor and advocate for emerging leaders in technology. She is committed to cultivating high-performing teams, leading with integrity, and fostering environments where customer success is seen as a shared responsibility across organizations. Laura holds a BA (Hons) in Marketing and Finance from Glasgow Caledonian University and an MBA from National University. She has also completed a number specialized executive training, including the CCO School and P&L Fluency at Pavilion in addition to various AI certifications. Her career reflects a balance of strategic vision, practical execution, and a dedication to helping businesses and people thrive.
• P&L Fluency
• CCO School
• Outward Performance for Leaders
• Building Your Retention Playbook
• Become an AI Builder in a Day
• Revenue Architecture
• AI for Strategic Decision Making
• Section ProfAI: AI Proficiency
• Integrating AI into Team Workflows
• AI for Problem Solving
• National University - MBA
• Glasgow Caledonian University - BA(Hons)
• Women in Customer Success
• Pavilion
• Cedar Park High School
• Women's Philanthropy Austin
What do you attribute your success to?
Solving problems is a passion and that's what inspired me to get into this field. At a time when sales were also responsible for ensuring the success of their customers, that's how I ran my book of business. This enabled me to build trusted relationships and consistenly over achieve the goals set for me. I've seen some amazing leaders during my career and know how important it is to made sure you are being true to yourself. Part of being a leader is to be honest, have integrity, and doing what you think is right. You should inspire, empower and allow people the room to make mistakes, because that's how people learn. My philosophy as a leader is to lead by example, lead as you would want to be led and remember that I don't have all the answers.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to do what you feel passionate about. Stand up for what you believe in and stay true to yourself.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this industry is to keep pushing forward, claim your space in every room, and persevere even when challenges or obstacles arise. Don’t let anyone make you feel like you don’t belong, your voice and contributions matter.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in my field is keeping pace with rapidly evolving AI technologies, which require continuous learning and adaptation. At the same time, these advancements present tremendous opportunities to drive efficiency and enhance customer engagement. Another key focus is transforming Customer Success into a measurable revenue engine while proactively identifying and mitigating revenue at risk.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In my work and personal life, I value honesty, integrity, and staying true to what I believe in. It's important to empower people and meet them where they are so they can reach their maximum potential. People often worry about making mistakes. One of the first things I tell people joining my team is that everybody makes mistakes, own them and learn from them. My teams have seen me take responsibility when I do something wrong, because let's be honest, if I'm not doing it, why should they? It's about cultivating high-performing teams and mentoring people. I also value persistence and making sure women have a seat at the table. Even when people make that difficult, you've got to just keep trying, you can't just give up. Outside of work, I love to read. My parents were avid readers who impressed on us the importance of reading, not just for fun but also to learn new skills and to better skills. I'm a huge F1 fan and have been since I was a kid. I used to be in Crossfit and even ran a marathon although now I do more walking than running. I'm involved in causes that are meaningful to me, like raising money for my daughter's high school theater department and being part of Women's Philanthropy at Shalom Austin. Life is a journey that needs to be lived and we need to ensure that our kids have the tools they need to be able to do that for themselves.