Mirko Tosoni
I turn ambitious ideas into things that work, and then work at scale.
Usually I join mid-flight. I connect the moving parts and keep them pointed at real impact, not a PR splash.
200 → 4,000
students in one school year, Nike Milan
$160k
saved per year, WaterBear CRM
+68%
daily active users, WaterBear
+6pt
favourite running brand, Nike Italy
11 years across Nike EMEA and WaterBear, a B Corp impact media startup where I was Head of Marketing. Based in Amsterdam.
Selected work
6 PROJECTS
+68% daily active users by turning watching into doing
Higher retention, higher impact
WaterBear · 2025
Impact content makes people feel something, then do nothing. I co-built an impact marketing framework that turned watching into action, working hand in hand with the product and partnerships teams. Engagement climbed.
Read case study: Higher retention, higher impact→
I build the tools, not just the brief
Shopify, Lovable, n8n, and more.
Freelance & personal projects · 2023–present
Most marketers can brief a build. I like to ship them too: an organic farm's e-commerce and back office, a daycare finder, an automated job scanner, this site, and more.
Read case study: Shopify, Lovable, n8n, and more.→
EMEA digital product features that scaled across the world
Built in EMEA, adopted Globally
Nike · 2020–2022
I led the launch and operationalisation of Nike Training Club Live across EMEA, live workouts on the NTC app, and the localisation of the first non-English Audio Guided Run library. Both became case studies that got picked up worldwide.
Read case study: Built in EMEA, adopted Globally→
An innovative sports school program that grew 20x in a year
200 → 4,000 students in one school year
Nike · 2018–2020
The goal was to slow the sport drop-off among young people in Milan. I led a program built inside schools that grew from 200 to 4,000 students in a single school year.
Read case study: 200 → 4,000 students in one school year→
Nike Italy's best-converting influencer campaign on record
+6pt favourite running brand
Nike · 2018–2020
Running in Milan read as male and middle-aged. I led a long-term campaign with Aurora Ramazzotti to change who the sport was for.
Read case study: +6pt favourite running brand →
$160k saved a year, and retention went up, not down
Quality and results over the easy route.
WaterBear · 2024
WaterBear's CRM was expensive and underperforming. SAP Emarsys was the wrong tool for our needs. After weighing the alternatives, I ran the full migration to Braze, cut $160k a year, and improved both retention and email performance.
Read case study: Quality and results over the easy route.→The path
11 years, in one line.
2026–present·Independent·Amsterdam
Freelance Brand and Marketing Expert
KEY PROJECTBrand and Marketing thought leadership, consulting and building marketing, commerce and automation tools (Shopify, Lovable, n8n, etc), advising ambitious brands, mentoring impact changemaker programmes.
2025–2026·WaterBear·Amsterdam
Head of Global Brand, Marketing & Community
KEY PROJECTLed the repositioning and launched Watch for Impact, a product-led growth model that turned watching into action. +68% daily active users. Partnerships with Patagonia, Rolex and Greenpeace, as well as creators and activists.
2024–2025·WaterBear·Amsterdam
Product Marketing & Community Director
KEY PROJECTMigrated the CRM from SAP Emarsys to Braze — $160k saved a year, with retention and email performance going up.
2023·WaterBear·Amsterdam
Senior Product Engagement & Growth Manager
KEY PROJECTBuilt the first email/CRM channel from scratch - the platform's main traffic and retention driver - and ran the user research that defined a new category for the brand.
2021–2023·Nike·Amsterdam
Nike Activity Apps Director, EMEA
Joined as Marketing Manager, promoted to Director, Nov 2022
KEY PROJECTLaunched NTC Live across EMEA (design, operationalisation, GTM) and saw it adopted globally. Led a team of 7 and held the team's table steady through the 2022–23 reorg, partnering with the EMEA Leadership Team.
2017–2021·Nike·Milan
Running Brand Manager, EMEA South
Joined as Brand Specialist, promoted to Manager, 2019
KEY PROJECTGrew Nike x School from 200 → 4,000 students in a year. Relaunched Nike Trail in Italy, led the Aurora Ramazzotti campaign to change the culture of running (+6pt favourite running brand), and shipped Europe's first localised Audio Guided Runs, a case then adopted and scaled globally.
2016–2017·Nike·Amsterdam
Running & Olympics Brand Intern, EMEA
KEY PROJECTBreaking2 and Rio 2016 - worked on the sub-two-hour marathon attempt and the Airbnb Breaking2 camp in Monza.
How I work
I come in mid-flight
Most of my best work was done jumping on a project that was briefed, but lacked strategy or a plan forward. A vague brief, no clear owner, a campaign or a launch already moving: I find the through-line and get it pointed somewhere real.
I hold the pieces together
Brand, product, data, partners, budget. Ambitious marketing usually stalls because nobody's connecting the moving parts and complexity builds up. I bring the teams into one direction and keep the work shipping.
I keep it honest
I push for impact you can measure in what people actually do, not vanity metrics. And I cut what's only there for show. If a campaign is a PR splash being sold as impact, I'll say so.
Why I do this
I like to see that spark in someone's eyes when they realise they are better off because of the work I've done.
The brands I care about aren't chasing a click but trying to move someone: to lace up, to show up, or to finally act. Action is the thing that I count as a win.
A kid in a Milan gym class who never thought sport was for them, until a program built for 200 grew to 4,000 in a year, because we weren't selling running. We were building belonging.
A woman scrolling past another running ad, until she saw Aurora Ramazzotti lace up for the first time as someone just like her. If Aurora could become a runner, so could she.
Someone who cares about the planet but doesn't know where to start, until a beautiful film on WaterBear turned watching into planting trees, because the framework did the converting for them.
A farmer at La Bendessa buried in spreadsheets instead of out in the fields, until I built them a sales and inventory tool that runs itself, connected to their Shopify Store. Now they're back growing lavender.
If you want people to act because of how your brand made them feel, I’m your guy.
In their words
A few words from managers, peers and people I've led, at Nike and WaterBear.
“The highest compliment I can pay you is that, when drafting the values for the company, I chose you as one of the example team members I would shape our values on.”
“Mirko has taken full ownership over strategies, campaigns, processes and workflows throughout the year, and has shown to be very strong at cross-functional collaboration.”
“Your can-do, curiosity-first mindset gets you places. You joined from a tactical PM position and suddenly got asked to run a whole product-market-fit research, which you picked up with ease. You have a talent for being strategic while at the same time seeing things as they really are. You often declutter things and you navigate very smoothly between in and outside your comfort zone.”
“Calm under pressure. Mirko brought a vibrant, positive energy to the entire product team. He showed exceptional leadership, coordinating with all stakeholders and bringing together diverse talents to deliver the work successfully.”
“Mirko's sharp marketing vision and clear strategic thinking brings a lot of value to the team. His energy and ongoing optimism allow the work to be done in a great dynamic, where each individual feels valued and recognised. An inspiring leader who builds trust wherever he goes.”
“Mirko was an exceptional manager from day one, encouraging me to be my best self while giving space to my ideas. When the team needed it, he stepped in as a director and helped us navigate a challenging time with a positive attitude. Any team will be lucky to have him.”
About
I'm Italian, based in Amsterdam, husband to Benny and dad to Bruno. When I'm not working you'll find me strolling along the Amstel, hiking, or up at La Bendessa, the organic farm-stay I help out with in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. I write about marketing and impact at The Curious Impact Marketer on Substack. I'm getting more and more passionate about A.I. and the (positive) impact it can have on our daily lives and work. I'm working on a rewilding plan on a side hoping to leverage more nature-positive solutions to protect our planet and future.
These last few years I've deliberately moved my work toward ambitious brands that want to do more than sell. I work across brand marketing and strategy, community engagement, impact programs, product marketing and growth. I like to ship the tools I work with and recently I've done a few: a Shopify store for an organic farm, its back office with Lovable, a daycare finder on Lovable, an automated job scanner on n8n, this site, and more.
Get in touch
If you're hiring, building a brand, scoping a project, or just want to exchange ideas, I'd love to chat.
What I'm looking for
A senior in-house marketing role (Head, Director) at a consumer brand or scale-up where growth and impact both matter. Amsterdam-based, hybrid or remote across Europe. Open to fractional and freelance engagements too.
What I do
Brand marketing and strategy · Go-to-market · Community engagement · Product marketing · Impact programs
Where I'm most useful
Sport · Outdoors and nature · Wellness · Impact · AI