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Phil Gray

COO of Black & White Zebra

Most operators are drowning in data but still can’t get a clear picture of what’s actually driving revenue. I’ve spent nearly two decades leading operations across SaaS, media, and logistics companies, building revenue operations infrastructure that helps companies successfully scale without sacrificing operational efficiency.

I’m the COO at Black & White Zebra, where I oversee strategic planning, financial forecasting, GTM operations, and the systems that keep a fast-moving media business running. Over three years, I scaled the company from a smaller startup to $20M+ revenue and built both Finance and GTM operations functions from scratch.

Previously, at Thinkific, I built out a centralized Revenue Operations team that managed operations across Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, and Billing. Furthermore, I led operational readiness for Thinkific’s public market debut in 2021. Before that, at Procurify, I doubled ACV through pricing and packaging improvements, helped close a $20M Series B, built out Revenue Ops and Business Ops functions, and rebuilt the marketing org while cutting operating costs by 10%.

I enjoy creating business strategy, solving complex business challenges, and analyzing data. Basically, solving problems using modeling and data is where I thrive. I’ve always been very data-centric and a bit of a spreadsheet nerd. I’ve created the primary operating dashboards for multiple businesses myself, implemented several CRM systems, and done a lot of Product Management type work scoping products, features, and leading the product marketing around competitor intel, positioning, pricing & packaging, etc. I’ve also led several M&A evaluation processes and fundraising processes both in the VC and private equity worlds.

I hold an MBA from the University of British Columbia with a focus on Product and Services Management, as well as a BA from the University of Victoria.

My Areas of Expertise:

  • Strategic planning
  • Data analysis
  • Revenue operations & GTM strategy
  • Financial forecasting

More About Me:

Outside work, I’m an avid reader, home cook, traveler, and hobby game developer. Building games has become a fun way to experiment with product design and AI-assisted development.

I’ve also advised startups and growing businesses across software, manufacturing, healthcare, media, and consumer products, giving me exposure to a broad range of operating models and leadership challenges. I think it’s given me a bigger toolkit and broadened my experience and knowledge of a wide variety of business challenges and strategies. I’m as comfortable talking software development and media as I am manufacturing and supply chain centric businesses.

What’s in My Tech Stack:

  • Business Intelligence & Analytics: Google Data Studio, Google Analytics, Tableau, Salesforce Marketing Cloud
  • Database: SQL Reporting, Supabase
  • AI & Automation: n8n, Claude, Codex, Cursor, Lovable
  • ERPs, Finance, & HRIS: SAP, Oracle, Workday, Runway, Rippling
  • CRM & Marketing: Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Gainsight, Zendesk, Outreach, Gong
  • SEO & AEO: Ahrefs, SEMrush, Google Search Console
  • Productivity: Jira/Confluence, Asana, Trello, Slack, Microsoft Teams
Phil Gray

550+ published articles on The CRO Club