Conquering Your ESP Migration: Pro-level Email Strategies with Craig Hood
January 29, 2026
Want to scare an email marketer? Just whisper, “ESP migration.”
Want to scare an email marketer? Just whisper, “ESP migration.”
ESP migrations are notorious for being complex—but do they really have to be? In this episode of Email After Hours, Guy and Danielle sit down with Craig Hood, Email and SMS Leader at AstraZeneca, to unpack the real-world challenges of managing ESP migrations across 20+ markets, multiple regulatory frameworks, and competing stakeholder pressures. Craig walks through the process step-by-step, sharing actionable tips to help you transform from a migration fraidy-cat to your organization’s knight in shining armor.
What you'll learn:
- How to establish email deliverability as non-negotiable with leadership and IT
- Why ESP vendor selection should prioritize deliverability support over technology features alone
- The importance of building compliance-first infrastructure for global email programs in the age of evolving privacy laws
- How to customize IP warming strategies to account for Gmail's algorithmic differences
- How to leverage AI for faster content production without compromising compliance standards
…and more!
About the Guest(s)
Craig Hood is an Email and SMS specialist at AstraZeneca with over 10 years of experience managing complex, multi-market email programs in the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry. Known for his expertise in email deliverability strategy and ESP migrations, Craig has successfully navigated the challenges of managing 20+ markets across multiple ESPs while maintaining compliance with regulations like GDPR.
Craig Hood is an Email and SMS specialist at AstraZeneca with over 10 years of experience managing complex, multi-market email programs in the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry. Known for his expertise in email deliverability strategy and ESP migrations, Craig has successfully navigated the challenges of managing 20+ markets across multiple ESPs while maintaining compliance with regulations like GDPR.
In this episode, Craig shares critical insights on executing enterprise-level ESP migrations, IP warming strategies, and positioning email deliverability as a business priority—offering actionable guidance for email marketing managers and deliverability professionals managing complex organizational environments.
Hosts at a Glance:
Danielle Gallant - Danielle is a Senior Email Strategist at Validity. She has over seven years of experience working with global brands to craft strategies that amplify email performance. She is a self-professed email nerd, dog lover, and podcast fanatic.
Guy Hanson - Guy is Vice President of Customer Engagement at Validity. He has led global consulting teams working with clients to improve email deliverability, subscriber engagement, and revenue. He believes in giving back to his community and is a regular speaker at flagship events, providing training and producing fresh and insightful thought leadership.
Guy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guyhanson/
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Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so
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