How Trina Watt Leads Marketing at Rivos After a Career Across the Entire Tech Stack

Trina Watt believes an opportunity should never be wasted, a philosophy that has shaped her unique career journey.

Trina is the Head of Marketing at Rivos, based in the UK, where she manages everything external-facing: messaging, positioning, media relationships, press announcements, events, and building the channels that share Rivos’ story. It’s a role that requires her to track market trends, anticipate competitor moves, and understand customer needs. “I always have to think 18 months in advance,” Trina said. “It’s a very encompassing job that’s never dull.” 

Trina’s path to Rivos has been anything but linear. She began her career over 30 years ago as an engineer, but quickly realized she was drawn to working with customers. That led her into technical marketing roles at companies like Motorola and Freescale, where she worked on 32 bit CPUs for various kinds of technology. Later, she joined ARM and shaped pivotal campaigns like Windows on ARM.

Trina’s career has been defined by risk-taking and constant learning. She left ARM after five years to develop her own technical marketing company, Watt Knowledge, advising startups in varied sectors on how they can translate technical concepts into compelling stories. Later, she led marketing at Foundries.io, diving into open source, before taking on a senior marketing role at Imagination Technologies. 

Throughout her career, she gained a unique holistic perspective by learning firsthand about hardware, software, supply chains, and open-source. “I’ve always enjoyed jumping into new things,” she shared. “If I’m not a little scared, I haven’t taken enough of a risk.” 

What drew her to Rivos in August 2024 was a call from Rivos UK General Manager Tim Ramsdale, a former ARM colleague, who saw her experience in both RISC-V and startup storytelling as a perfect fit. At Rivos, Trina appreciates the energy of a small, collaborative team. “It was the first time I came into a startup where everyone was so open and welcoming right from the start,” she said. 

Trina brings the same energy and curiosity outside of work. She’s a mother of three, a singer who’s performed everything from classical to contemporary rock, and is currently renovating a farmhouse in Scotland. She’s also pursuing a degree in environmental science with a focus on water quality, something she’s always been interested in.