By 2030, OEMs are expected to generate $1.5tn in annual revenues (25% of total revenues) from software-defined connected vehicle services. Connected and software-defined vehicles are a double-edged sword: by definition these heavy and self-propelled end-points are exposed to cyber threats. Hence the huge market opportunity highly depends on consumer confidence, operational efficiency and brand reputation, whilst cyber attacks affecting fleets of connected vehicles in all segments are on the rise (see upstream’s annual report). Hence, to achieve cyber awareness and resilience is now a top executive priority, testified by growing investments in vSOCs This high priority level is further reinforced by the need to comply with recent regulatory changes (e.g. UNECE R155) by 2024. A holistic approach is required to protect the entire OEM ecosystem including vehicles, telematics/FOTA servers, EV charging infrastructure and other attack surfaces for both known and unknown threats. With a proven and scalable data anomaly detection platform, cybersecurity units can support also non-cyber use cases (data quality assurance, fraud detection, predictive maintenance). With Salesforce, several leading Automotive OEMs and Insurance companies among its investors, Upstream Security is the first agentless / cloud-based solution purpose built for the Automotive and Smart Mobility sector, enabling the most rapid and economically convenient way to achieve both cyber resilience and greater business value.As a regional leader I am responsible for strategy setting, P&L management, sales execution and delivery of benefits to our clients and partners, supported by an elite team of super talented and experienced professionals. Our overarching goal is to expand our strategic partnerships with Automotive OEMs, Tier 1&2 suppliers, Mobility Insurance companies, EV charging and Smart Mobility services, in close collaboration with ecosystem partners including MSSPs and complementary technology vendors

Wejo is a data monetisation vendor focused on connected vehicles data. It aims to disrupt other data vendors based on smartphone, telematics and social media data to improve societal benefits and consumer convenience (safer roads, new services). I took on a Senior Leadership Team role with scale-up management responsibility to help the company be ready for listing. Based on business goals, I focused on reorganising, staffing, onboarding and coaching a team of 35 including five team leaders responsible for lead generation, direct sales and customer success teams across North America and Europe, focusing on both public and private accounts such as global enterprises, Telematics Mapping and Logistics service providers, Smart Cities and State Departments of Transportation, Infrastructure engineering companies. I implemented structural changes that resulted in doubling net new revenues quarter on quarter: 1. Recruitment acceleration to achieve correct sales team capacity (+17 sellers onboarded in 2 months) 2. Launch of a dedicated sales enablement initiative named Core Sales Academy, which reduced time-to-first deal from six months to three months, and doubled average deal size within two quarters. 3. Transformation of the account management function into Customer Success Management in order to bring a proactive mindset to every customer interaction and free up hunters' time. 4. Alignment of leadgeneration and sales teams along industry verticals, which reduced the volume of SQLs but doubled the SQL>deal conversion rate.

Vodafone Automotive is the dedicated automotive arm of Vodafone Business IOT, delivering business benefits to vehicle manufacturers such as LUCID MOTORS, JLR, RENAULT/NISSAN, MCLAREN, VWG, DAIMLER and their distribution networks, motor insurance companies such as ADMIRAL, AVIVA, GENERALI and AXA, enterprises owning or renting fleets of any type of vehicles through telematics services. It is the result of the acquisition of Cobra in 2014. I was responsible for a €40m ARR business across four geographies with distinct challenges: UK representing 70% of total revenues, growing 18% YoY. France, 25% of total revenues, undergoing mass recruitment and loss of key accounts following M&A activity. Benelux and Ireland in startup phase, with dedicated hunters to win new logos. Managed to offset the decline in core business (Stolen Vehicle Tracking and Recovery and UBI) with the launch of a fleet telematics solution, channeling a leading canadian solution vendor into Europe. Managed several complex administrative challenges, including the transition of 15 of the 25 team members across to a new legal entity, with seniority and package implications. Managed to maintain record levels of employee engagement and motivation throughout (eNPS 84 vs 70 BU average). This role enabled me to develop C-level relationships within the Insurance sector at AVIVA, ADMIRAL, GENERALI, MAPFRE, as well as TOYOTA FINANCE and other Captive OEM Auto Finance and Insurance companies. As a result our entire organisation contributed to generating €120m revenues over just under 3 years.

Globetouch provides a single point of contract for Car Manufacturers wishing to launch Connected Car services globally. Globetouch' GStack platform a) simplifies both supply-chain and IoT service management challenges through the use of CloudSIMs/eUICC technology b) enables the global MNO aggregator model by managing signalling and IT integrations with tens of local MNOs supporting data/SMS/voice services c) enables V2X platform-based services thanks to advanced data analytics and real-time provisioning solutions. I was invited by the new CEO to join the company in order to develop our OEM business in Europe. I initially focused on my relationships within BMW in Munich in order to shape and negotiate a $500m (five hundred million dollar) proposal including connectivity and telematics services over five years. More context on the short stay can be provided on request.

Opower was a data analytics and omnichannel solution vendor helping retail utilities to achieve higher levels of customer engagement and retention through the application of behavioural science principles and personalised data insights. Opower had a unique collection of smartmeter data from over 50million households worldwide.Backed by VCs like NEA, Opower was born from the ingenious intuition of Dan Yates and Alex Laskey, and it developed into a $150M+ARR SaaS vendor thanks to Jeremy Kirsch' commercial leadership and Scott Neuman's operations management focus. My final 2-hour topgrade interview with these two guys is one of the highlights in my professional career. Michael Sachse's pragmatic approach as legal counsel and CMO was a great success ingredient too. And finally Nadeem Sheikh was the leader I learned so much from as my direct manager. No wonder all of them have gone to major leadership roles after Opower.I was headhunted to lead and refocus our GTM in Europe and we delivered. Under my tenure I managed a team of six sellers and three presales experts and acquired several new customers among leading utilities across Europe, generating an $8m ARR within two years. We did this by working with our product management and marketing teams to convert the use of our customer engagement solutions to help utilities generate new revenue streams. CEB's "The Challenger Sale" was the sales methodology adopted by Opower worldwide through extensive and frequent training.Opower was acquired by Oracle in August 2016 for over $0.5bn. I contributed to the integration of the teams until the end of the Oracle fiscal year.

Aria Systems is a leading SaaS billing/monetisation solution vendor headquartered in San Francisco that supports innovative business models across all industry verticals.I was the first employee outside of the US and joined before the company's $40M B-round led by Bain Capital Ventures. I was responsible for setting-up the European operation starting with devising the Go-To-Market strategy (focus on specific vertical markets, segments and geographies, staffing, strategic SI partnerships, marketing mix, key renewals). Eventually the European team included 12 staff including three pairs of sales and presales people in key geos (UK/I, DACH, Benelux/Nordics), marketing and leadgen, customer success. Despite huge competition and the initial skepticism with SaaS solutions, we managed to increase ARR from <$0.5m to >$6m within two years and acquired several large enterprise clients, including a $6m TCV flagship deal at a time when average deal value was $300k.I accelerated Aria's success in EMEA with a three-pronged strategy: 1) to pitch the benefits of a recurring revenue model to prospects migrating from transactional/ecommerce sales to subscriptions, such as ISVs, content producers and physical product manufacturers, including Vehicle manufacturers. (PHILIPS, AUDI, HERE, EXPERIAN). 2) to enable online real-time transactions and service provisioning, significant cost savings and CAPEX-to-OPEX transition in several subscription-based industries. (TDC, FALCK, ENIRO).3) to development of strategic ecosystem partnerships on a global scale from scratch (telemanagement forum, accenture, capgemini)I could not have succeeded without guidance and support from inspiring leaders such as Tom Dibble (CEO), Brendan O'Brien (Co-Founder) and Jim Alexander (Customer Success head), as well as without the amazing contribution of my team and many Aria colleagues across the "two sides of pond".

Industry vertical: TelecomsSolution domain: Mission-critical software applications including BSS/Billing and Messaging Gateways (SMSC / MMSC)Client size: global and local telecom operators (Multi-billion $/€ revenue companies). Deal sizes: between $50k and $50M (highly complex enteprise software and services solutions) Sales cycle length: from a minimum of 6 months to a maximum of 2 yearsRole and responsibility:Selected by Stuart Eveleigh, VP EMEA, to lead, coach and restructure a team of 20 sales/presales professionals across three countries. I was responsible for meeting and exceeding bookings (both new logos and renewals in existing accounts), revenue and collection targets.I underwent extensive training including the SPIN Value-based selling course held in London and the Account Executive Management course held in Tel Aviv.I was appointed On-Site Corporate Leader for a 120 employee organisation, including a team of telco billing and VAS subject matter experts providing deployment and technical support across EMEA. Key Achievements: Restructured and refocused sales operations for a multi-country region producing up to $50M annual revenue from about 20 Tier 1 and Tier 2 clients, increasing productivity and decreasing costs. Led the renegotiation of a €110M billing deployment to extend it from a 3-year to a 5-year deployment with senior executives of a €20bn organisation.

Industry vertical: Financial Services, Retail, Manufacturing and TelecomsSolution domain: Offshoring software development and testing services.Client size: large enterprisesDeal sizes: between $50k and $5M (highly complex enterprise software and services solutions) Sales cycle length: from a minimum of 6 months to a maximum of 2 yearsRole and responsibility:First man on the ground, responsible for both sales and delivery of solutions based on bestshoring (20/80) model. Led the development of relationships in existing and new accounts, acted as escalation point for ongoing projects. Responsible for meeting and exceeding bookings (both new logos and renewals in existing accounts), revenue and collection targets.

Axiom Systems, Evolved NetworksIndustry vertical: TelecomsSolution domain: OSS solutions to manage Service Provisioning and Data Quality Assurance Client size: global and local telecom operators (Multi-billion $/€ revenue companies). Deal sizes: between $500k and $40M (highly complex enterprise software and services solutions) Sales cycle length: from a minimum of 6 months to a maximum of 2 yearsRole and responsibility:Responsible for meeting sales booking targets across a territory including approximately 50 countries. Main challenges included: a) prioritisation of leads and opportunities based on a proven qualification methodology. b) prioritisation of regional requirements in the product roadmap in order to have a relevant offering available in a timely fashion. This required working closely with the product team and Chief Scientist, due to the highly innovative approach.Responsible for a small sales support team.Key achievements: Met targets by winning key deals in very large accounts thanks to a Joint Value Proposition defined with both local and global SIs (Accenture, Italtel, IBM, Alcatel-Lucent). Leveraged a strong personal relationship with the telemanagement forum. (https://www.tmforum.org/)

Industry vertical: TelecomsSolution domain: Innovative mobile advertising revenue and provisioning management solution aimed to subsidise B2C communications services based on video streaming (multi-media messaging, videconferencing, etc)Client size: global and local telecom operators (Multi-billion $/€ revenue companies). Deal sizes: between €100k and €500k (highly complex enterprise software and services solutions) Sales cycle length: from a minimum of 6 months to a maximum of 2 yearsRole and responsibility:Founded 360equity with two business partners, focused on solution selling to large enterprises. Key achievements: identified and closed first software deal, diversified business into consulting services.

Industry vertical: TelecomsSolution domain: Inter-operator accounting software to manage monthly bills for access/termination services worth €300-500M. Client size: global and local telecom operators (Multi-billion $/€ revenue companies). Deal sizes: between $500k and $5M (highly complex enterprise software and services solutions) Sales cycle length: from a minimum of 6 months to a maximum of 2 yearsRole and responsibility:First man on the ground, regional startup management from scratch, from €0 to €15M revenue.Regional responsibility including Go-To-Market strategy, staff selection and coaching, results monitoring, meeting/exceeding targets across a six-country, multi-cultural region. Won life-changing deal in Telecom Italia through strategic partnerships (Etnoteam/Italtel) developed from scratch.Setup and managed team of 15 staff including sales, presales, delivery and support.Key achievements: Smashed targets by winning key deals in very large accounts through direct selling. Lead generation initially carried out personally through cold calling within IT and Business teams. Then delegated to regional team.Great company culture set by inspiring and enlightened management team that survived an IPO and several major acquisitions and mergers (CGI, ICL TBU, EHPT, etc). The "Intec" community is still in contact todate. Joined as employee #57, left to setup my own startup when company had 700 employees, it was acquired by CSG when it was a 1700 strong organisation. An amazing success story led by Mike Frayne, Kevin Adams, Ian Gordon, Alan Healey, Mick Ruff, John Aalbers, Gary Bunney, Derek Lipscombe, Richard McBride, Susan Brady among others.

Industry vertical: TelecomsSolution domain: Mediation and Inter-operator accounting software to manage monthly bills for access/termination services worth €300-500M. Client size: global and local telecom operators (Multi-billion $/€ revenue companies). Deal sizes: between $500k and $5M (highly complex enterprise software and services solutions) Sales cycle length: from a minimum of 6 months to a maximum of 2 yearsRole and responsibility:Direct sales rep in a vast region encompassing approximately 15 countries across Asia Pacific, as part of a small team led by John Dixon based in Fujitsu's office in Makati, Manila.Responsible for key accounts including Globe Telecom, Islacom, Telecom Malaysia, Starhub, Optus, HKT, Bayantel and many others. Setup and managed a local support team of 10 staff.Key achievements: Led a successful sales campaign in Globe Telecom. Developed relationships with owners and executives of several telecom operators and organised the first country-wide event in the Philippines to present and promote our Prospero solution to senior management and operational teams of six largest telecom operators, system integrators and analysts. Life-changing experience as young expat, which helped learn new business cultures and amazing people and places far away from motherland.

Industry vertical: TelecomsSolution domain: Mission-critical telecom network management systems, OSS/BSS solutions. Client size: global and local telecom operators (Multi-billion $/€ revenue companies). Deal sizes: between $1M and $10M (highly complex enterprise software and services solutions) Sales cycle length: from a minimum of 6 months to a maximum of 2 yearsRole and responsibility:Selected by Nuno Caldeira da Silva, Executive Vice President of ICL, to help with the process of devising and communicating a global positioning strategy for the combined and merging Fujitsu and ICL operations in the telecom industry vertical, with a focus on software solutions. The role included extensive travel across Europe, to Japan and Asia Pacific to present the developing telecom OSS/BSS value proposition both internally (for approval by Fujitsu's board and for buy-in by country managers and sales teams) and to prospective customers.Completed the Master-equivalent Graduate Management Training course.

Graduate Management Trainee Experience.Industry vertical: Financial ServicesSolution domain: Mission-critical branch management software, internet banking solutions and insurance selling applications. Client size: global and local financial services institutions (Multi-billion $/€ revenue companies). Deal sizes: between $1M and $10M (highly complex enterprise software and services solutions) Sales cycle length: from a minimum of 6 months to a maximum of 2 yearsRole and responsibility:Selected by Diane Keaton, Head of Marketing Communications, to manage and improve the Skillsbank, a demonstration centre showing an integrated solution including home banking, branch-based banking and insurance products selling at kiosks.Key achievements: I justified and obtained budget to invest in a portable version of the democentre that could be used at kick off events around Europe to demonstrate the solution to large local sales teams (e.g. Stockholm, Paris, Amsterdam, Lisbon etc). I managed a virtual team of 10 demonstration presenters and technical support people. Claim to fame: presented ICL's leading-edge home-banking solution to an audience of two, including then CEO Keith Todd and the Governor of the Bank of England.