FP&A, SVP EMEA

Case Study: SVP EMEA Sales Leadership Turnaround—Enterprise SaaS Sector

Business Challenge

A fast-growing, international SaaS platform provider operating in enterprise planning and performance management faced a persistent challenge: its EMEA sales operations, spanning the UK, Nordic countries, France, and the Middle East, were underperforming. Fragmented teams of 30+ direct reports lacked structure, direction, and motivation. Sales activity was low, and the region operated as a cost center rather than a driver of growth—despite significant market potential.

Executive Search Approach

• Market Scan and Profiling: Thorough mapping of transformational sales leaders from global SaaS, analytics, and enterprise applications companies with a record of rebuilding underperforming teams and catalyzing high-growth sales.

• Rigorous Competency Assessment: Candidates were evaluated for hands-on leadership, the ability to instill discipline and spirit, and experience managing multi-country teams in complex EMEA environments.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Presentations and interviews focused on uncovering skillsets to drive rapid change, elevate activity and cadence, and build teams’ confidence and commercial focus.

Impact and Results

• The chosen SVP EMEA Sales immediately set new standards for focus and team engagement, raising activity levels, fostering collaboration, and revitalizing regional spirit and ambition.

• Within the first three months, reporting lines were clarified, cadence and best-practice routines established, and accountability embraced—resulting in a marked uplift in sales pipeline and morale.

• Over the next 12 months, EMEA transformed from an underperforming region into the top performing territory globally, surpassing even US sales. Regional revenues rose, cost-to-acquire metrics were optimized, and the teams became proactive profit centers.

Key Success Factors

• Rapid improvements in activity levels, cadence, and cultural cohesion can drive turnaround in multi-country sales organizations—even in highly regulated, diverse SaaS markets.

• Strategic leadership, rooted in hands-on coaching and consistent communication, is essential to unlock latent team potential and shift business units from cost centers to profit engines.

• Effective executive search is the catalyst for commercial transformation, matching business challenge with transformational leadership.