Get to Know Pendo’s New London Team

Written by Laura Baverman  | 

6分

 

We’re set to make a big splash across the pond this year with our brand new U.K. office. Next month, three Pendozers will make the move from their U.S. homes to join Perry Gale, our new EMEA managing director, in London to kick start Pendo’s European sales effort. This gives us an on-the-ground presence to serve our 40+ existing EMEA customers—and to start bringing product love to many more.

It’s an exciting new chapter for us, but especially for the brave Pendozers founding our newest office abroad. We sat down with each of them to learn what they’re most excited (and nervous) about, and to introduce them all to you. Say hello to the Pendo London team!

Perry Gale, EMEA Managing Director

We’re honestly not sure we could have found someone more qualified to launch our first European office.

A native Brit, Perry comes to Pendo with over 30 years of experience building teams, growing companies, and selling technology across the U.K. and international markets. He sold some of the U.K.’s very first IBM computers in the 1980s, and was one of the first businessmen to start selling software in Eastern Europe after the fall of Communism. With cash scarce in those days, he occasionally had to trade software for raw materials—iron, lumber, coal. At one point, he even brokered a deal for a helicopter. [Editor’s note: Pendo currently has no plans for a pink helicopter.]

Most recently, as the VP of Sales for EMEA at Seattle-based Nintex, Perry helped transform the company from an on-premise model to a SaaS subscription service, generating $40 million in new business for the company. He counts this as one of the biggest—and most rewarding—intellectual challenges of his life.

But he also hopes Pendo could be the start of something even bigger. Having just come out of retirement, this is an energetic time for him. A former rugby player, Perry is training for his first triathlon this May. Afterward, he says, “his goal is to make sure the EMEA office helps further accelerate Pendo’s already phenomenal growth.”

Delaney Branner, EMEA Account Executive

Although she already knows she’s going to miss her friends and family, as well as Sunday night football, Delaney said that getting selected to represent Pendo abroad is one of her proudest achievements.

As a corporate account executive for the past two years, Delaney helps teach product managers how to make the most of Pendo so that they can understand their users and deliver stellar product experiences. This has given her a front-row seat here, where she’s learned how much other companies can benefit from what Pendo provides. “It’s obvious how successful we are,” she says. “So I’m ready for that next challenge, to be able to take our brand into a new market and start building awareness. I’m really excited to tackle it.”

Excited and a little nervous, too. A North Carolina native, this will be her first time living outside the U.S. That said, she’s looking forward to immersing herself in the cultural melting pot that’s London, as well as traveling all around Europe. Plus, she already has one event planned: the Carolina Panthers will be playing its first-ever game in London this fall. Keep an eye out for Delaney cheering on her favorite team.

EB Novak, EMEA Account Executive

EB describes herself as a “born-and-bred teacher, someone who loves teaching people new ways they can improve their user experience.” And it shows—in her first year as an account executive at Pendo, she’s brought over 30 companies into the Pendo family.

Now she’s ready to take this passion to a new part of the world. Joining Pendo’s London team was just too good of an opportunity for her to pass up. “I’ve always considered myself a little bit of a migrant,” she says. “I don’t stay places too long. So I’m really looking forward to this move.”

Not that this isn’t coming without its challenges. With two dogs and two cats, EB needed to find a place in London where she and her family would have plenty of room to spread out. After a marathon house hunt (10 in one day!), she found a house in Epping, about an hour outside of London, that met all of her needs. Now, as a “t-shirt and jeans” girl, she says she’ll just have to get used to bundling up. She plans to pack a lot of scarves.

Courtney Larisey, EMEA Customer Success Manager

Moving to a big city is nothing new for Courtney. She’s already lived in Chicago and New York, and currently calls San Francisco home. She’s even lived abroad, with a six-month stint in Seville, Spain, while in college.

But London will be a brand new challenge. Though she’s been with Pendo for less than a year, Courtney has been a big contributor to our customer success team’s impressive 100+% renewal rate. “Getting selected to open the London office is huge for me,” she says. “I can’t wait to continue building out Pendo’s presence in the European market.”

So although she’s going to miss the beauty of the Bay Area (hiking Mt. Tam, soaking up the California sun), Courtney’s looking forward to diving into a new city. She’s already planning to explore all 32 London neighborhoods (the boroughs, as the Brits say), and may even make a long-awaited return trip to Seville.

Aaron Mutal, EMEA Account Executive (Israel office)

And last, but certainly not least, Aaron Mutal. Although he won’t be physically located in the London office, he’s already an integral part of the EMEA sales team. From his post in Israel, Aaron’s been working in EMEA sales and business development for the past year, making him the perfect person to round out the team.

Previously, Aaron kick-started sales development for Pendo’s mobile division, so he’s looking forward to helping get another new line of business off the ground. “I’ve always gravitated to starting new things, and opening EMEA sales development feels very entrepreneurial to me,” he says. “I’m excited to officially launch Pendo’s EMEA efforts.”

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We’re thrilled to have such a great team opening our London office and helping us expand in Europe. To meet the team in person, come out to our London launch event on Wednesday, March 6th, at The Brewery on Chiswell Street. Get all the event details here.