2014 Women In Sales Awards Magazine

DECEMBER 2014 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS 1
Women in Sales
Awards
The
the
Meet
SERRA
ERELCIN,
the most
distinguished
sales woman
of 2014
DECEMBER 2014
THE
WINNERS
Meet 2014
SALES SUPERS
AUDE
ROCOURT
Regional Director - Europe,
Bacardi Global Travel Retail
HOW SHE
SUCCEEDED IN
A MAN'S WORLD

2 WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS DECEMBER 2014
CONGRATULATIONS FROM BACARDÍ, PROUD SPONSORS
OF TONIGHT’S CELEBRATIONS.
T O T H O S E W H O ’ V E
GLASS
T H E B A R
RAISED
R A I S E A

WELCOME
I would like to start by saying congratulations to all the finalists!
It is a considerable achievement to become a finalist in this event.
The high quality of the nominees made this a very competitive year
for the Women in Sales Awards. The finalists, and in fact all of the
nominees, and your companies, are sending the message we need to
hear in Europe today – that sales can be a significant stepping stone to
smashing any glass ceilings that still exist.
Each of the finalists embody, in their own specific way, what we require
in order to foster inclusive growth within sales: great skills, empathy,
ambition and confidence!
We hope the achievements of the finalists will inspire the next
generation of talented women to consider a career in sales. With
WISA’s support, we can develop recognition of the importance of
dedicated, gifted sales professionals and showcase their qualities.
This competition should not be seen as a one-off for any nominee. We
would like to stay in touch with you, and see how your careers and ideas
develop. You are the best Ambassadors to promote the Women In Sales
program in Europe!
In fact we have plans for awards further afield too – although the
awards were only launched in 2013, its success in Europe has been such
that we have now launched similar events in North America and India,
with preliminary plans for Australia and Africa in 2015.
However, sales sometimes gets a bad reputation and my dream is that,
through these awards people will come to recognise how important
a career in sales is and respect the skills required to be a great sales
person. Sales is an ART. The ability to understand a client’s needs and
deliver what they require is one that only the talented few ever truly
master. So when you are asked that very vital question “what do you do”
you should proudly proclaim I am a sales professional.
I would like to thank all the WISA judges, the speakers, the mentors,
our partners and our drinks sponsor, Bacardi, without whom this event
would not have been possible. And finally, to everyone who has been
involved in the process as a nominating company, a nominee, a finalist,
or a winner thank you for making this a special event. I hope you have
all enjoyed this evening.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you in 2015.
Afi Ofori
Managing Director,
Zars Media

In this magazine
Opening
and closing keynotes
Interview with
Aude Rocourt,
Regional Director - Europe,
Bacardi Global Travel Retail
The Judging Day
The Judges
The one of a kind club that
is fine tuning Britain’s sales
leaders like no one else
The Mentors
ROI of not winning
an award
2014 Women in Sales
Awards Finalists
The Judging Process
Sales success for women
Interview with 2013
Insurance sales winner
Eileen Greene
Greatest saleswomen
Do The Best Saleswomen
Challenge with Empathy?
Driving the world economy
How to fail as a salesperson
The Speakers
The Winners
5.
6.
8.
9.
11.
14.
18.
20.
13.
12.
43.
46.
48.
50.
52.
55.
24.
8.
A full service sales recruitment 12.
for women only?
56.

Beginning her career in the music industry, Anabel worked with
Chrysalis/EMI and ZTT Records, culminating in the launch of
her own DJ management agency. Anabel represented and produced
international club tours, then expanded into investment, backing
popular nightclubs in London.
In 1999, Anabel moved into high-profile fashion and press events.
And in 2005, Anabel co-founded Quintessentially Events.
Now entering its 10th year, Anabel’s business has grown to include
nine offices around the world with plans for further expansion into
Israel, Nigeria, Thailand and the US. So far this year, Quintessentially
Events has produced over 700 events and experiences generating a
revenue of more than £35m.
As testament to her experience and professionalism, Anabel has
been voted in the Top 15 most influential people within the Events
Industry for 2 years in a row.
Having been responsible for the Unified Storage Group in EMEA
with Sales, Pre-sales and Delivery, with responsibility for over $1B
in budget, including all EMC Classic Mid Tier Storage products,
Andrew has expanded his role to cover all Enterprise, Mid Range
including Unified and Isilon Storage, as well as driving EMCs
EMEA Flash strategy.
Prior to this he was responsible for efficiency and effectiveness of
EMC 1000+ sales and 1300+ Presales organisations. He held the
mandate to reduce the gap between corproate and the field and
improve field readiness and GTM capability.
He was Director of GFS and worked at Sun Microsystems Finance,
GE Capital, Barclays Bank and Lloyds Bank.
Andrew Hough
VP Enterprise & Mid Range
Storage EMEA EMC
Anabel Fielding
CEO and co-founder of
Quintessentially Events.
KEYNOTES
43.
46.
8 Heathfield Court Fleet,
Hampshire GU51 5DX England
01252612025
info@wisawards.com
2014 Goody Bag
Sponsor
The Women In Sales Awards Magazine
is published by Zars Media

Aude
Rocourt Regional Director - Europe, Bacardi Global Travel Retail
Aude Rocourt has spent her
entire 25-year career working with
Bacardi brands. She's had offices
in Singapore, Hong Kong, Paris,
Cognac (where she raised her
three children whilst living and
working in Château de Cognac)
and is currently based in Geneva.

Tell us about your role
at Bacardi?
When Bacardi set up its Global Travel
Retail division in 2007, I jumped
at the opportunity to work in this
very international channel. I became
Regional Director for Asia Pacific,
and was based in Hong Kong for
four years. Being the first in the role,
everything had to be done and it was a
really exciting time. I had to create the
structure, recruit the team, set up our
logistics centre, etc, etc. Three years
ago, I was offered a new challenge as
Regional Director for Europe based in
Geneva. I am still learning something
new every day and that's why I love
my job.
Have you always worked
in sales?
I have held various sales and
marketing roles throughout my career.
I joined the distributor for Bacardi
and Martini in Singapore 25 years
ago. It was my first job and I had a
dual role of marketing in the morning
and on-trade sales to international
hotels in the afternoon. I actually had
a "pure marketing" role for about two
years after that, then I had the chance
to be in roles which combined Global
Marketing and Sales.
In your opinion, what’s the
number 1 thing that makes
a woman successful in sales?
Do not position yourself as a woman
but as a professional, hard-working
person. Believe in yourself. Women
in leading positions can really make a
difference. Women generate a lot of
natural honesty and trustworthiness
which customers and sales teams
appreciate. It’s a gift! We are typically
less competitive minded. We look for
the win-win and customers like that.
What Sales Skills Can
Women Best Cultivate to
work in the drinks industry?
The Sales skills should be exactly the
same as men. They are not gender
specific. When I hire a woman I
coach her exactly the same as a man.
In terms of a skill set there should be
no difference.
What kind of career growth
options do you think women
starting out in sales at Bacardi
should know about?
There are a lot of bridges between
marketing and sales. For example,
customer marketing is a bridge
between sales and consumer
How she
succeeded in
a man's world
marketing. There are also a lot of
bridges between countries so people
who are mobile can develop a great
career - like me.
What opportunities
are available at Bacardi
for women in sales?
Bacardi is big enough to give great
career opportunities and small enough
to give you the opportunity to really
make a difference.
Do you think gender diversity
is important in sales
& leadership?
Extremely important. To quote my
boss, when you have five men around
a table you receive very similar advice.
Put one or two women into the
mix and immediately there is more
open conversation and different
perspectives.
Any advice to women
considering a career in sales?
Never give up. Think and decide for
yourself. People will tell you it is a
male industry and it is, but never give
up and don’t listen to people telling
you it’s not for you. We need more
women and there are more and more
opportunities for women.
Women generate a lot of natural
honesty and trustworthiness
which customers and sales teams
appreciate. It’s a gift!

THE
JUDGING
DAY
It is an honour to be involved in these
Awards. The quality of finalists was
exceptional and all should be proud
of what they have accomplished.
Lars Tewes
I thoroughly
enjoyed the
experience
and
opportunity
and will be
more than
happy to
repeat it next
year!
Karina Garcia
I thoroughly
enjoyed being
a judge, the
venue was both
impressive and
well organised
and I was truly
inspired by
everyone I met.
Nikki Hutchison

Judges Profiles
Anders Hjort
Anders help multinational
sales teams achieve and
sustain outstanding
sales, negotiation
and communication
performance levels.
Chris Billing
Chris Billing is the head
of npower’s Business
Solutions Indirect Sales
division. He joined npower
in early 2012 with 14 years
sales experience across
retail sectors including
energy and Royal Mail. In
his current role Chris is
responsible for maximising
sales and ensuring energy
consultants receive the
best possible service when
dealing with npower.
Gordon McAlpine
Gordon McAlpine is a
successful entrepreneur
who is passionate about
driving Sales Leaders to
be the best they can be
which is why he started his
company The Sales Club,
to help Leaders and Rising
Stars maximise their own
potential and be inspired.
Helen Barrow
Helen is a contracts and
commercial professional
focussing on performance
improvement in the Energy
& Assets sector, specialising
in nuclear. She is EY’s
UK Advisory business
development lead for
nuclear.
Stuart Allen
Stuart started his career
in sales at just 17 & is a
Fellow of both the CMI &
ISMM. He is passionate
about promoting
professional selling as a
'career of choice' on the
basis that sales skills are
essential life skills.
Nikki Hutchinson
A Corporate Mentor for
the ‘Internal Job Market’
Nikki offers employees an
edge over their competition
by educating professional
people to build on their
personal brand, to sell
themselves in the content
of their CV and interview
technique and to overcome
personal barriers to fully
recognise their strengths
and achievements.
Laura Nuhaan
CMO at Webpower.
Responsible for global
marketing including China
and sales in Europe.
цAn accomplished and well-motivated
Senior Marketing
and Sales executive with
a wealth of experience
aligning innovative
marketing strategies with
sales campaigns.
Lars Tewes
Lars is MD of SBR
Consulting, a global sales
consultancy set up in 2002
that focuses on helping
‘liberate sales potential’ for
their clients.

Phil Pond
Director at Scarlet Opus,
identifying consumer,
business & design trends
and using them to uncover
opportunities to increase
sales, profits, market share.
Sian Williams
Regional Manager -
London and South East
at HSB Engineering
Insurance Ltd. Regional
sales leader with 25 years
experience, working
for global brokers and
Insurance Companies
Nicole Rombach
Director of Customer
Service EMEA at Valeant
/ Bausch+Lomb. 20 years
of international sales
& service operations
experience in international
companies in France,
The Netherlands, the UK
and Germany.
Edward Newell
Co-founder &
Commercial Director
at Health is Ltd.
Configuring sales centred
commercialisation
programmes and
rationalising most suited
opportunities involving
developing relationships
with public, private and
third sector.
Jacques Sciammas
President & CEO at
Selling to Executives.
Conducting Executive
workshops and Keynotes
to b2b sales teams of global
corporations on Successful
Selling to CxOs, winning
complex deals, Building
C level Relevance, and
Becoming a Trusted
Advisor to the Boardroom.
I had a really enjoyable day;
the panellists were excellent
and evoked interesting debate,
I also really enjoyed meeting
my judges.
The day was extremely well run.
Shelley West

Gordon founded The Sales Club in 2010, bringing together
busy, under-pressure sales leaders to learn, share, networking
and generate ideas with their peers. The club, which is described
as ‘the centre of excellence for sales leaders’, does not offer sales
training or consultancy, but is a cross-sector networking club
hosting events and laying on top speakers from the business
world and beyond.
“I was the Sales Director at BigHand in a small, successful,
entrepreneurial company, and sales is the engine room of
a business. I was constantly
thinking, ‘How can we get better
at what we do?’ I spent my whole
life thinking that, and in the
meantime I was juggling selling,
managing and strategy.
I was sending these sales guys out
thinking, ‘How do I know how
good they are in client meetings?
How good are they at closing?’”
“All the ideas for bringing new
things into the business were mine. I was the vehicle and it
completely exhausted me. I started searching the internet for
‘Sales Club’ and ‘Sales Forum’ because I didn’t want to get a
training company or a consultant to tell me what do to. I felt like
I wanted to join something to come back from that club with
ideas, feeling re-energised and motivated from speaking to peers
with similar issues.”
The Sales Club now has over 70 members ranging in size
from British Airways, American Express, Audi, Toshiba and
Eurostar, to a host of SMEs; with total sales in excess of £100
billion. One of Gordon’s visions was that if you put some big
companies in there, they will bring best practice and some
really great systems, controls and
processes. And if you put in some fast-growth
entrepreneurial companies,
they will add some sharper operating
practices. “The guys at the top are
quite happy to talk to fast-growth
SMEs if they think there’s a good
conversation to be had.”
The high-calibre events, year round
support and access to the latest news
from the world of sales, is what
makes The Sales Club completely unique. The Sales Club
helps their members to sell more and ultimately be more
successful.
The
One-Of-A-Kind Club
that is Fine
Tuning Britain’s
Sales Leaders
like No One Else
Judge for this years WIS Awards, Gordon McAlpine,
made his fortune from a tech firm launched in the living
room of his flat, selling software to Downing Street via
the Prime Minister’s wife and starred in Channel 4’s
Secret Millionaire. Gordon has learned a thing or two
about maximising your potential.
So much so, that he started a club to spread the word.
“I felt like I wanted to join
something to come back from
that club with ideas, feeling
re-energised and motivated
from speaking to peers with
similar issues.”
Gordon McAlpine,
CEO of The Sales Club

THE
JUDGING DAY
SPEAKERS
CATHERINE SCHALK
Executive Director & Founder,
Inkwazi Kommunications
BETH ROGERS
Head Marketing & Sales Subject
Group Portsmouth Business School
LISA DABINETT
Head of Sales, QinetiQ,
General Weapon Systems,
BEN TURNER
Director of Sales, ISMM
KARINA GARCIA CASIL
Director EMEA SMB Sales
Operations Adobe
NIKKI WRAY
Head of People
Development QinetiQ
ANDY WIGGANS
VP UK/EMEA Sales, BrightTALK
Beth Rogers
Andy Wiggans
Lisa Dabinett
Karina Garcia Casil
Catherine Schalk Ben Turner
Nikki Wray

Until recently, sales has been characterised by the
language of “hunters and farmers”. Aggressive,
testosterone-fuelled sales “hunters” tracked down
their customer prey and browbeat them until they
surrendered and made a purchase, while “farmers” toiled away
in marketing and customer services at planting the seeds that
would grow future relationships.
This rather unattractive view of selling has contributed to its
reputation as a male-dominated profession. While 63 per cent
of people working in sales and customer service are women,
according to the Office for National Statistics in 2013, it is
thought women are far more likely to choose customer service
roles and less than 30 per cent of salespeople are women.
It’s time to recognise that this view of sales is outdated and
to revisit the role of women in sales. In fact, as evidence has
accumulated that it is much better for business to retain an
existing customer than to win a new one, there has been a
dramatic change in the sales role
Technology has accelerated this process, largely replacing the
salesperson’s traditional function of providing information
about products and services. Today, customers can access
online sources to find most of the information they need. So,
the salesperson’s role is evolving into relationship management,
communication and problem-solving. Skills such as managing
people, building teams and generating trust with the customer
are increasingly prized.
While earlier research into what makes salespeople successful
focused on masculine characteristics, such as drive and the will
to win, recent research into sales success has identified two vital
characteristics – enjoying problem-solving and being responsive
to social cues from others. So would it pay companies to increase
the proportion of women in their sales teams?
Certainly, there are grounds to believe that women are generally
better at social skills than men. This in turn may translate
into sales success – a recent study of competing teams in an
undergraduate business game found that mixed teams produced
better sales and profits results than male-dominated teams. A
gender-mixed team has access to a greater diversity of skills,
which may contribute to higher performance. Other research
has suggested that mixed teams have higher social sensitivity,
which may increase responsiveness to cues from others and
hence link to sales success.
At the moment there are relatively few saleswomen at the
very top. According to the Female FTSE Board Report 2014,
produced by the Cranfield International Centre for Women
Leaders, just 15.6 per cent of executive directors of FTSE 100
companies are female. Of those 160 women directors, only eight
are in selling or commercial roles.
But there are some examples of women being outstandingly
successful through a career in sales. The National Association of
Professional Women’s Professional Woman of the Year 2014 is a
saleswoman, Terri Brady. And Ginni Rometty, the first woman
to lead IBM, the world’s largest IT and consulting services
company, was global sales leader before taking over as chief
executive in 2012. The message is – don’t rule out a career in
sales if you are a woman.
Professor Ryals was previously professor of strategic sales and
account management at Cranfield University, an exclusively
postgraduate university. Cranfield School of Management offers
a full portfolio of Open Executive programmes.
For more information about their Sales Directors’ Programme,
Key Account Management: Best Practice Programme, Women as Leaders
Programme or full course portfolio, please visit www.cranfield.ac.uk/som/
executive or contact the team on 01234 754570 / som.action@cranfield.ac.uk.
SALES SUCCESS
FOR WOMEN
The changing role of sales is well suited to women
who offer valuable skills to complement those of their
male colleagues, says Professor Lynette Ryals,
pro-vice-chancellor of education at Cranfield University.

Jane Griffiths PH.D
Company Group Chairman,
Janssen EMEA, Johnson & Johnson
The Mentors
Completing her PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Aberystwyth, UK in
1982, Jane Griffiths has worked her way up the Johnson & Johnson career ladder,
starting as a sales representative. The straight-talking Brit is now the first female
Company Group Chairman of Janssen in EMEA, the pharmaceutical division of
the Johnson & Johnson family.
She is responsible for this business across the entire region. Her personal approach
focuses on sustainability, accountability, openness and collaboration, and she is
leading Janssen EMEA to live these values.
Jane has held a number of senior sales, marketing and R&D positions including
International VP for Western Europe and South Africa, and Head of Market
Access for Janssen EMEA. As a senior female executive, Jane acknowledges the
tension between family and work. She is a sponsor for the Women’s Leadership
Initiative in Janssen and a Senior Advisory Board member of the EMEA Healthcare
Businesswomen’s Association (HBA). Other industry roles include Chairwoman of
the EFPIA Executive Committee and member of the EFPIA Board.
A passionate conservationist, Jane is the founding chair and Executive Sponsor of
the Janssen Global Citizenship and Sustainability Council. Jane is also Chair of the
Johnson & Johnson Corporate Citizenship Trust in EMEA and a Board member.
Jane will mentor the Best Woman Sales Manager winner.
The Honorable
Mary Jo Jacobi
Non-Executive Director
The Weir Group PLC
Mary Jo Jacobi was appointed Non-Executive Director in December 2013. Ms
Jacobi has extensive experience at senior levels in the energy, financial services and
public sectors in the UK and USA. She is also an established brand advisor with
extensive communications and public affairs experience. Previously Ms Jacobi was
a Senior Executive of Royal Dutch Shell plc, BP America Inc., Lehman Brothers
Inc., HSBC Holdings plc and Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. She was a Non-
Executive Director of Tate & Lyle plc between 1999 and 2004.
She is currently the Managing Director of her own consultancy practice and a Non-
Executive Director of Mulvaney Capital Management. She is a Senior Associate of
The Leadership Council and holds several advisory and consultancy roles in the not
for profit sector.
Ms Jacobi holds dual United States and British citizenship. She was appointed
Assistant US Secretary of Commerce by President George H. W. Bush and had
earlier served as Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan and as a Member
of President Reagan’s Advisory Committee on Trade Negotiations. She was
appointed by Prime Minister David Cameron to the Advisory Committee on
Business Appointments in June 2012 and was formerly a British Civil Service
Commissioner. She is also a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University.
Mary Jo will mentor the Best Woman Sales Director Winner.

Mary has more than 20 years’ experience of leading UK, EMEA and global
corporate communications and b2b programmes and advising clients at
a strategic level. Mary’s core areas of expertise are corporate reputation
management, issues and crisis management and b2b marketing, spanning a
wide range of sectors.
Mary has spent much of her career handling complex communications issues and
advising companies during periods of major corporate change, including crisis,
turnaround, joint ventures, rebranding, repositioning, restructuring and closure.
Mary’s passion lies in managing corporate reputation for consumer brands.
Some major clients have included BP, British Steel/Corus plc (now Tata
Steel), Butlins, Cadbury, Carphone Warehouse, De Beers, DHL, Hilton
Worldwide, Kelly Services, Nabucco Gas Pipeline, Orange, Samsung Europe,
The Times CEO Summit & Western Union.
Mary learnt her skills at five of the industry’s leading international consultancies: Hill &
Knowlton, Weber Shandwick (Paragon Communications), Euro RSCG Biss Lancaster,
Fleishman-Hillard and Grayling. In 1996 she was runner-up in the PR Week Young
Achiever award and her campaign. ‘After the Baby Boomers’ for Odgers Berndtson
has been shortlisted for a PR Week Award in 2013. Mary has a BA (Hons) in Business
Studies from Bournemouth University, the Dip (CIM) and Dip (MRS).
Mary will mentor the Best Woman In Consumer Sales winner.
Mary Whenman MD, Corporate, Financial &
Public Affairs Weber Shandwick
Heather Jackson is Chief Executive and Founder of An Inspirational Journey, an
organisation which works to address the imbalance of talent that exists at the top
of corporate Britain to ensure that the best talent can lead regardless of gender,
sector or region.
An Inspirational Journey works in partnership with The Royal Bank of Scotland
and currently reaches out to over 5,000 women from over 150 globally recognised
companies. It comprises three major initiatives: The Pearls Programme seeks to FIX
the leaking pipeline of female talent by providing career support and direction for
women in middle through to executive management through a programme of events,
networking and on-line resources; The Two Percent Club is a national organisation of
senior women which DRIVES forward and positively inuences the issue of the under-representation
of women at the top of UK business and; The Women’s Business Forum
CHALLENGES thinking and is the world’s rst annual gender balanced leadership
conference which provides a global platform for innovative debate and the delivery of
progressive and achievable talent management solutions.
Heather is an active advocate in the media and acts as an advisory consultant to the
government on issues surrounding women in business. She is a regular contributor to
regional and national media on the subject including CNN, BBC, Sky and the BBC 2
Documentary, "Hilary Devey’s Women at The Top".
With a teenage daughter and son, Heather drives forward this business issue with the
aim of ensuring not only her children, but the next generations of men and women will
be able to have choice and control of how, when and where they take their careers -
regardless of gender. In her spare time, Heather has two personal passions, running and
art. She is a Trustee of ‘The Tetley’, a new centre for contemporary art which opens in
late 2013.
Heather will mentor the Best Woman In Financial Sales winner.
Heather Jackson Founder & CEO
of An Inspirational Journey;
The Pearls Program,
The Women's Business Forum,
The Two Percent Club

Aileen Allkins is the leader responsible for HP's Software Support
organisation and its credo of "Exceed Expectations", a vision she developed
over a career dedicated to IT support. Prior to HP, she held global leadership
roles at Onyx Software and Peregrine, living in both the US and Europe.
Her 25-year IT support career has seen the tools of IT support evolve from
5.25in DOS boot disks to high-speed broadband and community-based issues
resolution.
Now leading a team of 1300 HP software support professionals, her goal
is to eliminate corporate waste from misunderstood, unused or under-used
software. Under her leadership, HP’s global support organisation aims to
deliver consistently excellent support for HP customers, ultimately building
support into a competitive differentiator for HP Software.
Aileen will mentor the Best Woman In IT Sales winner.
Aileen Allkins VP Worldwide Software Support
Hewlett-Packard
Helen Thomas Director, GFT Group
25 years of corporate experience in the IT and banking industries where she
held various Management positions. Most recently as Sales Director at GFT
Technologies, prior to this she spent 5 years with Cisco. She joined Microsoft
in 2005 where she sold her first Service Level Agreement into a well known
Stock Exchange. At Fidelity Information Systems she held Programme
Management and Consulting roles where she worked & lived in the US, Asia
and Europe.
Outside of work Helen is a keen but lapsed Golfer & Sailor, an avid supporter
of Cardiff City FC , an Art Investor and a member of the Information
Technologists Company. A proud step-mum and lives in North London with
her fiancé and dog Bobbie.
Helen will mentor the Best Woman In Telephone Sales winner.

A goal-oriented senior Sales & Marketing Director with 20 years experience in
the technology & media sectors, known as an inspirational motivator, leader and
mentor specialising in business transformation & delivery.
Sarah joined ITV from Google as Director of Commercial Marketing & Research
late 2013, and is delighted to represent such an exciting brand as “Channel of the
Year” at a time when TV remains the home of where brands live.
Sarah has a history of successfully implementing positive change and recruiting
highly-skilled teams to over-achieve and challenge previous business methods. She
sits on the Marketing Society Board and mentors for the Marketing Academy.
In addition, she is currently studying at Henley Business School to become an
accredited coach.
Sarah takes pride in being known as an outstanding people leader who is
passionate about Diversity contributing to better business, and holds a global
TIAW (The International Alliance for Women) award for economic empowerment
of women. She is a proud member of WACL (Women in Advertising &
Communications London).
She lives in West London with her husband and little people.
Sarah will mentor the Best Woman Sales Newcomer
Sarah Speake Director of Commercial Marketing
& Research, ITV
Lisa has over 20 years of Consultative Sales and Commercial experience in both
North America, UK and EMEA. After achieving multiple sole contributor Top
Performer awards in the US, she then moved in to Sales Management in the UK
where she successfully took on large-scale complex Sales and Commercial projects
in excess of £28m and £14m leading to increased sales, revenue, profitability and
retention.
After many years working with large corporate organisations in the UK and US,
she went on to lead the commercial and sales direction for software (SaaS, On-
Premise and Hosted) solutions as well as managed and professional services for
small to mid-Sized organisations looking to expand in the UK and EMEA.
Her Passion is Sales Excellence via the effective development of people, process
and strategy. She genuinely loves seeing people and organisations become
successful and thoroughly enjoys working with clients to help them achieve exceed
their goals and objectives.
Lisa will mentor the Best Woman In Field Sales. Lisa Muller Principal Consultant
SBR Consulting

The ROI of
Not Winning
an Award
The awards show is over. You donned your best evening wear
and were excited to possibly, just possibly, get on stage to
collect that beloved trophy you knew you deserved.
Who worked harder? Who worked longer
hours? Who did more for their customers and
employees than you? But then, in an instant,
your name is…not called. You want to
“boo,” but instead you smile and clap,
like Susan Luchi who famously was
nominated for 19 Emmy awards
before winning in 1999.

It IS an Honor To Be Nominated
Industry awards competitions, like the Big Awards, seek
to reward the best of the best. Stop. Read that again,
“the best of the best.” Not the best of the bunch. Or the
best of the worse. Or even the best of those we could
round up. Just being nominated for an award has merit
and a ROI all its own. Let step back, ok way back, to
when you were 11 years old. When your 11, the world of
“everyone gets a trophy” fades and the real completion
begins. In the United States you’re usually in 6th grade
and the competition for sports, girls and grades heats
up. Competition when your 11 is about experiencing the
world and developing your skills, regardless the sport
(grades, girls or athletics). The same is true in business.
Awards programs provide you an outlet to experience the
world, usually within the larger business industry or your
specific marketplace. Take advantage of participating and
experiencing that world.
Maximize Your Nomination
Just writing a submission has it’s own ROI.
This is a chance to look back on your
work. Redefine the value you provide
to customers and put it down on paper.
This is not trivial work…sometimes it is
hard. In fact a whole cottage industry
of specialists like Boost Marketing
has grown up around programs. Chris
Robinson, CEO of Boost said, “Getting
into the finals, and hopefully winning
awards, is not about what you believe
you have done well, but the impact your
story has on the judges. These can be
two very different things.”
Your nomination regardless of
who writes it should be used as a
tool in your overall internal and
external communications and
marketing plan. You’re good. You
know it, so tell the world. Use your
nomination copy as a foundational
corner stone in your messaging.
Your history and successes should
be the stories your tell prospects
and customers. Use the materials in
internal newsletters, shareholders
meetings, as a press release in
the local newspaper or as a great
customer email. Share your story.
Go To The Awards Ceremony
If there is a fancy black-tie event associated with
the awards program, go. This is your chance to go
face-to-face with your peers, analysts and…your
competition! Get to know your enemy. Putting
a face to your competition will give you fuel that
can drive and motivate your team. Competition
is a good thing. Self-improvement blogger Shaun
Rosenbergwrote, “I know I would have never taken
as many chances and learned as much as I have if I
didn’t want to win and compete against other great
people in this world.” Competition drives us to work
harder and smarter. Without it, you’re a monopoly.
While at the event, work to gain insights on how
other nominees performed. Network at the event
and develop new relationships with others so you can
leverage their knowledge, market and expertise. You
are paying for this $200 a plate dinner; you might as
well gain something from it, other than heartache.
Smile and Get Angry!
Losing stinks, but it also can be a great motivator and a
learning experience.
Alan Stein is the owner of Stronger Team and the Head
Strength & Conditioning Coach for the nationally
renowned, Nike Elite DeMatha Catholic High School
basketball program. In How to Erase the Sting of
Losing he wrote, “How you handle a loss and deal with
adversity speaks volumes about your character, your
competitiveness, your commitment to excellence, and
determining whether losing will become a habit or the
initial spark that ignites success.” When I was younger,
I loved water skiing and I can remember Mrs. Miglini,
mother of one of my friends and world-class ski boat
driver, telling me that falling meant I was trying hard
and to “keep it up.” She was right.
If you don’t fail or fall down, you are not trying hard
enough. Skin your knee. Pull a muscle. Be ok with
failing.
Failing means you were in it to win it. You tried. Not
failing usually means you didn’t even try.
So, when your competitor gets up to take the trophy,
smile, clap and quietly resolve to beat her next time. Go
back to your team with a mission, a plan, a strategy for
improving your results, so you can go back next year and
take home the prize.
Written by: Russ Fordyce,
Managing Director, Business Intelligence Group, LLC.
“I am proud
to just be nominated.”
Liar.
But should you be proud?
In short, of course.

Meet the 2014
Women in
Sales Awards
Finalists
(Europe)
Drive, enthusiasm, never
take no as an answer, hard
work, competitiveness,
ethic, team work and most
of all sheer passion will
make you what you are
and make you achieve
your objectives.
Success, recognition,
satisfaction.
CHIARA GORGONI GUFONI
Take every
opportunity
available,
you never
know
where it
will lead.
EMMA MARRIOT
The Women In Sales
Awards has been
a great experience,
I have met some really
inspiring women
and wish everyone
the best of luck
this evening!
KATIE GLOVER
I work for a great
company that really
recognises people
but to hear that your
bosses and colleagues
have nominated you
for an award is such
a great feeling and
validates the work
that you do.
HANNAH FITZSIMONS SUZY BAKER
There are some
serious multi-tasking
weeks where I am
Mum, Wife, Cook, Head
of housekeeping and
Tesco National Account
Manager and one of
my favourite quotes
that gets me through is
from ‘Lean In’ by Sheryl
Sandberg;
“DONE IS BETTER
THAN PERFECT”.
AMANDA WEBB
From Bogota to
London I have met
a lot of remarkable
women who have
inspired me to
overcome many
challenges and
achieve my dreams.
Now I want to
become one of them
and coach other
women to achieve
success.
DIANA MORALES
It is all about
having the touch
of spice and the
charisma!
EFROSINI KELIDOU
Sales is recognised as a major contributor to
accessing C-suite positions. A study of the largest
US corporations reveals that 62% of women are
in positions that provide service and assistance
but do not directly generate revenue. These roles very
rarely lead to senior management jobs. In contrast, 65%
of men on executive committees hold or held line jobs
associated with revenue creation. This is one reason why
the number of women CEOs in Fortune 500 companies
has remained stubbornly low at around 3%.
It is only as we
develop others that
we permanently
succeed

ANCA ANTOHI CHARLOTTE MALLINSON
JULIE JEANCOLAS
GEORGINA EVAGORA
NICOLA ROBINSON
MOIRA LUMSDEN
RHIANNON MAGOWAN
Be
B O L D,
and challenge
things to be
better...
Managing
sales means
managing
people’s
motivation.
BOZENA LESNIEWSKA
It is not success
that leads to
happiness
but happiness
that leads to
success.
CATERINA KOSTOULA
This certainly
has been an
experience;
one I will never
forget- hopefully
I’ll be a contender
again next year!!
CHRISTA PRICE
I am so proud
to have been
nominated by
my company for
this prestigious
award and had
a fantastic day.
I may be the only female
within our sales team, but
for me gender doesn’t even
come into it. I have targets
to meet, and I put pressure
on myself to achieve them,
not because I’m a woman,
but because I’m very
driven, a little competitive
and I want to succeed.
I hope that this approach
will inspire other women,
and men, around me
Look for
opportunities to
empower others.
The more power
you give to others,
the more power
you have.
Winning isn’t
everything,
wanting to win is!
Look ahead,
be confident.
Most importantly
have a vision and a
game plan.
Thank you for
such an inspiring
and engaging day.
The next stop (which I’d
happily get involved in!)
is to continually raise
the WISA’s profile across
all industries so we can
continue the momentum in
recognising the success and
potential of women in sales.
KARINA KELLY
Plan my work,
work my plan
EVA KOUDELKA
It's about
standing up
and being
counted
even if you
are sick,
make your
presence known.

However women working
in sales roles have often
proved to be best-in-class
at what they do. A perfect
example is IBM’s Ginni
Rometty – Ginni was
IBM’s global sales leader
before landing the Chief
Executive role.
Encouraging diversity
in the workplace and on
boards is increasingly
seen as a way of making
companies stronger in
the modern business
environment. One key
contribution to diversity is
provided by encouraging
more women into all areas
of business. Certainly the
Sales environment can
benefit from this type of
diversification.
RUTH BICKLEY KATE WOOLF
MURIEL MOUTSCHEN
NADINE ENGEL
SANDRA ESCALERA ALIX BARNARD CHANTELL WILSON
JOELLE DE FREITAS
Being nominated
was first a fantastic
recognition from
my company as
this means that top
management
believes in me being
the ambassador
of TR for other
women in the
company
Encourage
other women
to challenge
the normal
and create
their own
career paths
I have always tried
to learn, grow and
perform better
every day
I believe
others can learn
from Pharma
around diversity
and Inclusion.
You don't have to
grow upwards
in your career,
you can branch
out and go after
new experiences
in your work life
that excite you
and grow your
skill set in to new
'departments'.
I have enjoyed the
whole experience
and learnt a lot
from to process.
I feel it has been good
to reflect on what I
have achieved,
what I still have to
strive for and see
others around me doing
the same thing.
I met such
wonderful and
successful women
on the judging day
and it was great to
be amongst such
amazing talent.
PHILIPPA WHITE
The Women in Sales
Awards has been
created to bring a
greater awareness of
the need for gender
diversity in sales and
in executive leadership
teams, as well as help
grow the pipeline of
female sales talent and
to pave the way for
more women to achieve
board positions.
The Women in
Sales Awards
have been such
a brilliant
empowering
experience
and making it
to the finals is
the highlight
of my career.
To make a proper,
credible submission –
dedicate the time
to the process.

NELE DEMUYNCK
SHELLEY WEST MIRIAM ROSE RITU MAHANDRU
ANGELA CROSS MARJOLIJN STASSEN VICKY HUGHES
KERRY PORTER
SERRA ERELCIN
PETRA STOLL
LYNNE GREENOW
KATE DERRICK
Being a mother
of a boy and
twin girls and
witnessing the
natural born
power potential
in women,
ignited me
to break my
barriers.
I enjoyed the
judging day
immensely as it’s
made me look at
the wider sales
community and
step outside my
particular area
of expertise and
capability
This
demonstrates
that women
can also be
successful
in this man’s
world!
The Judging Day
was a wonderful
opportunity to
network with a
wide range of
successful women
from a diverse
set of industries.
It felt very
celebratory and
I was very proud
to be a part of it.
It has been a
great experience,
really humbling
to be part of an
awards with so
many fantastic
and inspiring
women
The time for women
to be recognized in
Sales Leadership
is now, WISA is an
excellent initiative.
We all need to lean
in, embrace the
opportunity and be
the change we want
to see in the world
What a great
event and
opportunity to
share experiences,
learn from other
women in industry
and create a
fabulous new
contact network
to reach out to!
Embrace
diversity,
change is
innovation
for the future.
WISA represents
the start of
this journey.
Recruitment
isn’t sales,
it’s about
helping
people.
Sales starts by
listening;
selling follows.
And I happen to be
a great listener.
I love being
in Sales and
serving my
customers.
Success is giving
me reward an
motivation
I have greatly
enjoyed the WIS
experience it's
a great opportunity
to meet other like
minded people
and to learn a bit
about what
it's like in their
world.
I've loved being
part of it!

THEW
IN
NERS
This year’s awards attracted nominations from some of the
world's leading organisations from Ireland, Germany, Turkey,
The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria and the
UK. After hours of application reviews and a day of judges’
interviews…please meet your 2014 Women In Sales Super Stars!

NICOLA
ROBINSON

SALES
DIRECTOR
WINNER
When I discovered that I had been shortlisted in
the sales director category I got very embarrassed
as it was a surprise! I then started grovelling to get
meetings moved so I could clear my diary!
It means a lot to me that I have won tonight and I
am looking forward to taking advantage of some of
the fantastic prizes and in particular the mentoring
by Mary Jo Jacobi. I already know what I would
ask for… tips in public speaking and coaching on
leading large and creating diverse teams.
We have a Women’s Network at Coca Cola (open to
men and women!) and I plan to share my experience
there which I hope would give others the confidence
to realise their potential by also exploring what is
available by way of support within the industry and
CCE itself. Whilst there’s always more to be done
to grow the number of women in sales leadership
roles, I still think there’s plenty already available that
we can take advantage of such as this, the WISA
programme.
Initially I felt a bit awkward taking part in the
WISA awards, awkward about being individually
recognised when being part of a team matters
most to me, but I decided that I should give it my
best shot and was very glad I did. Hearing such
informed opinions from great panellists and meeting
many inspiring women from such a diverse array of
industries were the highlights for me.
Would I advise Coca Cola to nominate other women
in sales in the company! Put most simply, it does
help reinforce that the ambition is there to create
a diverse and inclusive sales leadership team, but
in the right way i.e. developing our key skills and
confidence in what we are capable of so we deserve
our success.
For companies considering nominating in 2015
I would suggest setting up a cross functional
and multi-level panel who can consider who to
nominate to represent the company from a rounded
stakeholder perspective. This not only ensures
objectivity in who deserves to go forward but also
helps create a strong submission, hopefully full of the
key ingredients to lead to success!
Director, Field Sales Home Channel, Coca Cola

PHILIPPA
WHITE

SALES MANAGER
WINNER Commercial Sales Manager, Hewlett Packard
I was very pleased to hear that I had been selected as
a finalist – but we were right in the middle of Q4/
year end so my focus had to remain on closing out
the year and on our commitments to the company as
a sales team.
Winning is a great personal and professional
recognition, I can’t wait to tell my family that I
won. This is going to be great for them to realise
that everything I do and the reason I am away so
much has been worth it! Great for HP and our PR
machine…
I sit on the Women Diversity Board in the UK for
HP and I lead the London City Women’s Network
for HP. I joined HP in my 20’s and have developed
a career whilst having 2 periods of maternity when
I had my 2 wonderful boys. Winning tonight will
demonstrate to other women who ask me often if a
career and a family is achievable. I intend to use this
award to show the professional industry of women
in IT that it’s achievable especially to the women I
mentor and coach.
I was promoted to Commercial Sales Director
during this period between submission and the
awards day – so the past few months have been
extremely busy. I decided to use the day to get
my new management team together for an offsite
strategic planning session. So whilst I would have
loved to have taken part in the day I was very much
focused on HP and the new role!
I would advise HP to nominate again Yes – if
nothing else the submission reminds you of how
important your contribution is to the company and
to ensuring Diversity in sales in the UK.
For companies considering submitting nominations
in 2015 my advice is - make a proper, credible
submission – dedicate the time to the process.

KATE
DERRICK

FIELD
SALES
WINNER
Gas Sales Development Manager, Npower
The first thing I did was call my husband to
let him know the good news! With a 16 month
old baby and a busy, pressurised job, I couldn't
do what I love every day without his love and
support and that of my wider family.
I am completely and utterly chuffed to bits that I
have won! I've had quite a journey from Red Coat
to the Energy Industry and I wouldn't change
a day of it! Being a winner tonight is hopefully
going to give me the recognition, credibility and
endorsement of my talent not just within Npower
and the energy industry but in the national sales
industry too.
The energy industry has historically been a very
male dominated environment and although it is
improving it still has some way to go! I plan to
use my success here tonight to show other women
within npower that we do a great job and have a
lot to offer in a sales environment and we should
feel confident and be valued in that! Women
really can have it all... if they want it!
I was originally nervous of what the awards
and in particular the judging day would be
like. However, I have greatly enjoyed the WIS
experience and the judging day was a great
opportunity to meet other like-minded people
from outside my industry and to learn a bit about
what it's like in their world. It has been a great
opportunity to build my external network and I've
loved being part of it!
I would absolutely encourage Npower to
nominate other women in sales next year!
What's important about these awards is that
they are externally focused and participated in
by such a varied amount of companies that it's a
great opportunity to pop your head above your
specialism and your day job and see what else is
out there from a sales perspective.
For companies considering nominating in 2015
my question is “Why wouldn't you?” Any kind
of awards where applicants are successful are
great for both the company reputation and the
individuals CV's. It provides you with a fantastic
platform to showcase what both your employees
and employers do well and receive external
recognition for it.

SERRA
ERELCIN

FINANCIAL
SALES
WINNER
& THE MOST DISTINGUISHED
SALESWOMAN OF THE YEAR
Account Manager, Thomson Reuters (Istanbul)
I was really excited to hear the news that I had
been selected as a finalist. Being nominated by
my management was a success in itself and was a
great motivation. I believe every success should
be celebrated so I enjoyed it.
Having won in my category tonight is even more
thrilling than I expected this is a great payoff for
the hard work that I have been doing over the
years.
Winning tonight hopefully will be a perfect case
of “Lead by example” and will be a motivation
for all ladies to think that we can break the glass
walls that we build ourselves in an industry where
we are outnumbered.
Taking part in the awards has been both an
exciting and a challenging experience. It is
obvious that everybody is there because they are
good, ambitious and want to win. On the other
hand the feeling is like it was a collaborative
and thus healthy competition. I believe this is
an inherent trait of the gender. In addition, it
has been a rich experience to meet a lot of top
performing people from different companies,
various businesses and countries.
I would definitely advice my company to
nominate other women in sales for the coming
years as this is a motivational lift, a value added
experience and an excellent opportunity to make
network. This will also trigger more women to
set higher goals for themselves and break their
barriers.
Companies should make a little bit more publicity
of this event to draw more attention to it.

DIANA
MORALES

IT SALES
WINNER
Strategic Business Manager, Avention Inc.
The first thing I did after hearing the news that I had
been selected as a finalist was call my family back in
Colombia whom have supported me from the very
beginning when I decided to study Engineering and
pursue a career in IT, both quite unusual choices at the
time for a woman in Colombia.
I called my husband who has been with me through all
the challenges I had to overcome being a woman in IT
working in a foreign country.
I called my mentee too, I guess I needed a woman voice to
eco the pride I felt when I found out
Having won tonight means a great deal to me. I have
always being part of a minority; foreign, woman and
working in a male dominated space. This win means
that all the efforts and sacrifices I have done so far will
receive a broad recognition. This is confirmation that I can
achieve whatever I dream of.
My long term career plan is coaching, I have always
played a more or less formal mentor role in all the
organizations I have work for. I have as well mentored a
few Spanish start-ups helping them to get off the ground
at a difficult economic time. I know I am in the right
direction but all these have been informal approaches. The
WISA awards will give me instant credibility.
I am committed to make the most of my success tonight
by leveraging its prestige to become a reference for women
and minorities within my company and the IT market.
I sincerely think that we must never stop learning
especially in such a fast changing world as IT. The WISA
award will give me in turn the possibility to access some
of the best mentors in the IT space from whom it will be
a privilege to keep on learning and continue building my
career.
Additionally, 2014 has been an inflection point for
Avention: The Company is growing fast and has
rebranded under new leadership, as a result we have
new excellent people joining constantly. I am currently
mentoring one of them, I see a lot of myself in her and I
am relentless helping her to get where she wants, I would
like to do this in a more formal way with new beginners.
I aim to become an example, inspire them and if possible
coach them and help them to speed up their learning
process; resulting in a positive contribution in their
careers.
It has been amazing experience being part of the awards
this year! It is a privilege to be in the same room with
so many brilliant women from different sectors, the
conversations we have are truly refreshing and stimulating
and I am happy that our relationship will continue
to flourish after the WISA awards. I have created
connections that will help all of us to collaborate, share
best practices and support each other.
This is definitely a great platform to help us grow our
careers and showcase our achievements but it is also
another strong motivation to give back to our companies
and keep on working to the best we can.
For companies considering submitting nominations in
2015………Do it! I am sure all companies out there have
great female talent: recognize it, embrace it, reward it, and
help them use women’s natural instinct to collaborate and
create a positive network to support the growth of other
members of the team, whether men or woman.

KATIE
GLOVER

SALES
NEWCOMER
WINNER
Regional Development Manager, Axa Insurance
I was honoured to hear that I had been selected as
a finalist for the Women In Sales Awards so when
my manager told me I had been shortlisted I was
over the moon. There was a slight moment of panic
when I realised that the judging day was only a
couple of weeks away and I knew that I had to be
fully prepared when being around such high profile
women from some fantastic companies.
Winning the Sales Newcomer category has
been an amazing honour tonight and it will be a
great foundation for my future. Having a year’s
mentorship from a senior executive at my stage in
my career is going to be hugely beneficial and help
me to understand where and how I can progress
further within both the sales world and the insurance
industry, particularly as a woman.
Being the winner tonight is great and its going
to send a really positive message to other women
within AXA, particularly women that are quite new
to a sales role, that they can be recognised within the
wider sales community for the positive work they do.
The insurance industry is heavily male dominated
and for women to promote their talent through
recognition of their efforts is something I look to
encourage.
The experience has been really interesting, the
nomination was a great confidence boost and it
was really motivating to be recognised for the
work I have been doing since I joined AXA. The
preparation and research I did for the judging day
really opened my eyes to some of the debates and
topics that focus on women in sales and the forums
during the judging day were a great way to hear
about other people’s opinions. The judging day was
also a good opportunity to do some networking
with both the judges as well as some really talented
women across a broad range of industries.
I would certainly encourage my company to
nominate other women for these awards. It has been
good for me to put myself outside of my comfort
zone during the judging day and in doing so I have
met some talented women through the networking
opportunities as well as raising my own profile
within AXA insurance.
For companies considering nominating next year,
if you feel that you have women in sales roles who
should be recognised for the hard work they put in
then these awards are a great way to showcase their
talent. It will help raise their profile within your
company as well as within the wider sales arena.

VICKY
HUGHES

CONSUMER
SALES
WINNER
Customer Business Manager, PepsiCo
Upon hearing I had been selected I phoned my
family to tell them the news. I wanted to tell
everybody! Without the support of my family
I wouldn’t be in the position I am today therefore
it was great to share the news with them.
To be nominated and to be a finalist was a great
achievement but having won tonight has been
amazing. I am so proud to represent all of the
women that work in consumer sales. I believe
that I have worked hard and made choices in my
career, but my values have remained the same
as I have grown as an individual. Winning the
award demonstrates to me how this has made me
successful in the market we operate in today.
I am keen to use winning the award to positively
impact the culture at PepsiCo and continue to
raise awareness of our female talent. I am hugely
passionate about diversity and inclusion
and I want to make a positive change for the
future, I want to lead by example.
I have enjoyed every minute of taking part in the
awards. It is a great experience for networking,
building self-belief, and learning from those
around you. My natural style is not to talk about
how great I am but this has definitely given me
a confidence boost and allowed me to reflect on
who I am and what I want to do to continue to
inspire others.
I would 100% encourage PepsiCo to continue to
nominate the fantastic talent we have. The awards
represent the start of the journey in showcasing
what great female talent is within organisations.
For companies considering nomination in 2015
I would like to say………….Submit, submit,
submit!!! The individuals you nominate will
gain so much from the day and the nominations
alone are great at building inspiration within
your organisation. Being part of WISA is an
opportunity of a lifetime, such a great experience
that those involved will remember forever.

EMMA
MARRIOTT

TELEPHONE
SALES
WINNER
Account Executive, Lincoln West
As soon as I found out I was a finalist, I wanted
to know what I needed to do to win. I emailed
the event organisers and asked what was required
of me.
Winning in my category this evening has been
incredible and I hope it will go on to be a huge
success for my career. I may not be the most
experience woman in telesales but this will
prove that my knowledge and results speak for
themselves.
I not only plan to help other women in my
company, but all my colleagues regardless of
gender. I will let them know what I learnt from
the panellist discussions at the judging day
likewise by networking with other women in
sales.
It has been a great experience and networking
opportunity, and tonight here at the awards has
been great.
I will definitely recommend that my company
nominate again, it’s a great way of showing
recognition.

Congratulations to everybody
involved with this year’s
Women In Sales Awards
WE’LL BE SEEING YOU NEXT MONTH IN OUR INAUGURAL ISSUE…
Look out for interviews with many of tonight’s participants plus a full report of this year’s Awards.
THE INTERNATIONAL
Journal of Sales
Transformation
is the new publication exclusively
focused on the promotion of sales
excellence among global corporates.
Our content is a mix of quality
journalism, insightful opinion
and research by current sales
leaders and academics.
Our mission is to help enhance
the professionalism of sales
organisations by bridging the gap
between businesses and academic
research to offer the best of both
worlds.
Find out more at: www.journalofsalestransformation.com
To receive a free trial copy, please email editor@journalofsalestransformation.com
ASSOCIATION OF
PROFESSIONAL SALES

The judging
process
THE JUDGES
A group of 13 senior executives from various industries were
carefully selected as an evaluation panel of independent judges.
Their objective was to review the nominations and interview
each of the finalists.
You can read about the judges on pages 9 & 10
WHY AN INTERVIEW WITH THE
JUDGES?
A face-to-face interview allows the judges to further assess
each finalist’s sales skills, strategies and process etc. The
interview also complements their review of the submitted
nomination forms.
THE JUDGING DAY
The judges were organised into 4 groups; each group was
made up of 3 judges and interviewed a number of finalists
within their assigned categories. Nomination forms and any
supporting documents were reviewed by the judges prior to
a nominee being selected as a finalist. Each nomination was
evaluated and scored out of a total of 5 points. The next stage
of the process was a face to face interview with the judges.
THE FINALISTS TIME WITH THE
JUDGES
This was an opportunity for the finalists to engage the judges
by telling them the story of their success. Each judge awarded
points across the same criteria. After the interview, all finalists
answered one final question: “why they should win the award
in their category?”
All the 13 judges scored each finalist on the final question.
Each finalist’s overall score was the sum of the scores from the
interview with the 3 judges in their category plus the scores
from all 13 judges on the final question. The finalist with the
highest score in each category was selected as the winner in
that category.
THE DISTINGUISHED SALES WOMAN
OF THE YEAR AWARD
This award is for the finalist who impressed the judges the
most and scored the highest among all the finalists.
The
Judging
Process

FAQs
Who are the judges?
Where do they come from?
Zars Media invites judges from
countries all over Europe. Judges may
be executives with social innovation
expertise, business people, educators
and university administrators and
leading practitioners in the field.
How do you choose the judges?
We usually look for executives with
sales backgrounds and with more than
15 years sales experience. We actively
recruit and also take suggestions from
partners, mentors and past judges.
What do the judges evaluate?
Judges will review all the entries
within their assigned categories and
give their scores as per the guidelines.
This will include reviewing the
nomination forms and any confidential
supplemental documents and project
information that is included in the
application.
Is the judging by invitation only, or
can I apply to be a judge?
We recruit judges after screening
their profiles using LinkedIn and
other news sources. We are happy to
consider suggestions.
If you'd like to be considered, or
suggest future judges, please email
judges@wisawards.com

Benefits to profession
• Chartership status for the sales profession and ability to
Represent sales to UK plc.
• Representing the needs of the profession and contributing to
government and other professional bodies.
• Representing the benefit of professional sales to businesses
and, articulating what the framework of professional sales is
and how the industry is progression, to the public of the UK.
• Contribute to and lead definitions of sales standards and
assist in implementation.
• Contribute to and build on development frameworks.
Benefits to the fellow
• Network with Senior Salespeople and build your profile
within the industry.
• Access to ‘Thought leadership’ content on the APS social
channels and blogs.
• Thought leadership and research insight, as well as
‘Fellowship status’.
• Live networking opportunities and events.
• A wide variety of ‘Webcasts’ available throughout the year.
Benefits to fellows company
• Senior sales leaders will gain external perspectives by
networking with peers.
• The company will benefit from the Fellows ability to use new
connections to reduce time to market, and their exposure to
thought leadership and research insights. ‘Fellowship status’
of senior leaders and clarity to customers of the importance
of professional sales people.
• Promotion of customer advocacy by improving both
customer experience and importance.
• Experience evaluation, performance and process tools,
as well as best practice enablement.
Why become a member of the
ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL SALES ?
Join us here...
www.associationofprofessionalsales.com/join
MEDIA PARTNER FOUNDING SPONSOR

My position at Hub is Vice
President and Partner. My
client base is quite diverse
and is serviced by experts
throughout our company. My main
function is to ensure that we are
delivering on all levels to our clients.
Having resources at Hub in various
dedicated practice areas allows me to
deliver the best products, advice and
services to my clients. I am also very
visible in the business community and
participate in many not for profit events
to make sure we are giving back.
I started my career working at an
insurance brokerage as a filing clerk. The
firm supported my growth and invested
in my education. My responsibilities
included, managing people, managing
clients and the relationships with our
carrier partners. I truly was a jack of
all trades! It was only when I decided
to make a leap of faith and commit to
my passion, which was being in front
of the prospect and/or client, bringing
home wins with a team approach,
that I realized my talent and potential.
Although the management experience
was crucial for me to understand all
the moving parts within a brokerage,
both expertise and human element, my
strength was bringing home the win
and maintaining the relationships on all
levels.
In 2013 I had the privilege of winning
in the insurance category. From being
nominated by my peers, being judged by
captains of industry to actually winning,
I was deeply humbled. It took me out
of my comfort zone, indeed! On a
personal note, I was born in England,
and being recognized at home was
simply brilliant. The recognition that
Hub International and I have received
internationally and locally is simply
incredible. My clients and colleagues
have all been extremely generous with
their words and support. This resulted
in an increase in my profile, sales and
results - in business and personally.
As the winner in this category, I have
had the honor of being mentored by
Inga Beale CEO of Lloyds. Earlier
this year, I spent four days at Lloyds
"shadowing" Inga, in the infancy of
her new role. Inga was most generous
of her time, allowing me to take part
in numerous meetings, with various
stakeholders at Lloyds. You could not
put a price on this experience. Inga is
the first woman in 345 years to assume
the lead role at Lloyds. Having access
to her insights, experience, vision were
priceless. We have since been in contact
on her visits to North America - and I
continue to watch Inga change the
face of insurance. I also have a greater
understanding of insurance - In London
having a career in Insurance is truly a
celebrated career. As I move on in my
own career, I strive to attract younger
people to make insurance a first choice,
and not a last resort! Especially woman
moving into Sales! As a direct result
of this, I have the honor of mentoring
a few upcoming woman, whom I am
challenging and coaching on a regular
basis. This trend is going to continue,
throughout Hub.
As a woman in sales in a very male
dominated industry, I believe gender
diversity is essential. The emotional
intelligence that we as woman deploy
all day into our lives personally and
professionally, brings tremendous
value to a team both in Sales and at
the Leadership level. We are slowly
seeing change to the insurance industry
and seeing Woman take some very
important lead roles. And in my
opinion, they have truly earned their
roles, not just because they are woman.
I hope this trend continues, especially in
sales.
2013 INSURANCE SALES WINNER
Eileen and her mentor
Inga Beale, CEO of Lloyd's
Eileen
Greene

Greatest
Saleswomen
a historical timeline 1717 - present
1717.
Mary Musgrove
She used her business acumen to establish successful
fur trading posts along the Altamaha River. She used
her influence and credibility as the niece of the Creek
emperor to maintain peace on the frontier.
1876.
Anne Bissell
Became the first woman CEO
when her husband Melville died
unexpectedly. She grew Bissell
into an international brand. 1900.
She was responsible for the first sales of the work
of Pablo Picasso and Henry Matisse. She played an
important part in the sales of women painters like
Valadon, Charmy and Marval.
Berthe Weill
1905.
Sarah Breedlove
(also known as Madam C.J Walker)
First female self-made millionaire and
created the largest black-owned business in
the U.S. She employed a salesforce
of 3000 African American Women.
1950.
First woman to grace the cover of Business week.
She was a sales pioneer, a self-made professional
woman at a time when society had not yet
embraced the idea of women professionals.
Brownie Wise

Mary Kay Ash
1950.
She built a business that now provides a living for
1.8 million sales consultants and has become an icon
representing empowerment and independence for
women in business. 1953.
Was the only woman listed in the Time Magazine’s
1998 list of the 20th-century business geniuses?
She is credited with the “try before you buy”
concept.
Estee Lauder
present time
12th employee at Oracle, her philosophy, years before
it achieved wide acceptance, embraces measurable,
repeatable processes with teams who understand that
relationships and authenticity are at the heart of sales.
Anneke Seley
Oprah Winfrey
She is the consummate salesperson, built
an influential personal brand and nurtured
a loyal community. She was awarded the
Medal of Freedom, America's Highest
Civilian Honour on 22nd November 2013.
Her technical prowess and people skills combined to
make her a dominant sales woman for IBM. Every
year, she was in the top 10% of salespeople in the
company. She went on to become the first female
chief executive officer in IBM’s 100-year history.
Ginni Rometty
How many women here today are wearing
spanks? She sold fax machines door-to-door
before founding Spanks. She is the world's
youngest self-made female billionaire.
Author: Alyson Stone
Director of Content Strategy for Nimble
Sara Blakely
Top selling Bugatti Veyron salesperson in the world.
In 2012, Krizsan broke records by successfully closing
11 sales, totalling over $15 million. With a price tag
of over $2 million, most Veyron salespeople consider
themselves lucky to shift two to three a year.
Anita Krizsan

True business champions not
only sell better; they also
negotiate and communicate
with far greater behavioural
skill than their average peers when
dealing with prospects, partner
organisations and customers. If they
do this well, price is less likely to
become the major issue for them.
By behavioural skill, at Huthwaite
International, we mean the verbal
behaviours: the words we use to make
our case persuasively.
Is it something women do
better than men?
When I interviewed the 10 women
finalists for this award, they
unanimously told me that women are
better listeners and better at building
relationships. And a few went on to
say that they asked questions in more
depth.
At the pure sales level, there’s no
conclusive evidence either way, except
to say that in our most recent* research,
women describing their own levels
of confidence when they sell, came
out lower than men (67% of women
described themselves as confident or
very confident versus 84% of men
who did). But the main thrust of our
new research is specifically into verbal
behaviour used at the negotiation
stage. In this, women claim less
negotiation success than men, though
that doesn’t mean that they actually
achieve less success.
We know that expressing feelings
verbally is a behaviour that correlates
to success, but women are less keen
on doing that, and are also less
likely to use what they would see as
challenging behaviours, such as what
we call Defend/Attack – the term
is probably self-explanatory and is
a behaviour best avoided. Women
are also less keen on Incredulous
Testing Understanding – something
like: “So, you’re really proposing that
Do The Best Saleswomen
Challenge with Empathy?
we give you 7% price reduction, but
you aren’t going to alter our delivery
KPIs in return?”. It can be a helpful
behaviour, but could be seen as a less
empathetic approach, and maybe
that’s why women avoid it. Often,
though, it’s an effective alternative to
direct disagreement.
The distinctions are subtle ones, and
perhaps that proves that looking for
behavioural differences in business
between men and women is becoming
ever less relevant – and that, in the
21st century, is surely a good thing.
What we do know, beyond doubt,
is that in negotiation or selling, for
men or women, in any country of
the world, a questioning, empathetic,
consultative approach is the one that
brings the best results.
*Huthwaite International survey of 1300
respondents May-October 2014 in 53 countries.
Written by: Anders Hjort
www.huthwaite.co.uk
Anders Hjort is Regional Development Director and
Behaviour Change Expert at Huthwaite International, the
world’s leader in research-based behaviour change training
for organisations seeking to improve the way they sell,
negotiate and communicate.

The Sales Director Network is an exclusive forum for exceptional leaders in Sales to share best
practice. A member-driven agenda, including monthly peer roundtable meetings held under the
Chatham House rule to share privileged know-how and experiences on a range of key topics.
Senior Sales Leaders attending tonight’s event are invited to attend a roundtable meeting with our compliments.
Please contact Head of Network, Deepika Misra (deepika.misra@winmarkglobal.com; 020 7605 8000).
The Best Woman Sales Director will receive one year’s full
membership to the…
“The Sales Director Network is the most
effective forum out there for senior Sales
directors to share knowledge and best
practice.
“Hearing from counterparts from other
industries is always a valuable learning
experience. The quality of members is
exceptionally high and the topics are directly
relevant to my role.”
Claire Limon, Group Sales Director - Insurance
“The Sales Director Network is great for
sharing innovative ideas, war stories and
experiences in a facilitated, trusted
environment.
“Knowing how busy we all are, the
breakfast meetings are punchy, relevant
and topical. The ability to share the
benefits with my team ensures the network
is an excellent investment, worth every
penny!”
Malcolm Stoodley, Sales Director UK Direct
2014 Programme Highlights:
Talent Management with International SOS
Sales and New Technology with IBM
Cross-Selling and Up-Selling with AXA
Coming Up in 2015:
Recruitment – Hiring the Best
Diversity in the Sales Team
Leveraging Routes to Market – Channels, Alliances & Partnerships

According to the Harvard Business Review,
women now drive the world economy.
Globally, women were responsible for $20
trillion in spending in 2009, and this figure
is expected to rise to $28 trillion by 2015. Meanwhile,
their total annual earnings could reach $18 trillion by
2025, by which time women are forecast to own 65%
of wealth; they currently influence over 70% of buying
decisions.
Of course, women are not simply consumers; they make
a formidable contribution to business. But all is not as
it should be. Women comprise half the talent pool in
the population and they perform well in education, yet,
the gender balance across various industries and roles
remains distinctly lopsided. For instance, US women
obtain 57% of bachelors degrees overall but receive less
than 18% of computer science degrees; they hold only
25% of IT positions and fill a mere 11% of Fortune 500
executive roles.
Similarly, when McKinsey & Company presented a
2011 study at The Wall Street Journal conference on
Women in the Economy, it showed that women’s share
of corporate jobs is 53% at the entry level, but falls to
14% at the executive-committee level.
GENDER DIVIDE IN SALES
In sales, the gender divide is particularly obvious,
especially as we look further up the organisation. In the
UK, a 2011 Labour Force Survey highlighted the sales
gender divide, particularly at senior levels.
While women dominate the retail sector, overall the
figures reveal that 54 per cent were salesmen and 46%
were saleswomen. The statistics for B2B sales were
even more polarised: 70 per cent were male and 32 per
cent female. The divide amongst account managers and
BDMs was similar: 68% male and 32% female.
At the top level – sales and marketing directors – the
gulf between the sexes widened further: 78% were male
and 22% female. Overall, the survey confirmed that
“37 per cent of all male sales staff are in managerial or
associate professional roles; however, only 15 per cent of
female sales staff falls into these groups”.
These figures underline the imbalance that we all
know exists: that women are under-represented both
in certain sectors and across senior business roles more
generally. And this is despite their achievements, their
ability to perform and their demographic representation
in society – which is why the Women in Sales Awards
are so important.
TACKLING THE SALES TALENT
SHORTAGE
With business perennially complaining of a talent
shortage, how can it make sense that organisations fail
to recruit the best women into sales, sales management
and sales leadership roles? Thought-leaders suggest that
engaging women more fully in the global workforce
would spark leaps in innovation and productivity, while
research also indicates that women bring new insight to
sales management and coaching roles.
Here at the International Journal of Sales
Transformation we are seeking to help drive
professionalism amongst the global sales community by
focusing on the best of selling, sales and sales leadership
internationally, an ambition we share with Afi and
her colleagues at the Awards programme. We will be
celebrating the achievements of female sales leaders,
canvassing your views and featuring your thought-leadership
on a regular basis. In embarking on this
mission, we are thankful for the support of prominent
business academics and numerous senior sales leaders
from among the world’s biggest businesses.
We look forward to featuring some of tonight’s award
winners in our inaugural issue (published in January
2015) and regularly highlighting the achievements of
the many outstanding women in the international sales
community in future editions. If you’d like a free copy
of this first edition of the journal, just email me via
editor@journalofsalestransformation.com and we’ll be
pleased to send you one.
DRIVING THE WORLD
ECONOMY
Could now be the time
to modernise our
sales culture,
asks Nick de Cent?
BLOG
Nick de Cent is editor of the
International Journal of Sales
Transformation and also
edits the Raconteur “Sales
Performance” supplement
in The Times. He has been
writing about sales and other
business issues for over 30
years and contributes to
numerous publications online
and in print.

Membership is open to Sales & Marketing Professionals and offers:
l Designatory letters to use after your name to help open doors and
to demonstrate your professionalism
l Networking opportunities at our nationwide events
l Subscription to Winning Edge, the only magazine for sales
professionals
l Regus Membership plus a range of other useful life benefits
l 25% introductory discount
Join your professional institute today. Call Susan Challenger
on 01582 840001, email schallenger@ismm.co.uk
or visit www.ismm.co.uk
25%
discount
ISMM membership brings
sales professionals together
Meet new people
Make business
connections
Sell your products
and services

8TH OCTOBER 2015

Yes, I know, this title is very
provocative, especially in a
contest like this in which we
are celebrating the best Sales
Women in Europe. This article goes
against the flow, and will irritate the
traditional behavior of some sales people,
but consider it as one of the following
ways to behave which should be avoided
in our profession… when you are only
and always a... “Yes person” .
Everyone is talking about ways to excel
in sales and to overcome all obstacles
and challenges in order to achieve our
own success and that of our companies.
In most cases we find visions and
analyses aimed at clearly representing
that which is the worst enemy of all sales
people, themselves and their weaknesses,
in courses, more or less advanced, on
coaching, personal motivation and
selling, in which teachers, tutors,
coaches explain how to change and
improve the transfer of knowledge,
giving inspiration and a sense of security
for the duration of the course, which
continues for a while…and then we go
back to being ourselves, alone day after
day, having to make the difference.
Whatever the business or market
context, let's begin to ask ourselves
about a list of ways of behaving that a
salesperson must avoid in order not to
incur certain defeat:
• when selling is …a job just like another;
• when you let fear drive your actions;
• when you have to start from scratch and you postpone, postpone,…;
• when you believe you are unique for your customer;
• when you have to make a phone call....... and you don’t;
• when you wait for replies to emails or phone calls
that will never arrive;
• when you make an offer just because you or your boss want to do it;
• when you don’t believe in what you are offering;
• when you listen everyone except yourself;
• when your offer is only: discount, price, product, the value
of your company;
• when a lost offer is…a customer’s problem;
• when you think you know everything and stop
training and learning;
• when innovation is… something that does not make us
reach the quota;
• when….
How to
These are just a few typical attitudes of those who never reach their annual target.
There are certainly others, so please indicate those that you think should be added to
this list. Don’t be afraid to give your ideas - the richer the list, the more errors we will
be able to avoid.
For more information about this article contact
Marco Rasi: direzione@ilcommercialethesalesman.com
as a Salesperson FAIL

It does sound feminist, maybe even discriminatory?
The idea for a specialized recruitment agency was born
from the surge in the demand for female sales profes-sionals
presented itself.
Tony Helstone and Elles van Teylingen started Women
In Sales 5 years ago. According to the founders there is
a simple explanation for the increasing demand for fe-male
sales professionals. “Not to generalize, but wo-men
tend to have a certain type of demeanor that sim-ply
works excellently in a sales environment”, says di-rector
Helstone. Additionally, research shows that wo-men
out-perform their male counterparts when it comes
to making first contact with potential clients.”
Traditionally, women represent about 70% of sales-ori-ented
jobs in fields such as call centers, hotels, restau-rants
and bars, or as recruiters.
Despite the huge demand for competent professionals
in these fields, business sales suffer from a shortage in
supply. Employers favor women in account manage-ment
jobs, and in the Netherlands less than 14% of
commercial sales jobs are currently occupied by wo-men.
Unlike men, a greater percentage of women work part-time,
excluding them from more senior account ma-nagement
roles, which demand a full time commitment.
Women also tend to base their choice of workplace on
the branch or product, which often means the exclusion
of technical or IT based professions.
Being a full service sales recruitment agency means
facilitating with a wide variety of services including:
Recruitement and Selection of female sales professio-nals
for long term contracts.
Sales Promotion; we enlist female B2C sales professi-onals
for specific promotional campaigns in order to
boost sales.
Sales Outsourcing; we activate B2B sales teams with
female sales professionals.
In 2014, the Women In Sales academy launched a
specialized training program for our young professio-nals
which focuses on sales competencies.
Women in Sales works exclusively with companies that
care about diversity and believe in the strength of fema-le
sales professionals. Our client list includes brands
such as Nike, L’ Oreal, Accenture, Atos, and LVMH.
As our ambitions surpass the Dutch borders, 2015 will
see the launch of our Women In Sales International
program. Our first target market is the UK, where we
find the sales mentality compatible to ours and the
platform for female sales professionals expansive.
www.womeninsales.nl / info@womeninsales.nl / +31 (0)20 416 7995 / PO BOX 1922, 1000 BX, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
A full service sales
recruitment for women
only?

12th March
Nominations
Open
11th September
Nominations
Close
12th October
Finalists
Announced
5th of November
Judging
Day
3rd December
2015 Awards
Ceremony
WOMEN IN SALES AWARDS (EUROPE) PRELIMINARY 2015 TIMELINE
Coming Soon ...
Women In Sales
Awards
and
AUSTRALIA
AFRICA

2014 Women In Sales Awards Magazine

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