On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .

As Senior Vice President of Sales , Overtveld leads the go-to-market team across the Middle East , Africa , Asia Pacific and Japan , partnering with companies of all sizes and maturity to evolve and elevate their customer experience , employee experience , and customer relationship management strategies .

Freshworks creates AI-boosted business software that is designed with users in mind . Purpose-built for IT , customer support , and sales and marketing teams , our products are designed to let everyone work more efficiently and deliver more value for immediate business impact .

What are your strengths and abilities that you bring to the above role ?

I am passionate about working with brands to help them put their customers and employees back at the centre of their business by adopting modern , open approaches that allow them to break free from legacy CRM infrastructure and traditional , one-dimensional business processes .

In my role , I lead teams across a broad geography , covering countries with diverse cultures , economies ,

and levels of tech maturity . I have lived and worked on five continents , and directly run sales organisations and indirect channels covering over 130 countries during my career .

I have learned to be extremely adaptable , both in my personal and professional life . This adaptability has been key to my ability to build highly effective and productive teams that can serve customers in a wide variety of contexts .

Please describe the expectations of the end customers that you address . What are their pain points today ?

End customers are users of business software . Consumerisation of technology has reshaped expectations from business software , with users now demanding simplicity akin to everyday apps .

This shift stems from users wanting a consumer-app like experience at work .

As a result , to increase IT adoption and reap the rewards on their investments , businesses are compelled to prioritise modern , user-centric design and functionality over everything else . This emphasis not only enhances user satisfaction but also boosts efficiency , as employees can quickly grasp and use software tools , driving tangible productivity gains .

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