Building EMEA ARR : Insights from VP/GM EMEA - Jamie Clohesy

In this episode, we sit down with Jamie Clohesy to discuss his remarkable career journey, transitioning from the military into the SaaS scale up industry. Jamie shares his experiences in leadership roles at Localytics and Yotpo, where he helped scale Yotpo from a small team and increased regional revenues by 10x over his five-year tenure. We also dive into his personal story, including his battle with cancer, his recovery, and how that experience has profoundly shaped his outlook on life and career.

00:00:00 - Introduction and Greetings
00:00:13 - Jamie's Personal Update
00:00:36 - Simon's Update and Episode Introduction
00:01:05 - Podcast Series Overview
00:01:57 - Purpose of the Podcast
00:02:29 - Episode Focus: Scaling EMEA
00:03:21 - Jamie's Career Overview
00:04:23 - Jamie's Career Path and Military Background
00:05:05 - Transition to Sales and Leadership Roles
00:05:27 - Scaling Localytics and Yotpo
00:06:09 - Leadership Lessons from Parenthood
00:07:03 - Key Career Milestones
00:09:09 - Impact of Personal Health on Career
00:10:10 - Learnings from Leading Yotpo
00:11:21 - Challenges and Strategies in Scaling
00:12:07 - Consistency and Authenticity in Leadership
00:12:50 - Democratizing Data and Investing in People
00:13:47 - Staying Humble and Close to the Product
00:14:47 - Influential Mentors and Leaders
00:16:18 - Current Software Market Trends
00:17:05 - Changing Definition of Good Growth
00:18:00 - Cost-Conscious Environment Similarities
00:19:05 - Hiring Junior Talent and Growth
00:19:57 - Market Opportunity for Foreign Companies
00:21:25 - Complexities of the EMEA Market
00:22:32 - Setting Expectations with Foreign Leadership
00:23:55 - TAM, SAM, and SOM Exercises
00:24:55 - Whale Clients and Market Building
00:25:59 - Importance of Executive Sponsorship
00:26:55 - War Chest and Relationship Building
00:27:47 - Authenticity in the SaaS Ecosystem
00:28:12 - Creating a Great Culture
00:29:57 - Defining Great Culture
00:31:01 - Consistency and Accountability in Leadership
00:32:04 - Investing in People and Winning
00:33:13 - Culture as a Continuous Process
00:34:08 - Constructing a Go-to-Market Team
00:35:07 - Investing in People and Training
00:36:12 - Importance of Partnerships
00:37:30 - Challenges in Finding the Right People
00:38:03 - Hiring Senior Talent
00:38:55 - On-the-Ground Presence in Key Markets
00:40:06 - Building Culture with Remote Teams
00:40:39 - Recruitment Tips and Tricks
00:41:04 - Speed and Efficiency in Hiring
00:42:22 - Trusting Instincts in Recruitment
00:43:28 - Trends in Recruitment