Katleen De witte
London / Herts |- |-| LinkedIn
Strategic Commercial and Sales Executive Leader / Driving Business Growth and Operational Excellence, with 15+ years leading high-value, complex bids across global technology-focused corporates. Proven expertise in designing win strategies, managing multi-disciplinary teams, and navigating procurement processes akin to public sector frameworks. Delivered $500M+ pipelines and 43%-win rate improvements through governance rigor, stakeholder alignment, and data-driven decision-making. Adept at shaping pre-sales strategies and consortium partnerships to secure large-scale contracts. Reputation as a collaborative mentor and coach who builds and inspires multicultural, fully accountable teams.
Aligns strategic goals with operational execution. ͏͏Forms internal and external strategic partnerships; implements and monitors KPIs; heads process re-engineering; empowers continuous improvement and operational best practices.
Optimises financial performance and revenue generation. ͏͏Directs $MM deal management from structuring to negotiations and commercial modelling; leads high-impact business development and transformation projects.
Champions high-performing and agile innovation cultures. ͏͏Unifies cross-functional stakeholders towards a single strategic vision at all levels of the organisation; recognised as an ethical, pragmatic, and results-driven leader.
Professional Experience
Rockwell automationDec 2021 – jul 2024
Head of EMEA Large and Complex Pursuits
Brought on board during period of fast-paced change to establish pursuit desk from the ground up and develop pipeline. Designed and implemented end-to-end processes for large and complex opportunities of >$10M that were subsequently replicated in the US. Defined and set up a team covering three areas (lead generation, pursuit management, and bid management). Led five direct reports. Reported to the Commercial Operations Director and VP of Strategic Accounts.
Led cross-functional bid teams of 5+ direct reports and 40+ indirect reports and stakeholders, aligning technical, legal, and financial inputs
Designed and implemented a governance framework for $10M+ deals, reducing approval cycles by 30% and ensuring compliance with company standards
Spearheaded Win Strategy workshops, analysing competitor landscapes to identify differentiators, resulting in a 43% increase in win rates
Identified and actioned best-fit deal win rate transformation strategy within six months and set a clear path for sustainable success. Led deep-dive root cause analysis, developed and implemented commercial framework with clear, actionable goals. Collaborated with Industry teams to understand market needs and value propositions.
Partnered closely with EMEA President and Regional VP’s, to develop and execute business strategies, driving revenue growth and profitability across diverse EMEA markets. Using data analytics to drive revenue growth and provide real-time insights for strategic decision-making
Embedded consistent and transparent ways of working by designing, implementing and clearly communicating new pursuit ecosystem for large deals. ͏͏ Proactively refining processes for scalability while maintaining hands-on approach to team efficiency
Strengthened win rates from 26% to 69% and built $500M new logo pipeline over two years via introduction of defined and actionable solutions to qualify leads, using a structured approach to managing large deals and fostering a high-performing team through mentorship, promoting a culture of continuous improvement and innovation
Full bid cycle support, identify and qualify opportunities, develop pre-RFP strategies, and provide tailored pre-sales support to client teams, understanding competitive environment. Supporting proposal development, commercial modelling and contract negotiation. Initiate Win/Loss reviews to action improvement initiatives
Raised stakeholder awareness to optimise price setting, legal and financial compliance and overall deal governance areas, including commercial negotiations, innovation and deal / pricing approvals. ͏͏
Vodafone cloud and securityapr 2017 – Nov 2021
Senior Commercial Lead and Head of Strategic Deals
Joined Vodafone’s newly formed autonomous Cloud and Security unit. Supported sales teams with deal management, price setting, and creating fit-for-purpose compliant and commercially astute deal P&L, placing customer pricing and innovation at the core. Headed bid management and contract negotiations. Ensured strict adherence to all legal and governance requirements. Led four Bid Managers and reported to Head of Commercial.
Directed end-to-end bid processes for >£110M enterprise contracts, collaborating with legal, finance, and partner stakeholders to mitigate risk and optimise pricing.
Negotiated consortium agreements ͏͏with AWS and Microsoft, securing contracts through competitive dialogue processes
Enhanced team skill sets and drove step change in bid management efficiency levels. ͏͏Led development and execution of training programme for Bid Managers.
Pinpointed and mitigated Cloud migration risks to maximise customer satisfaction and prevent unexpected costs. Appointed Risk Manager and worked closely with sales team and customers.
Boosted sales success by providing mentorship to create winning strategies and secure high-value opportunities. ͏͏
CiscoJul 2015 – Apr 2017
EMEAR Strategic Opportunities Sales Lead
Selected for proven ability to build demand generation, deep customer and industry knowledge and strong commercial experience in large deal management. Accountable for Scandinavia and Benelux regions, forming relationships and coordinating resources to ensure world-class sales experiences across major strategic accounts and opportunities.
Unlocked >25% IT cost reductions by aligning IT with accelerated demands of all business lines. Headed ‘Deal Discovery’ training workshops.
Negotiated and secured $2.4M services contract with global satellite provider to deliver large-scale business and IT transformation programme. ͏͏
Led the development of the ‘Beter Benutten’ project, (Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, focused on ITS deployment and smart mobility), coordinating resources, solution creation, win strategy and guiding the bid phase
Empowered more targeted, process-driven sales approach by coaching account teams and providing insights into industry / market trends and competitive landscapes. ͏͏Set win, competitor and pricing strategy.
Qualified, managed and controlled pursuit process.
Ensured sales teams possessed deep understanding of critical risk profiles by evaluating and managing risks associated with key deals and business strategies.
XeroxApr 2010 – jul 2015
Senior Bid Director
Orchestrated large, global opportunities across >40 countries during period of increased competition and lower pricing. Led the end-to-end delivery of commercial contract negotiations. Ensured deals were properly qualified, researched and risk assessed. Worked cross-functionally to design customer-centric proposals. Project-managed bid process.
Increased bid team’s performance metrics and win rates and enhanced operational excellence / stability by attracting $45M managed service deal for UK-based financial services company. ͏͏
Secured $52M global print management deal that delivered 26% savings for major manufacturer. ͏͏Demonstrated industry leading negotiation, strategy development, stakeholder management and corporate governance skills.
Created stepping stone for future large-scale opportunities by closing $24M deal with UK financial institution that delivered 16% cost savings. ͏͏
Earlier Career
Proposition Architect at Airwave, covering UK Blue light services and international markets. Multiple roles at BT, including Global Account Director, ICT Deal Architect at BT Global Services, and Business Development Consultant at BT European Solutions.
KEy Skills
Strategic Planning & Insights / Leadership / Business Strategy Execution / Win Strategy Development & Competitor Analysis / Cross-functional Collaboration / Programme Management / Operational Excellence / Communication /Analytical & Problem Solving / Pursuit Strategy / Business Growth / Bid Management / Performance Metrics / Process Improvement / Innovation / Client Management / Pricing / Stakeholder Partnerships (C-suite, Partners, Clients) / Lead Generation /Negotiations / Risk Management / Corporate Governance & Risk Mitigation / Business Development / Coaching & Mentoring/ Adaptability / Agility / Microsoft 365 Proficiency
Education
MBA, University of East London / Ducere Business School (class of 2025)
APMP Foundation Accreditation
Value Management Professional, Institute of Value Management
MEDDPICC Masterclass certified
Miller Heiman and Korn Ferry Sales training
PRINCE2 certification, 2012 and 2017
Completed Leadership Excellence Acceleration Programme / Coaching
additional information
Fluent in English and Dutch, and advanced levels of conversational French
Deep interest in Artificial Intelligence, Futurology, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Emotional Intelligence topics.
