From Salesperson to Strategist: My Transformational Journey

Over 20 years of experience in developing growth for software companies, particularly Scale-Ups.

My mission is to develop enthusiastic and aligned teams in marketing, business development, sales, pre-sales, channel, customer success, in order to serve our clients and partners professionally and transparently.

My track record demonstrates concrete results: ARR multiplied by 7 at Jedox, 11 quotas exceeded over 13 fiscal years at QAD, multiple sales transformations. I am committed to building, as a team, Go-To-Market strategies that we are capable of executing because that’s often where the challenge lies.

DAVID BENA

Leadership – Software – Growth

My Journey

My Journey

Continuous learning
through my experiences,
in sales and team management

2001 – 2005

Account Manager

I refined my B2B sales skills in the software industry, training in Target Account Selling and Value Selling methodologies that still shape my approach today.

  • Trained in Target Account Selling and Value Selling methodologies
  • First experience with subscription license contracts

Challenger Sales

The Leadership Challenge
(Kouzes & Posner)

2005 – 2018

From Account Manager to VP Sales Southern Europe

13 transformative years that saw me progress from Account Manager to VP Sales Southern Europe. 11 quotas exceeded, 16 awards including “Sales Director of the Year,” and emblematic deals like Invacare (7M$).

  • 11 sales quotas exceeded over 13 fiscal years
  • 16 awards including “Sales Director of the Year”
  • Largest contract with Invacare (7M$)
  • Trained in Leadership Challenge principles
2018 – 2023

Country Manager France

As Country Manager France, I multiplied ARR by 7 in 4 years and developed a team from 4 to 22 people. This experience confirmed my ability to build scalable sales organizations.

  • Multiplied ARR by 7 over 4 years
  • Team developed from 4 to 22 people
  • Acquired ~100 new clients in a competitive market
  • Implemented Executive Selling methodology

Executive Selling
(François Drillon)

Discover of Krav Maga
(European Krav Maga Federation FEKM-RD)

MEDDPICC

2023 – 2025

Southern Europe Sales Director

I joined Creatio to develop the Southern Europe region starting from scratch.
Recruited salespeople, a pre-sales person, a channel manager, new partners. Deployed MEDDPICC to secure deals such as Colisée (1M€ ARR).

  • Team built from zero: sales, pre-sales and channels
  • Secured key accounts including Colisée Group (1M€+ ARR)
  • Deployed MEDDPICC approach to secure deals.

Krav Maga Instructor

Volunteer in the
Krav Maga Women Protect association

2025

Co-founder of WeKare

WeKare is a movement founded by David Bena integrating self-defense in companies to strengthen confidence and security of employees, particularly women.

  • Application of Krav Maga principles adapted to the professional world
  • Corporate social responsibility dimension
  • Empowerment and diversity approach

My Philosophy

“Strategy without action is just a dream. Action without strategy is just movement.”

My conviction is that true leadership begins with establishing authentic relationships. Results are only the consequence of these trust relationships, both with clients and teams.

I draw inspiration from the principles of Situational Leadership and Leadership Challenge:

  • Model the way
  • Inspire a shared vision
  • Challenge the process
  • Enable others to act
  • Encourage the heart

Why Work
with Me?

  • Software industry experience

    • 20+ years in international software
    • Deep knowledge of France, and Southern Europe markets : Spain, Italy, Portugal

  • Proven Track Record

    Concrete and measurable results that demonstrate my ability to transform sales teams:

    • ARR multiplied by 7 at Jedox (4 years)
    • 11 quotas exceeded over 13 exercises at QAD
    • 16 awards including “Sales Director of the Year”
    • Success stories: Invacare (7M€), AsteelFlash (2.5M€)

  • Sales Methodologies

    • Executive Selling Expert
    • MEDDPICC Certified Trainer
    • Challenger Sales (trained by Gartner)

Speaker in Media

Especially when you want to penetrate the French market, you need to be able to speak in the media in a simple, punchy way.

    • My Passion

    “Everyone can walk in peace”

    My deep conviction is that everyone has the right to walk in peace. This philosophy guides both my commitment as a Krav Maga instructor and my career in business leadership. The principles that make a good defender are surprisingly similar to those that make an effective leader: anticipation, adaptation, and the ability to transform pressure into decisive action.

    Certified instructor at the European Krav Maga Federation and volunteer with the Krav Maga Women Protect association, I live daily the parallel between physical and professional empowerment. These two worlds, seemingly distinct, mutually nourish each other in my leadership practice.

    01.

    Situational Awareness

    Krav Maga

    Detect threats before they become critical

    Leadership

    Identify execution obstacles before they become blocking

    02.

    Adaptability Under Pressure

    Krav Maga

    Respond proportionally to changing situations

    Leadership

    Adjust management style according to each collaborator’s development level

    03.

    Precision in Action

    Krav Maga

    Efficiency takes precedence over form

    Leadership

    Focus on business value rather than features

    04.

    Empowerment of Others

    Krav Maga

    Give people the tools to ensure their own security

    Leadership

    Enable teams to act with autonomy and confidence

    WEKARE: WHEN PASSION BECOMES PROJECT

    Co-founder of WeKare with Bertrand Thai and Michael Obadia, I transformed this passion into a mission: making self-defense an activated right in companies. WeKare brings expert training to organizations to strengthen confidence, security and autonomy of employees.

    More than a program, it’s a movement: a network of companies united against violence, committed to transforming awareness into action and workplaces into spaces of strength and equality.

    Discover WeKare.