DP

Darren Pleasance

SVP, Cisco Acceleration Center at Cisco

San Francisco Bay Area

Overview

Work Experience

  • SVP, Cisco Acceleration Center

    2023 - Current

    Expanding on my prior role, I now also lead a global organization tasked with accelerating Cisco's transformation toward a more software-based and recurring revenue oriented business model, while driving greater cross-architecture solutions that deliver on the full power of Cisco's portfolio. The role includes building out the requirements for Cisco's new commerce, licensing and buying program engine, while also overseeing and optimizing all of Cisco's back office operations.

  • SVP, Strategic Execution Office

    2021 - 2023

    Working for Cisco's Executive Leadership Team, I lead a team focused on accelerating progress in the areas most critical to Cisco's growth including recurring revenue, software, customer lifecycle experience, and cross-architecture solutions. The role centers around gaining alignment for faster decision making and execution across Engineering, Customer Experience, Operations, IT, Sales, Finance and Legal teams with weekly Executive Team reviews to ensure alignment and speed of execution.

  • SVP, Go-to-Market Strategy and Operations

    2018 - 2021

    Leading Cisco's global Go-to-Market Strategy and Operations team focused on helping our sales, marketing and partner teams be the best in the world. Work directly for the Chief Revenue Officer to drive continued performance of Cisco's global Go-to-Market teams. Role encompasses Sales Models, Coverage Models, Sales and Marketing Productivity, Sales Compensation, Digital Platforms, Sales Enablement, and Annual Planning.

  • Managing Director Global Customer Acquisitions

    2012 - 2018

    Leading Google's Global Customer Acquisitions team focused on attracting, acquiring, and onboarding all new customers to Google's global advertising services. New customers ranged from small and mid-sized companies to Fortune 500 enterprises. This team accounted for >50% of Google's growth each year with a global footprint of Field-based as well as Outbound and Inbound telesales teams and a scaled new-customer onboarding team operating out of ~12 locations globally.

  • Partner

    1998 - 2012

    Co-leader of McKinsey's North American Tech, Media, and Telecom Marketing and Sales Practice Founder of McKinsey's global Small and Medium Business (SMB) service line Regular speaker on SMB, channel, sales, and Cloud topics

  • Consultant

    1995 - 1998

    Engagement Manager in ADL's Customer Management Practice. Focused on information-based marketing, customer loyalty, and growth strategy

  • Associate

    1990 - 1995

    Associate at a Santa Barbara-based Private Equity firm. Responsible for valuing businesses, structuring purchases and sale of businesses, improving business performance, and managing a large commercial real-estate portfolio.

  • President, Pilot

    1987 - 1990

    Worked closely with the Founder and CEO to build and run a corporate jet aircraft management company. Job involved managing group of ~15 employees, building and servicing a client base of private jet owners and customers, overseeing scheduling of maintenance for the aircraft fleet, and serving as the pilot on a variety of turbo-prop, and jet aircraft.

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