On March 1st Nico Dammers started at Cerebo Networks in the role of Sales Director. He has been in the IT & Telecoms industry for 25 years and will be responsible for Sales & Customer Relationships at Cerebo. In a short interview we asked him about his background, his new role and his vision on the market.
“I’m always the challenger and I’m never afraid of challenging the status quo.”
Can you tell us something about your background?
I started my career in Enertel on Telecom D-day, the day that the telecoms market was liberalised in The Netherlands. This was on July 1st 1997. So, I have been active in telecoms ever since competition entered the market.
I have worked for both start-ups and larger enterprises, but always with emerging technologies: Enertel, Xoip, T-Mobile, Interoute and oneCentral are a few names that you might recognise. My specialty is Channel & Corporate Sales and I always try to translate technical concepts into business benefits for customers.
What are your hobbies, passions and motto?
Cooking, golf, tennis & fitness are things I like to do. I really believe in a healthy mind in a healthy body. I actually start my day at the gym 3 days a week.
Disruption, being the underdog and providing a breath of fresh air, has been a central theme during my whole working life. I’m always the challenger and I’m never afraid of challenging the status quo.
What attracted you to Cerebo Networks?
What I like about Cerebo is that they are enabling a new way of working. They have their own concept and vision on the new way to design and manage networks for international companies.
What we have in common is that I also truly believe in customer partnership. Too often customers are treated as just a number, which is a shame
What will be your key responsibilities in your new role?
As a Sales Director I will be responsible for building relationships with new and existing customers. I believe in listening instead of talking and I am convinced that we should always learn from our customers’ challenges.
My role is all about customer networks & ecosystems. I always look for adding value to the complete value chain.
Looking ahead over the next year what developments do you foresee in the sector?
With the growth in the use of cloud services, the complexity of the ecosystem will grow. The role of a centrally positioned orchestrator is going to be key for creating value for customers, and a real differentiator for service providers. It’s not just about the networks or the technology.
How is Cerebo Networks placed to deal with these in your opinion?
Cerebo is already looking beyond the regular portfolio of SD-WAN & SASE services. Becoming the partner who can orchestrate and simplify secure connectivity from user to cloud app is key in my opinion.
Anything else you would like to add?
I have a lot of experience with helping companies to grow from a start-up to a scale-up. Decisions taken now, have a huge impact in the future. I’m looking forward to use my years of experience during that essential phase to help grow Cerebo & to help build the business in Europe together with the Cerebo partners!
