Hunters and Unicorns Great Leaders UK with Marina Ayton
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Jun 18, 2025 Marina Ayton, VP UK&I at Wiz and co-author of The Female Sales Leader, shares her journey through leadership in the tech industry. She discusses navigating transitions between leadership levels and the importance of emotional intelligence in sales. Marina emphasizes the necessity of embracing humility, overcoming imposter syndrome, and making purposeful career moves. With insights on building diverse teams and strategies to empower women in sales, she offers a playbook for aspiring leaders to thrive and make a lasting impact.
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Building a Sales Team from Scratch
- Marina Ayton built Zscaler's first-ever enterprise sales team from scratch, growing it from zero to 166 sellers in EMEA.
- She managed intense operations with 14 direct reports and a frantic 34 deals per quarter forecast, embracing the challenge and chaos.
Lead by Trust and Vision
- As a second line leader, relinquish control and trust first-line leaders to run their teams.
- Understand that your role is setting a unified vision that aligns sales, marketing, engineering, and customer success.
Use Imposter Syndrome as Fuel
- Embrace imposter syndrome as a sign of growth and motivation to work harder.
- Build credibility by listening first, learning from top leaders, and adding genuine value before leading change.