growthspecialist
Founder & CEO of Crescendo
Promoting Crescendo’s expansion into the UK and European markets and advocating for AI-native outcome-based service models.
Intro
I am the Founder and CEO of Crescendo, where we are building an AI-native customer service platform that has scaled to over $100M ARR in record time. My career has been defined by scaling high-growth SaaS companies, most notably at Zendesk, where I was the first European employee and eventually led global marketing and innovation labs. I’ve lived through the 'dark moments' of scaling and have the 'scar tissue' to prove it. I am deeply passionate about shifting the industry from legacy per-seat models to outcome-based AI service. I believe that great service is the ultimate sales tool and that AI should empower humans to focus on complex, high-empathy work. Currently, I’m focused on expanding our footprint in the UK and Europe and connecting with fellow CX leaders and innovators who want to redefine the customer experience flywheel.
Networking
What I can offer
- ›Expertise in scaling US companies into Europe
- ›GTM strategy transformation for multi-product SaaS
- ›Insights on AI-native customer service transitions
What I'm looking for
- ›expanding my professional network
- ›exploring mutual opportunities in CX and SaaS
Best fit for
Focus
Current interests
Core competencies
Background
Career
Began in technical support at Borland, founded Multizone (acquired by ATG), then held executive roles at Troux and Zendesk, where he scaled EMEA and led Labs before founding Crescendo.
Education
BSc (Hons), Computer Science, University of Reading (1985 – 1988)
Achievements
- ›Surpassed $100M ARR at Crescendo in less than two years
- ›Achieved 10X YoY growth for customers with >$1M ARR
- ›Scaled Zendesk from first European employee to global leader
- ›Won Best of Show and Best Innovation for CX at Enterprise Connect 2026
- ›Reduced client resolution time from 24 hours to 15 minutes
Opinions
- Legacy BPO 'per-seat' billing is outdated and should be replaced by outcome-based incentives
- The best sales experience is one that feels like great service
- AI should handle 'rookie work' so humans can focus on high-empathy issues
- Revenue is won or lost in support conversations, not just discovery
Personality
Communication style
Professional and visionary with an operator-led perspective, balancing high-level strategy with front-line empathy and storytelling.
Formality — 7/10
Vocabulary