Keimpe Paulus
Arkel
Summary
Dynamic and results-oriented Sales Leader with over 25 years of experience in the IT industry, specializing in business development and complex solution selling across diverse technologies. Recognized for relentless drive, high energy, and adaptability in fast-paced environments, consistently achieving top performance through the cultivation of high-performing sales teams. Proven expertise in EMEA territory leadership and strategic planning, with a track record of driving business growth through innovative strategies and strong team collaboration.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
VP SALES & TERRITORY LEAD EMEA
Lightbits Labs
04.2019 - Current
- Company Overview: US/Israel Software-Defined-Storage Vendor. First person hired in Europe.
- Full ownership of the EMEA business, accountable for revenue growth, customer success, and regional go-to-market execution, reporting directly to the CRO.
- Delivered sustained growth and landmark achievements, including contributing 45% of company worldwide revenues for 2 years in a row, closing the largest new-logo acquisition, onboarding and scaling of the company’s largest customer to date, and record-breaking license sales in a single year.
- Designed and executed the EMEA sales strategy, ensuring predictability, scalability, and alignment with global corporate objectives.
- Strengthened market position through strategic customer engagement, deepening partnerships across Cloud Service Providers, E-commerce, and Financial Services.
- Expanded regional footprint via channel and alliance ecosystems, unlocking new routes to market and accelerating adoption across EMEA.
BDM EXTREME SCALE INFRASTRUCTURE (ESI) EMEA
Dell
02.2016 - 04.2019
- Company Overview: Focusing on hyperscale and sub-hyperscale cloud service providers, Extreme Scale Infrastructure (ESI) designs, develops and sells large scale-out infrastructure solutions.
- Defined and executed the ESI EMEA sales enablement strategy, aligning regional initiatives with global objectives.
- Delivered >300% revenue growth over three years through disciplined pipeline development and execution.
- Forged strategic engagement with Dell and partner sales communities, strengthening routes to market and accelerating adoption.
- Positioned ESI as a trusted advisor to enterprise customers, driving executive engagement through workshops, strategic presentations, and Executive Briefing Center sessions.
- Enabled advanced architecture and engineering capabilities in EMEA, working closely with global engineering and supply chain leadership in Austin, TX.
SENIOR SOLUTION CONSULTANT ENTERPRISE ACCOUNTS
Dell
08.2006 - 02.2016
- Evangelize Dell Data Center product and services portfolio.
- Building trusted advisor relationships at several levels within Large Enterprise customer organizations.
- Express thought leadership in sales teams by sharing market trends, customer IT strategies in pursuit of crafting successful data center technology sales strategies.
FOUNDER & CTO
Make
05.2000 - 12.2007
- Company Overview: Acquisition, setup and execution of photography-reporting projects for several customers on locations in The Netherlands as well as abroad. Implementation of ‘early-social-media’ projects, travel photography and publicity work.
SENIOR IT INFRASTRUCTURE CONSULTANT
Capgemini Netherlands
03.2001 - 02.2006
- Company Overview: Several assignments for large enterprise accounts. Responsibilities included team management, lead architect, transition manager. Customers: British Telecom, Telfort, KLM-Air-France.
PRE-SALES CONSULTANT
ConnectIT
11.1998 - 02.2001
- Company Overview: Consult customers: Microsoft systems, storage and security.
Education
Artificial Intelligence: implications for business strategy
05-2024
Medical Biology
11-1998
Skills
Sales Leadership & Strategy
Revenue Growth & Market Expansion
Business Ownership
New Business Development
Customer Relationship Building
Enterprise Account Scaling
Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Development
Customer & Executive Engagement
Commercial & Negotiation Skills
Enterprise Architecture & IT Expertise
Artificial Intelligence & Business Strategy
Complex Problem-solving
Strategic planning
Business development
Documentation and reporting
Negotiation and persuasion
Business growth and marketing strategies
Financial acumen
Certification
- TOGAF 9.1 Level 1&2 training (certificate)
- Negotiating Large Deals
- Consultative Selling Skills (external training)
- Finance for non-financial leaders
- Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) Storage Architect (certificate)
- Consultancy Skills (external education)
- Prince 2 Foundation Project Management (certificate)
Languages
English
Full Professional
German
Professional Working
Dutch
Native or Bilingual
Timeline
VP SALES & TERRITORY LEAD EMEA - Lightbits Labs
04.2019 - Current
BDM EXTREME SCALE INFRASTRUCTURE (ESI) EMEA - Dell
02.2016 - 04.2019
SENIOR SOLUTION CONSULTANT ENTERPRISE ACCOUNTS - Dell
08.2006 - 02.2016
SENIOR IT INFRASTRUCTURE CONSULTANT - Capgemini Netherlands
03.2001 - 02.2006
FOUNDER & CTO - Make
05.2000 - 12.2007
PRE-SALES CONSULTANT - ConnectIT
11.1998 - 02.2001
MIT Sloan School of Management - , Artificial Intelligence: implications for business strategy
Free University Amsterdam - , Medical Biology
Professional Interests
Business Development & Consultative Selling, Business–IT Strategy Alignment, Sales Strategy Design & Execution, Team Building & Empowerment, International Scale-Up Environment