Alfresco
Repositioning and Scaling EMEA Sales

Client: Alfresco Software Sector: Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Regions: UK, DACH, France, Nordics, Benelux, Italy, Spain

Alfresco company logo
Client Overview

Enterprise Content Management Pioneer

Alfresco is a pioneer in Enterprise Content Management (ECM), helping over 1,300 organisations, including NASA, the US Navy, Cisco, and Capital One, digitise workflows, manage content securely, and drive process efficiency. This strategic EMEA expansion and brand repositioning challenge was successfully executed by Andy and his team at his previous role, who partnered with Alfresco's leadership to build a complete commercial structure across multiple European markets.

Founded in 2005, Alfresco's reputation was built on open-source ECM. With the launch of Alfresco One, a hybrid platform allowing content storage across cloud, mobile, and on-premise environments, the company repositioned itself as a commercial SaaS leader in a fast-evolving market. Headquartered in California, Alfresco's EMEA base is in Maidenhead, UK.

The Challenge

As Alfresco expanded its EMEA operations, it needed high-performing salespeople to deliver a new go-to-market strategy but struggled to attract the right talent.

Perception Challenge

Top-tier enterprise sales professionals viewed Alfresco through its open-source heritage

Product-Perception Gap

Candidates unaware of innovation and market position with Alfresco One

Regional Talent Shortage

Difficulty recruiting strategic sellers across multiple EMEA countries

GTM Strategy Execution

Need for world-class sales organisation to deliver new strategy

What They Needed

Narrative Reshaping

Partner to reshape perception and engage senior candidates effectively

Multi-Country Coverage

Sales build-out across UK, DACH, France, Nordics, Benelux, Italy, and Spain

Enterprise-Calibre Talent

High-performing salespeople who understood the market opportunity

World-Class Sales Organisation

Complete commercial structure to execute new GTM strategy

Content Management Innovation

Alfresco's expansion was driven by proven demand for enterprise content management solutions, with organizations increasingly recognizing the strategic value of digital content transformation and secure document management in their enterprise operations.

Our Solution

Strategic Partnership Approach

Andy and his team partnered with Alfresco's global sales leadership and internal talent team to lead both retained and exclusive contingent searches across EMEA.

EMEA Leadership

Sourced and placed an EMEA VP with deep ECM/BPM experience to lead the regional GTM effort and drive strategic execution.

Deep ECM/BPM industry expertise
Regional GTM strategy leadership
Multi-market commercial experience

Multi-Market Expansion

Delivered a full sales build-out across the UK, Germany, France, Nordics, Benelux, Italy, and Spain.

UK and DACH market coverage
France and Nordics expansion
Benelux, Italy, and Spain reach

Brand Repositioning

Reframed Alfresco's positioning in candidate conversations to reflect its hybrid, high-growth offering beyond open-source perception.

Hybrid platform narrative development
Commercial SaaS positioning
Market opportunity storytelling

Seamless Integration

Worked seamlessly with Alfresco's internal recruitment team, enabling them to focus on technical hiring while maintaining full transparency.

Internal team collaboration
Full transparency maintained
Cross-functional alignment

26 Hires

Sales professionals placed across EMEA markets

Through strategic narrative work, deep sector knowledge, and high-trust delivery, the team built a full commercial structure that powered Alfresco's new market approach.

Impact & Results

EMEA Sales Transformation

Complete sales organisation build-out across 7 key EMEA markets, enabling Alfresco to execute its new go-to-market strategy and drive consistent year-over-year growth.

26
Sales Hires
Across EMEA
7
Key Markets
Complete Coverage
100%
Success Rate
Retained Searches
1
EMEA VP
Leadership Placed

Key Achievements

26 Sales Hires Delivered

Complete sales organisation build-out across EMEA markets

Complete 7-Market Coverage

Strategic leadership and enterprise reps across all key regions

Continued Partnership

Ongoing retained campaigns for senior sales and marketing roles

GTM Strategy Execution

Enabled new go-to-market approach with consistent YoY growth

The Outcome

Perception Gap Overcome

Successfully repositioned the brand and elevated Alfresco's story in the talent market

Enterprise-Calibre Talent

Engaged candidates who could truly move the needle for Alfresco's growth

Full Commercial Structure

Built complete sales organisation that powered Alfresco's new market approach

Long-term Performance

Delivered traction, confidence, and sustainable performance for the business

Why It Worked

Strategic Narrative Work

Through strategic narrative work and deep sector knowledge, we repositioned Alfresco's brand story to attract enterprise-calibre candidates who understood the market opportunity.

High-Trust Delivery

Our high-trust delivery approach and collaborative partnership with Alfresco's leadership enabled seamless execution across multiple markets and functions.

"Over the last 4 years, I've worked closely with Andy and his team. I value their insight, honest assessment of candidates, and ability to deliver. They've consistently placed strong senior talent and truly understand Alfresco. I consider them a real partner to our business."
Paul Hennessey
Global Head of Talent, Alfresco Software

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