Driving growth through learning: The 10 visionary leaders building sales excellence

In today’s turbulent economy - marked by shifting buyer expectations, rapid digital transformation, and increasingly competitive markets - sales teams face intense pressure to not only perform but adapt. Organizations can no longer rely solely on traditional selling tactics. Instead, they must invest in developing agile, consultative sales forces equipped to deliver value-based solutions.

This is where HR, L&D, and Sales Enablement leaders step up - not just as supporters, but as strategic architects of growth. By designing impactful learning journeys, fostering sales capabilities, and aligning enablement with business strategy, they are transforming the way organizations compete.

As part of Lepaya’s Shaping the Future of Work campaign, we’re proud to recognize ten exceptional individuals in the Building Sales Excellence category. These professionals are empowering sales teams through upskilling, performance enablement, and innovation, driving lasting business impact in their industries.

Meet the top 10 visionaries driving sales excellence

1. Nicolas Winfield
Global Sales Training Content Manager, Avon

Nicolas Winfield is a champion for frontline empowerment. At Avon, he leads global sales training with a sharp focus on building confidence and skills for the company’s vast network of representatives. From launching the Avon Academy in partnership with Thrive to evolving the Beauty Adviser program, Nicolas has helped turn learning into a key growth driver. His commitment to customer-centric training enables Avon's teams to deliver better experiences, close more sales, and seize business opportunities across markets.

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2. Dr. Uli Hilbers
Head of Sales and Market Development, Fagus-GreCon Greten GmbH & Co. KG

‍Dr. Uli Hilbers is the strategic mind behind Fagus GreCon’s Value Selling transformation - a structured, insights-driven approach tailored to the needs of today's informed buyers. With a focus on understanding customer pain points and building advisory relationships, he has helped standardize this methodology across six countries. The results speak volumes: a 70% increase in French sales offers, 9.2/10 training satisfaction scores, and several competitive wins. His leadership proves that sales success can be designed - with the right mindset and methodology.

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3. Sabine Brosius
Director Global Sales Excellence, Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions

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Freudenberg is a global leader in household cleaning tools and systems. At its helm for sales excellence, Sabine Brosius ensures commercial consistency and effectiveness across regions. By setting standards and driving continuous capability development, she helps Freudenberg's teams stay sharp in a highly competitive FMCG landscape—where buyer loyalty hinges on both product quality and consultative service.

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4. Jacques Trinidad
Group Sales Force Effectiveness Director, Coface

Coface, a global leader in credit insurance and risk management, depends on high-performing sales teams to support its complex solutions. Jacques Trinidad leads the charge in transforming Coface’s commercial culture - embedding a mindset of lifelong learning and data-driven performance. His efforts have elevated sales force effectiveness across global markets, ensuring teams stay ahead in a high-stakes, high-trust B2B environment.

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5. Patrik Gustavsson
Global Learning & Development Manager, Roxtec

Roxtec - a global provider of cable and pipe sealing systems - Patrik Gustavsson has turned L&D into a true business enabler. With two decades of experience bridging digital innovation and learning strategy, he’s integrated upskilling into every facet of commercial operations. From scalable e-learning to practical business development support, Patrik’s work has helped Roxtec sales teams consistently deliver excellence in a technically complex industry.

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6. Liam Fleming
Global Sales Learning & Development Manager, Maersk

At Maersk, one of the world’s largest logistics companies, Liam Fleming is a key player in the Commercial Academy. He brings deep business insight into every learning solution - bridging corporate goals with frontline enablement. Whether it’s needs analysis, tool development, or outcome tracking, Liam ensures that every initiative drives measurable value. His collaborative and strategic approach continues to elevate performance across Maersk’s commercial organization.

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7. Kyle Norman
Sales Enablement Specialist, FareHarbor

FareHarbor, a leading booking and business management platform for tours and activities, operates in a fast-paced, customer-driven space. Kyle Norman brings a people-first approach to enablement - blending performance support with culture, engagement, and storytelling. By aligning L&D with sales leadership and HR, he’s made learning a core lever for team motivation, onboarding, and sustained growth.

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8. Ashleigh Early
Client Engagement Lead, JJELLYFISH

Ashleigh Early is a bold voice for equity, culture, and empowerment in sales. At JJELLYFISH, a go-to-market advisory firm, she leads with passion and purpose - pushing boundaries on inclusion, ethics, and support systems in sales organizations. Through her advocacy for parental leave, anti-harassment policies, and women in sales, she’s redefining what true sales enablement looks like.

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9. Hannah Ajikawo
Principal Community Evangelist, Sistas In Sales

Hannah Ajikawo brings tactical sales insights and community building together like few others. As a leader at Sistas In Sales, she creates content that’s both inspirational and actionable - from executive outreach strategies to leadership feedback frameworks. Her bite-sized, high-impact videos are fueling the next generation of inclusive, capable, and confident sales professionals.

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10. Rick Verkuyl
Country Manager, Marktplaats

At Marktplaats - the leading Dutch online marketplace - Rick Verkuyl has driven both commercial growth and sustainability. By launching innovations like Direct Buying and integrated logistics, he’s removed friction from second-hand shopping. His leadership has not only increased market share, but positioned Marktplaats as the Netherlands' most sustainable e-commerce brand—proving that Sales Excellence can also serve a higher purpose.

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Celebrating the future of sales excellence

These ten leaders are not just advancing their own teams, they’re redefining what sales excellence looks like across industries. From e-commerce and credit insurance to cosmetics and logistics, they demonstrate the power of L&D, enablement, and culture in driving performance.

Know someone leading the way in navigating the future of work? We’d love to hear from you. Send an email to: linda.vecvagare@lepaya.com  and you will have a chance to win 2 tickets to the UNLEASH conference!