Natasha Sostaric
Summary
Proven leader with 15+ years in Training and Certification Solutions, Sales Operations and Sales Management across the IT sector ensuring customers are successful in their transformational journeys. Adept in business analysis and fostering strong internal and customer relationships across all business units and at all levels. Spearheaded initiatives leading to significant education revenue growth. Excels in building, driving and executing complex training plans and demonstrating exceptional sales support and strategic planning skills. Thrive in a position of responsibility and variety within an organization that promotes career progression, high job satisfaction and exceptional high customer values.
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
Work History
ANZ Regional Leader, Global Learning Solutions
Red Hat
10.2020 - Current
- Developed high-performing teams by providing consistent coaching, training, and performance feedback.
- Collaborated with cross-functional departments to drive company-wide success through shared goals and aligned objectives.
- Demonstrated thought leadership within the organization by sharing best practices and insights to improve overall business performance.
- Work closely with APAC delivery to develop trainer development and relevance to the local market
- Manage the ANZ open and private course schedule
- Escalation management for resolution and successful outcome
- Grow existing business relationships and acquire new business within the ANZ business
- Exceed financial goals, including sales bookings and revenue
- Work directly with customers (in person or virtually), to craft and execute on their training and certification plans.
- Effectively communicate with high-level customer executives on a regular basis to position training offerings into large, complex deals.
- Engage with partners to drive force multiplication of Red Hat enablement within their companies as well as with their customers
- Negotiate and maintain training partner resell and delivery agreements
- Negotiate terms/pricing/contracts and advance them through to closure
- Manage consumption and renewals of Red Hat Learning Subscription (RHLS)
- Manage forecasts, provide quotes, scope proposals, and pipeline management
- Manage the ANZ Global Learning Solutions P&L.
- Develop and present Quarterly Business Reviews
- Work extensively with cross functional Sales teams (in person and virtual) and partners to grow business across the ANZ territories and segment
- Act as a subject matter expert on training and certification both internally and externally
- Provide thought leadership to internal Red Hat teams in order to advance the training portfolio of offerings and strategy.
- Identify, define, develop, and implement complex training plans for strategic enterprise accounts
- Identify and generate new training business opportunities and upsell to existing customers
- Support existing and new IT transformation projects
- Support and Coach the local Sales, Pre Sales, channel Teams and partners in relation to the training offering and processes
- Develop and refine the training selling best practices
ANZ Education Sales Lead
Dell Technologies
04.2018 - 10.2020
- Responsible for Sales Management across ANZ region
- Business planning ensuring Education is in line with wider business growth plans
- Maintaining accurate regional forecast and pipeline development
- Developing and executing plans for current and future bookings and revenue growth
- Developing and implementing marketing plans
- Implemented partner growth plan and enablement
- Increase resell business and attach rate
- Partner Services enablement for engineers and architects program
- Internal Sales and Pre Sales enablement to increase awareness and attach rate
- Implementing internal programs to increase large deal attach rates
- Implementing Sales incentive programs to increase awareness and drive bookings
- Managing all delivery requests focusing on onsite and customised delivery options
- Working with Global delivery team to improve scheduling and requests process
- Implementing and maintaining customer support team processes across ANZ region
- Implementing customer support team process to drive consumption
- Reviewing and maintaining regional schedule across ANZ
Senior Education Solutions Consultant
VMware
05.2017 - 04.2018
- Managing sales and revenue growth focusing on Enterprise accounts
- Internal Sales and Pre Sales enablement
- Partner enablement
- Developing and building strong partner sales and growth
- Maintaining accurate forecasting and pipeline development
- Developing and implementing marketing initiatives
- Working with knowledge skills analysis programs and building training proposals and plans
- Working with local and regional Sales Operations and Order teams
- Ensuring public schedule meets business requirements
- Reviewing regional schedules to identify potential cancellations and drive enrolments
South Pacific Education Leader
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
05.2013 - 03.2016
- Drive growth and responsible for training services Order, Revenue & Margin for Australia and New Zealand
- Responsible for forecasting, development and delivery of order revenue targets for SPAC sub-region for Education Services
- Effectively manage the country Education P&L
- Manage all delivery training requests and forecasting responsibilities
- Fielding all customer and partner training requests and ensuring smooth delivery
- Member of WW Global Infrastructure Improvement Team including curriculum development based on field and customer feedback
- Implemented improved process for onsite training and local testing for lab access
- Drive growth in stand-alone deals and attachment rates
- Management of team performing sales and operations activities including delivery in region
- Responsible for all customer, partner and internal technical training delivery within SPAC ensuring value and quality
- Work closely and maintain strong relationships with APJ Leadership team, Sales and across all Business Units
- Understand focus areas for HPE SW business and how Education Services can contribute to this strategy
- Recruit, enable and manage training partners and resellers and establish strong relationship with partners and resellers
- Collaborate with partners to generate pipelines of customers
- Create more sales activities with sales team and generate pipeline from customers and partners
- Develop and execute marketing initiatives and assist in implementation of marketing plans as needed
- Develop and execute business plans including identifying growth, risks and gaps and in business
- Sets strategy and direction for education services and sales
- Curriculum development including creating customized training plans and course outlines for customers
- Work closely with Worldwide infrastructure, delivery and curriculum teams
- Ensuring all booking and invoicing across Education Services business is executed within company guidelines and timeframes
Senior Education Solutions Consultant, ANZ
EMC Global Holdings
01.2010 - 05.2013
- Increase awareness and quality of training within ANZ
- Managing business growth for Education Services in ANZ
- Team lead, training and development for ANZ Education team
- Train account teams (TC, CSL, SE, PM) on CE value proposition, offerings, and Proven Professional Certification program, including CE as part of solution proposals
- Forecasts and tracks CE sales opportunities within Region
- Maintaining all delivery requests and yearly scheduling forecasting with delivery team
- Hiring and team development for training instructors, training consultants and support teams
- Maintaining local training facilities and external providers
- Develop and executes business plan that includes defining customer targets, sales priorities, and field integration
- Manages field coordination, support and coordination with Inside Education Sales Representatives
- Establish strong relationships and demonstrates value with senior Sales and Pre Sales (or equivalent) internally and with partners and clients externally
- Working with global accounts and enterprise accounts, identifying customer requirements based on personnel and installed technology
- Delivering, inspecting and approving training plans for customers that are used to drive CE sales, via various channels including Direct, Pre Sales, Commercial and Partner Program support (readiness and sell through)
- Regional plan and field coordination
- Develops comprehensive Partner execution plans with Channel Managers and Partners (readiness and sell through requirements)
- Develops various feedback, testing and evaluation mechanisms to measure program/training effectiveness
- Executes sales, management, and highly complex technical programs/training
- Creating internal programs to highlight and grow Education awareness and sales
- Develop and implement cost saving activities
- Responsible for Internal training scheduling, monitoring low enrolments and class cancellations
Education Solutions Consultant
EMC Global Holdings
07.2007 - 01.2010
- Forecasts and Tracks CE sales opportunities within territory, including coordination
- Consolidation of opportunities and forecasts in assigned territory
- Attend Field Sales events and forums, presents at these forums.
- Working on all elements necessary to execute Pre-Sales and follow up consumption activities
- Meet or exceed assigned geo bookings for EMC Education Services.
- Position Education service offerings to clients, internal Sales and Pre Sales on our offerings, value proposition, and account positioning.
- Territory plan and field coordination, support and coordination with Inside Education Sales Representatives
- Develops comprehensive Partner execution plans with Channel Managers and Partners (readiness and sell through requirements
- Preparing quotes, proposals and training development plans
Sales Operations Business Analyst
EMC Global Holdings
07.2005 - 06.2007
- Synergy roll out project team and power user
- Forecasting district's deals
- Responsible for booking of district's deal and tracking timely delivery
- Reconciliation of Forecast/Synergy/Brio
- Train and support new and existing personnel and systems and new hires including Shared Services teams
- Review contract matrix for all known upcoming deals to ensure up to date and covering all product requirements
- Review all deals for compliance to revenue recognition rules and customer's contracts
Revenue Operations Supervisor
EMC Computer Systems (UK)
09.2004 - 07.2005
- Sarbanes Oxley process and documentation improvement
- Managing and training of Revenue Operations personnel
- Performance appraisals and Development Plans
- Liaising with Recruitment agencies and interviewing/hiring of new staff
- Review and approve orders within approval limit and in accordance with Revenue Recognition policies and customer contracts
- Liaise with Sales Reps and internal departments
- Investigate and fix any problems and discrepancies in system issues, shipments and revenue in a timely manner
- Prepare monthly and quarterly reports
- Provide training and guidance on internal systems and procedures to Sales, CS, TSG and GFS
Revenue Business Analyst
EMC Corporation
10.2003 - 08.2004
- Review and approve orders within approval limit and in accordance with Revenue Recognition policies and customer contracts
- Liaise with Sales Reps and internal departments
- Investigate and fix any problems and discrepancies in system issues, shipments and revenue in timely manner
- Prepare monthly and quarterly reports
- Provide training and guidance on internal systems and procedures to Sales, CS, TSG and GFS
Order Administrator & Revenue Accounting
EMC Global Holdings
10.2001 - 10.2003
- Asia Pac Order Admin Regional Power User
- Revenue reconciliation process improvement and member of Quote to Cash Committee
- Ensure orders entered are within SEC & EMC Revenue Recognition policy guidelines
- Review all customer contracts
- Work closely with Office Managers and Financial Controller
- Coordinate with US Corporate Order Admin regarding changes in Policies and Procedures
- Six Sigma - Project Member of Website Improvement Team
Skills
- Leadership
- Strategic Planning
- Excellent Communication
- Team Building and Development
- Problem Solving
- Decision Making
- Technical Requirement Design
- Product Evangelism
- Business Review and Planning
- Building Trust
References
Personal References: Available on request
Timeline
ANZ Regional Leader, Global Learning Solutions
Red Hat
10.2020 - Current
ANZ Education Sales Lead
Dell Technologies
04.2018 - 10.2020
Senior Education Solutions Consultant
VMware
05.2017 - 04.2018
South Pacific Education Leader
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
05.2013 - 03.2016
Senior Education Solutions Consultant, ANZ
EMC Global Holdings
01.2010 - 05.2013
Education Solutions Consultant
EMC Global Holdings
07.2007 - 01.2010
Sales Operations Business Analyst
EMC Global Holdings
07.2005 - 06.2007
Revenue Operations Supervisor
EMC Computer Systems (UK)
09.2004 - 07.2005
Revenue Business Analyst
EMC Corporation
10.2003 - 08.2004
Order Administrator & Revenue Accounting
EMC Global Holdings
10.2001 - 10.2003
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