Build predictable commercial growth
We evaluate existing sales performance, identify opportunities and weaknesses before improving the structures, processes and teams required to create a stronger and more predictable pipeline.
Chris Effah Commercial Growth Leader · UK & DACH
Create value.
Build trust.
Scale.
Since 2012 I've helped businesses enter new markets, build effective commercial structures and win strategic enterprise customers.
Experience working with organisations across AI, data, SaaS, industrial technology and the built environment.
LondonGermany
What I do
I turn complex products and commercial ambitions into measurable growth.
Enter new markets
We validate and establish new markets across the UK and the DACH region, from identifying target customers and sharpening the proposition to building the initial pipeline and commercial operation.
Develop new business lines
We test opportunities, define the right customer segments and routes to market, and turn ideas into viable, repeatable sources of revenue.
Selected impact
Commercial progress you can measure.
Three successful acquisitions
Contributed to the commercial growth of LEVERTON, realxdata and GIANCE before their acquisitions by MRI Software, Moody’s Analytics and UNICEPTA.
Strategic enterprise customers
Won and developed relationships with organisations including Blackstone, Deutsche Post DHL, Stellantis, BayernLB, DKB and Bilfinger/Apleona, among many others.
€100M+ pipeline in 6 months
Qualified opportunity pipeline built across modular construction, real estate and industrial technology.
Built and scaled — from 0→1 and 1→100
Established commercial functions, opened new markets and scaled business lines across Germany and the UK.
Selected work
Building growth from the ground up.
A selection of commercial challenges, the work undertaken and the resulting impact.
01LEVERTONBuilding commercial operations in Germany and the UK
Starting point
I joined LEVERTON as its first sales employee in Germany and later relocated to London to help establish and scale its UK commercial operation.
What we did
We built outbound and inbound sales channels, developed new customer groups and established long-term enterprise relationships across Germany and the UK.
Impact
Won strategic customers including Deutsche Post DHL, Bilfinger/Apleona, Colliers and Blackstone. Contributed to LEVERTON’s international growth and its acquisition by MRI Software in 2019.
02realxdata / Moody’s AnalyticsCreating a more predictable commercial operation
Starting point
realxdata relied heavily on relationship-based sales, irregular campaigns and founder-led business development, resulting in an inconsistent pipeline.
What we did
We professionalised Sales and Marketing, introduced clearer qualification and pipeline processes, developed new outbound and inbound channels, recruited three employees and built a seven-person commercial team.
Impact
Substantially increased qualified meetings, won BayernLB and DKB as strategic customers and contributed to the company’s acquisition by Moody’s Analytics.
03GIANCE TechnologiesBuilding a commercial function from zero
Starting point
GIANCE had developed its AI technology but did not yet have an established commercial organisation or repeatable go-to-market structure.
What we did
We developed the go-to-market strategy, built the Sales and Marketing capability and established the initial enterprise pipeline.
Impact
Won Stellantis as a strategic enterprise customer and contributed to GIANCE’s successful acquisition by UNICEPTA.
04DocEstateDeveloping a new recurring-revenue business line
Starting point
DocEstate’s revenues were strongly connected to the volatile real-estate transaction market.
What we did
We created a structured sales organisation, identified a new customer group and developed a recurring-revenue proposition beyond the company’s existing transaction-led business.
Impact
Won Engel & Völkers Liquid Home and a second property-equity provider, establishing a new recurring-revenue customer segment.
Webinar-led growth
From senior audiences to qualified pipeline.
See how targeted webinar campaigns for serial renovation and timber modular construction converted specialist content into measurable commercial interest.
Explore the case studiesReferences
“Chris was an essential part of building our business. As our first sales employee on the ground, he closed deals that were critical to our growth, capital raises and successful exit.”
“Chris was an essential part of building our UK business. Within the first three months, we closed two lighthouse deals—including one with one of the world’s largest private-equity investors—and firmly established ourselves in the UK market.”
“Chris took our sales to another level. He built new sales channels, recruited several members of our sales team and helped develop the wider team. We increased meetings with new prospects and secured two lighthouse customers among Germany’s largest state banks. His work was an integral part of our successful development and acquisition by Moody’s Analytics.”
“When I headed Blackstone's German real estate business, Chris led a team that introduced and implemented AI technology in Germany and the UK, which increased the efficiency of our transactions significantly.”
How I work
Assess. Design.
Do. Improve.
There is no universal sales playbook. We agree on the goal, assess the evidence, design the right approach, execute it and continuously improve it.
Assess
We assess the market, customers, proposition, commercial performance, pipeline and existing sales structures.
Design
We define the priorities, target customers, offering, channels, processes and measurable objectives.
Do
We build the pipeline, develop strategic relationships, win customers and establish the necessary commercial capability.
Improve
We measure outcomes, test assumptions and continuously refine the approach until it can be repeated and scaled.
About Chris
Strategic thinking.
Hands-on execution.
I’m a London-based commercial growth leader, native German speaker and qualified lawyer with a Master’s in General Management.
I began working in technology sales in 2012 and joined LEVERTON as its first sales employee in Germany in 2013. In 2016, I relocated to London to help establish and scale its UK commercial operation. Since then, I’ve worked with founders and leadership teams across AI, data, SaaS, industrial technology and the built environment.
I’m interested in complex products and markets where commercial success requires more than simply selling. It requires understanding the product, creating value, earning the trust of multiple stakeholders and building structures that scale.
Outside work, I love playing basketball, reading literature, writing, drumming, running, boxing, playing chess, practising Vipassana meditation and cooking—preferably with my family, or at least with their permission.
London, United KingdomGerman — NativeQualified German lawyerMaster’s in General Management
Contact
Ready to create value,
build trust and scale?
Whether you are entering a new market, developing a new business line or looking to improve your commercial operation, I am happy to discuss the opportunity.