Rob Appleby, our SDR Team Lead who is based in the Bath office, joined the team in January 2024 and has so far made a huge impact on building out our SDR function. We sat down with him to ask a few questions, and give you the opportunity to get to know him a little better.

What’s your role at Cloud Direct? 

I head up the SDR function, and manage our team of Sales Development Representatives as they bridge the gap between our marketing efforts and our sales teams. The role of SDR is to create a first-class customer experience so that prospects are entering the next stage of the buying cycle on the right foot, with the right impression of Cloud Direct. Since I’ve joined we’ve added two new SDRs to the team in Gary and Brandon, and seeing the team make a successful start to the year has been great. No two days are the same as an SDR!

What are you getting up to outside of work?

Most people are probably a little bored of me telling them what happened in my hockey game at the weekend, but I can’t help it. I’ve played for Royal Wootton Bassett Hockey Club for 17 years – and counting! – across the first and second teams. When I’m not playing, I’m usually still on a hockey pitch whether it’s coaching our ladies third team or umpiring a match, and during the off season I keep myself fit by getting out for a run.

What brought you to Cloud Direct, and how did you get here?

I’ve always worked in business development since graduating from university, primarily at security vendors like Zscaler, Fortinet, Forcepoint and Cyren. I had been in a BDR Manager role across EMEA and the UK for four years when I had a chat with Alex, our Marketing Director at Cloud Direct, where he explained the goals and the culture at Cloud Direct. It sounded like a great opportunity, and the goals aligned perfectly with what I want to do with my career, so after a few more conversations and a couple of interviews, I signed on the dotted line!

What’s the best part of your job?

It’s seeing all of the team’s work come to fruition and turn into an SQL or an opportunity with a prospect. You’ve seen the amount of work that has been done, the multitouch approaches that have been made, the calls, emails and conversations that have taken place, and you know that it couldn’t have happened without that effort. A lot of the work on an SDR feels a little unseen and often unrewarded, but seeing it come together and that achievement being shared within the team is amazing.

What’s the best part of working at Cloud Direct?

It’s the people. It doesn’t matter which team or which position, everyone is lovely and it feels like we’re working towards the same goal of helping businesses grow with technology. We’ve got incentives and competitions amongst the team that help to create a real cohesiveness away from the work environment too, which benefits us massively when it comes to conversations and problem-solving at work.

What project are you proudest to have worked on?

I’ve not been here too long, so my main project has been building out the SDR team. We’ve added two so far and we are working really well together, so I couldn’t be more pleased with the people we have in the team and can’t wait to continue its growth.

How has Cloud Direct supported your career?

Having the ability to talk with, and be exposed to different areas of the business has really helped my understanding of not only how Cloud Direct works, but how the organisations we help work too. I could be speaking to a member of the marketing team before talking to somebody in finance, then somebody in a support role or in sales, and I learn so much from each of them. I was also thrown in a little at the deep end by being asked to present at our monthly Sales and Marketing meetings – it was daunting at first, but as soon as I’d done the first one I learned to love it, and it’s great being able to share the team’s successes with the wider company.

Want to join the team?

We are always looking for the brightest and most curious minds to join our ever-growing team. If you think you have something to offer, or would like to see what job openings we currently have, then visit our careers page.