Darren Cook

Pioneer
DISC Type : IDS

Chief Executive Officer at Adaca

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Overview

Darren Cook is the CEO of Adaca, bringing over 20 years of experience in scaling Australian technology companies. He specializes in AI-native engineering for regulated industries and holds a Masters from The University of Sydney Business School. Colleagues describe him as an exceptional, engaging, and commercially excellent leader.


His core conviction is that the difference between good and great always comes down to the people you put around the problem.

Personality Overview

Friendly But Fast

Driven But Considerate

Decisive But Friendly

If they are convinced, they can become very strong champions for your product  They combine a unique set of diverse traits where they are fast and friendly but can slow down to be thorough when needed They have the unique ability to win both love and respect from their team (or outsiders)

Topics They Care About

AI in FinServ
His company, Adaca, specializes in AI-native engineering for regulated financial services, and he frequently posts about AI's impact on the industry and new technologies like Claude.
Scaling Businesses
He has extensive experience as a Chief Operating Officer at multiple companies, focusing on building operational foundations, scaling engineering capacity, and driving growth.
People-centric Leadership
He believes the key to success is "the people you put around the problem" and is praised in recommendations for his mentorship and dedication to his team's growth.

Media Appearances

Darren has no verified media appearances

Work History

3-2025
Chief Executive Officer at Adaca
9-2024 - 4-2025
Chief Operating Officer at Adaca
10-2023 - 4-2025
Fractional CXO at Growth Collaborative
4-2020 - 10-2023
Chief Operating Officer at Expert360
10-2017 - 4-2020
Chief Operating Officer at Industrie&Co - Part of Accenture

Education

2003 - 2005
Master's from The University of Sydney Business School
1994 - 1995
Associate Diploma from Western Sydney University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 23 Location : Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Job Level : Leadership Designation : Chief Executive Officer at Adaca
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Insights For Selling To Darren

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Showcase existing customers and use case-studies to grab their attention
  • Ask them for a lunch or coffee once some rapport has been established
  • Mostly stick to your standard pitch and qualifying script, but add some stories or anecdotes to it

DONT's

  • Don’t be too verbose or overly friendly; a little bit, however, is fine
  • Avoid focusing only on the product or its ROI, keep building trust subtly
  • Don't lean very heavily into providing too much information, sharing whitepapers etc.

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Darren is

  • Nothing less than a strong combination of proof of results, relationship and high levels of professionalism is effective with them.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Darren

  • They can say no while staying friendly, but can also be pursuaded to reconsider

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Darren move?

  • They are generally fast movers and can take quick decisions
  • Can Darren take some risk or not?

  • They have high risk-appetite but can get ahead of themselves once in a while. Observe carefully

You And Darren

Personality Compatibility


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