Ian Black

Inspirer
DISC Type : di

Chief Operations Officer at Sensat

Burwell, England, United Kingdom

Overview

Ian is the Chief Operations Officer at Sensat, a company specializing in digital twin visualization software for major infrastructure projects. His extensive career includes leadership roles at Smarsh and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he has consistently driven significant business transformations and SaaS migrations, including orchestrating a $375 million acquisition.

Outside of his executive role, Ian is passionate about community engagement and social causes within the Cambridge area. He shows a keen interest in local urban development, including topics like traffic schemes and their impact on local businesses, and is dedicated to advancing Cambridges stature.

He was a pioneer in AI, contributing to early innovations in neural networks and the product development of large language models.

Personality Overview

Decisive

Generous

Fast Adopter

They measure a product on its merit but can be influenced by strong testimonials.  They don’t mind taking a stand if they believe in something. They respond well to objective pitches but also attach some value to relationships.

Topics They Care About

Digital Twin Technology
As the COO of Sensat, he is at the forefront of using digital twin software to visualize and manage over $200 billion in civil infrastructure projects.
SaaS Transformation
He has a proven track record leading SaaS divisions at major tech firms like Micro Focus and HPE, focusing on customer success and go-to-market strategies.
Business Turnarounds
He was specifically tasked with stabilizing and transforming the struggling Digital Safe division at Micro Focus, which he successfully led to a $375M acquisition by Smarsh.

Media Appearances

Digital Twin Software, Sensat appoints Ian Black as Chief Operating Officer. Featured in Sensat (company news)

See Now

Work History

5-2024
Chief Operations Officer at Sensat
7-2022 - 6-2024
Founder at Ian Black Consulting
2-2022 - 8-2022
SVP Customer Success & Centre of Excellence at Smarsh
9-2017 - 2-2022
VP & GM SaaS Archiving Digital Safe & eDiscovery at Micro Focus
11-2015 - 9-2017
VP HP Enterprise SaaS at Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Education

1978 - 1979
Business Administration from SGS Filton Bristol

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 11 Location : Burwell, England, United Kingdom Job Level : Leadership Designation : Chief Operations Officer at Sensat
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Insights For Selling To Ian

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Focus on the big picture and the strategic value of your product
  • Acknowledge their status and position during the conversation
  • Keep your pitch focused on the impact but insert some anecdotes into it

DONT's

  • Don’t keep repeating the same information, it could make them impatient
  • Avoid focusing only on the product or its ROI, keep building trust subtly
  • Don't be unorganized, be prepared for the pitch

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Ian is

  • Belief in the value of the product, relationship and a sense of accomplishment matter the most.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Ian

  • They are not shy of saying no if they do not develop trust in your product.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Ian move?

  • If they develop confidence in your product and you, then they can make fast decisions.
  • Can Ian take some risk or not?

  • If necessary, they have the ability to take risky decisions.

You And Ian

Personality Compatibility


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