Leon Van der Poel

Evaluator
DISC Type : CDS

Director, Client Delivery at BDC

Canada

Overview

Leon is a Director at BDC with over 30 years of international experience in business development and go-to-market strategy for technology firms. He specializes in enterprise software, including BI, CRM, and HR Tech, and holds recent certifications in Generative AI. People often describe his contributions as valuable and rock solid.

Outside of work, Leon is a family man who enjoys photography. His international background is complemented by his fluency in Dutch, English, and Spanish. He is deeply invested in his local tech community, frequently dedicating his personal time to mentoring entrepreneurs and early-stage companies.

He co-founded Ineo Growth Strategizers to help tech companies accelerate their market traction.

Personality Overview

Hard To Convince

Quality Focused

Thorough Evaluator

They focus on the results, but can still be quite procedural and analytical about how to get there  They are not very likely to become strong advocates of your product or service They have a unique set of diverse traits where they are decisive and methodical but can sometimes be extra cautious and skeptical

Topics They Care About

Supporting Entrepreneurs
His role at BDC and recent social media activity are focused on hiring for his team to help Canadian entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses.
Go-to-Market Strategy
A core specialty throughout his career, he has deep experience in channel development, strategic alliances, and various business models like SaaS, Cloud, and OEM.
Startup Mentorship
Praised for his work as a mentor with organizations like e@UBC and BCTIA, where he has advised dozens of early-stage technology ventures on strategy and execution.

Media Appearances

Leon has no verified media appearances

Work History

4-2025
Director, Client Delivery at BDC
2-2019 - 4-2025
Senior Business Advisor, Business Innovation and Technology at BDC
9-2016 - 2-2019
Operations at The Alinker Inventions Ltd.
7-2014 - 2-2019
Co-founder & Business Consultant at Ineo Growth Strategizers, Inc
9-2015 - 12-2017
Advisor to the Chairman at CareerArc

Education

2013 - 2013
Foundations of Business Strategy from University of Virginia Darden School of Business
Education details unavailable from British Columbia Institute of Technology

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 11 Location : Canada Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director, Client Delivery at BDC
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Insights For Selling To Leon

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Keep a professional, business-like approach; especially if you tend to get informal quickly
  • Be prepared for comments or questions that are critical of your product or your claims
  • Use phrases like ‘the ROI of this’, ‘X% more’ etc.

DONT's

  • Don’t focus on relationship, focus purely on the merit of your product
  • Don’t nudge them to do something by using the logic that others have done the same
  • Avoid making strong statements, instead invite them to agree with you by asking them questions

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Leon is

  • ROI matters the most to them, followed by process and finally proof of results
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Leon

  • They might hesitate a little, but will go ahead and say no when necessary (or asked)

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Leon move?

  • They are unlikely to move very fast, especially when it comes to new products or services
  • Can Leon take some risk or not?

  • They have relatively low risk-appetite and are not very likely to go for something unproven and risky

You And Leon

Personality Compatibility


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