Denise O'Riordan
Cork,Ireland
Summary
Dynamic and commercially focused Sales Operations & Program Leadership Executive with 20+ years’ experience driving operational excellence, revenue performance, and large-scale transformation across global multinationals including Skillsoft, Johnson Controls, Eli Lilly, and Dell/EMC. Proven people leader with deep experience building, scaling, and leading high-performing global teams, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and collaboration while partnering closely with senior executives to deliver strategic outcomes.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work history
Vice President, Sales Operations
Skillsoft
Cork, Ireland
2025.01 - 2025.12
- Drove end-to-end sales planning, including annual quota design, capacity modelling, and global territory strategy aligned to corporate growth objectives.
- Served as strategic advisor to the CRO and executive leadership, elevating forecasting accuracy, pipeline governance, and performance visibility across all regions.
- Owned enterprise CRM strategy, governance, and data quality, ensuring reliable reporting and adoption across Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success.
- Strengthened global sales rhythms and operational cadence, enabling tighter alignment with business partners and cross-functional stakeholders.
- Built scalable dashboards, analytics frameworks, and performance insights that supported executive decision-making and revenue predictability.
- Recruited, developed, and led high-performing Sales Operations teams, fostering operational excellence and continuous improvement.
Director, Sales Operations
Skillsoft
Cork, Ireland
2022.10 - 2024.12
- Owned end-to-end CRM strategy and management, ensuring system stability, data integrity, and high adoption across Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success.
- Led roadmap development and execution for CRM enhancements, partnering with cross-functional leaders to implement new features, streamline workflows, and optimize seller experience.
- Managed CRM ticketing and support process, prioritizing requests, resolving issues efficiently, and driving continuous improvement of operational processes.
- Designed, developed, and launched Einstein Analytics (Tableau CRM) dashboards and data models, transforming the organization’s forecasting capabilities and real-time revenue visibility.
Senior Manager, Sales Operations
Johnson Controls
Cork, Ireland
2019.08 - 2022.09
- Delivered analytics on pipeline health, performance, and forecast accuracy.
- Streamlined processes across sales cycles.
- Enhanced reporting infrastructure.
- Strengthened alignment across Sales, Finance, and Operations.
Purchase to Pay (P2P) Manager, GBS
Eli Lilly
Cork, Ireland
2017.09 - 2019.07
- Led transition of US purchasing operations to Cork.
- Delivered cost efficiencies and process improvements.
- Strengthened compliance and service delivery.
- Managed team of 14 and global stakeholder relationships.
Senior Manager, Global Delivery Operations, GBS
Dell / EMC
Cork, Ireland
2013.01 - 2017.08
- Shaped organizational strategy with executive leadership.
- Led automation and digital transformation initiatives.
- Delivered data modelling for executive decision-making.
- Managed high-performing teams and BPO partnerships.
Global Service Lead, Global Contracts Data Mgmt
Dell / EMC
Cork, Ireland
2011.01 - 2012.12
- Built global contracts data management capability.
- Partnered with IT on contract repository system.
- Established global compliance standards.
- Led combined team of 28 across regions.
EMEA Partner Program Manager, Channel Enablement
DELL / EMC
Cork, Ireland
2010.01 - 2010.12
Partner Operations Manager, Partner Support Center
DELL / EMC
Cork, Ireland
2006.01 - 2009.12
EMEA Business Analyst, Partner Support Centre EMEA
DELL / EMC
Cork, Ireland
2004.01 - 2005.12
Inventory Coordinator
DELL / EMC
Cork, Ireland
2000.08 - 2003.12
Education
Project Management Professional (PMP) - Project Management
Project Management Institute
IrelandSome College (No Degree) - Lean Six Sigma
Lean Six Sigma
IrelandDiploma of Higher Education - Computer Science
University College Cork
IrelandBachelor of Business Studies (Marketing) - Business Studies
Institute of Technology Tralee
IrelandSome College (No Degree) - Software Engineering
City & Guilds
IrelandSkills
- People & Organizational Leadership (global, multi-level teams; coaching, performance management, talent development)
- Sales Operations Leadership Revenue Enablement Program & Change Management Forecasting & Pipeline Governance
- GTM Strategy & Planning CRM Optimization Shared Services Data & Insights Process Excellence Transformation
- Cross-Functional Leadership Executive Stakeholder Management Outsourcing & Vendor Partnerships
Timeline
Vice President, Sales Operations
Skillsoft
2025.01 - 2025.12
Director, Sales Operations
Skillsoft
2022.10 - 2024.12
Senior Manager, Sales Operations
Johnson Controls
2019.08 - 2022.09
Purchase to Pay (P2P) Manager, GBS
Eli Lilly
2017.09 - 2019.07
Senior Manager, Global Delivery Operations, GBS
Dell / EMC
2013.01 - 2017.08
Global Service Lead, Global Contracts Data Mgmt
Dell / EMC
2011.01 - 2012.12
EMEA Partner Program Manager, Channel Enablement
DELL / EMC
2010.01 - 2010.12
Partner Operations Manager, Partner Support Center
DELL / EMC
2006.01 - 2009.12
EMEA Business Analyst, Partner Support Centre EMEA
DELL / EMC
2004.01 - 2005.12
Inventory Coordinator
DELL / EMC
2000.08 - 2003.12
Project Management Professional (PMP) - Project Management
Project Management Institute
Some College (No Degree) - Lean Six Sigma
Lean Six Sigma
Diploma of Higher Education - Computer Science
University College Cork
Bachelor of Business Studies (Marketing) - Business Studies
Institute of Technology Tralee
Some College (No Degree) - Software Engineering
City & Guilds