Company: Qualitest Group, London United Kingdom
Company Description: Qualitest is the world’s leading managed services provider of AI-led quality engineering solutions. It helps brands transition through the digital assurance journey and make the move from conventional functional testing to adopt innovations such as automation, AI, blockchain, and XR.
Nomination Category: Sales Awards Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Sales Director of the Year
 Nomination Title: Tess Hilton
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the achievements since July 1, 2022 of the nominated individual, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below.
- Briefly describe the nominated individual: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 194 words used.
Tess is an unusual sales success story with a nontraditional and nonlinear path to where she is now. Born and raised in Australia, Tess originally trained and worked as an adult psychiatric nurse in a top Melbourne hospital. Then in 2016 she took a giant leap and moved to London. Tess had no connections and no experience when she was inspired to move into sales. Her first job was at Capita, where despite her lack of formal training or experience, within two years she was promoted to senior sales management and was leading a team whilst topping the sales charts each year.
In 2020 Tess was then headhunted to Qualitest to focus on our top tier global clients. It turns out that sales is where her passion lies and she was quickly promoted to Sales Director working in new business sales. Tess’ background has given her an unparalleled ability to connect with clients, and her dedication and drive to succeed shines through. In less than eight years Tess has risen from no experience to an outlier on the leaderboard and leading teams, in a country where she had to build her network from scratch.
- Outline the nominee's achievements since July 1 2022 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 226 words used.
Tess outdid herself by exceeding her targets by 3x from 2022 to 2023. In 2023 alone, she surpassed her sales target by over 200%, topping the Qualitest global leaderboard.
At the end of 2024, Tess exceeded her sales target by 150%, brought in the largest New Logo deal within the EMEA region, and ranked second on the Global leaderboard. Her deal close rate has remained above 60% over the years at Qualitest.
In 2023, Tess closed six major clients, including a leading pharma company, a global power utility, a smart metering tech company, a logistics leader, and a world leader in FMCG. In 2024, she secured two huge deals with a global luxury handbag brand and a luxury department store in the UK, convincing them to end their contracts early with their incumbents and move to Qualitest.
She was the only woman to close such large deals across four different sectors. Tess has been recognized several times by Qualitest's C-Suite for her exceptional work and ability to close large value deals with new clients.
Her understanding of the technology space and relationship-building skills have enabled her to convey the value of independent software testing and win bids with Tier 1 companies, reducing the sales cycle by more than half. Tess excels at developing genuine relationships that shift clients from transactional needs to mutual, long-term, strategic success.
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 2 words used.
Reference Attached
- Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the nominee's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 207 words used.
At 31, Tess has already brought in over $25 million in sales. She consistently leads her companies' sales leaderboards, outperforming her peers. With a non-traditional background, Tess’s human-focused approach to sales creates real business value for her employers and clients. Utilizing empathy and her drive for excellence, Tess is an unstoppable force.
Tess’s impact extends beyond impressive sales numbers. Her exceptional relationship-building skills with Qualitest partners, such as SAP, are key to her success. She excels in fostering connections that go beyond transactional interactions, building trust and reliability in every partnership.
As a mentor and team builder, Tess is committed to developing her team’s skills and helping them achieve their targets. She coaches Qualitest’s inside sales function, co-writes RFP responses, creates customer-focused events, and collaborates with the marketing team.
Tess also mentors for The Girls Network, which empowers girls aged 14-19 by connecting them to mentors and role models. Her commitment to gender equality is evident in the workplace, where she sits on the Women at Qualitest committee.
Tess’s focus on client success is transformative. She not only secures deals but also transitions clients into long-term partners. This strategic shift from a transactional model to a partnership-based approach significantly enhances client loyalty, wallet share, and business sustainability.
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