Company: Thrive
Company Description: Thrive is the fastest-growing, all-in-one LMS that enables L&D leaders to develop high-performing teams and prove the impact of learning. Over 350 innovative companies, like Volvo, British Airways, Sky, Krispy Kreme, Financial Times, Frasers Group, Vodafone and Travis Perkins, trust Thrive to power their people’s development.
Nomination Category: Sales Awards Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: National Sales Executive of the Year
 Nomination Title: Josh Devanny
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the achievements since July 1, 2021 of the nominated individual, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- Briefly describe the nominated individual: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 200 words used.
Having worked with one of Thrive’s main industry competitors, Josh Devanny is no stranger to selling to world-leading companies. Propelled to the role of Global Sales Director [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION] in under four years, he was asked to relocate to New York to help establish its all-important US operations.
It was while in the States that Josh was headhunted by our CEO, Sean Reddington, who was keen to assemble a group of talented people to help grow a brand new LMS (learning management system) company: Thrive. With only three customers, and zero marketing presence, joining the team at Thrive was undoubtedly a huge gamble. But Josh, excited by the momentous challenge of growing the fortunes of a fledgling business, decided to embrace this new career path.
In Jan-2020, Josh joined our team at Thrive as Head of Sales, just months before the pandemic. Unfazed by this sudden, huge challenge, he began exploring alternative ways to attract and win customers. At the end of 2020, despite the universally struggling climate, Josh successfully landed our biggest customer to-date [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION].
From that first big client win, Josh himself thrived, leading to exponential growth for our business in the years that followed.
- Outline the nominee's achievements since July 1 2021 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 249 words used.
INCREASING OUR STATUS
With Josh at the helm, Thrive focused on winning larger-enterprise deals. Josh implemented tactics including:
- Personalised mini-sites for outbound sales, tailored to the client’s requirements, resulting in a 45% increase in meetings and 18% lead-to-sales conversion rate.
- Pre-sales videos, depicting how the Thrive Platform would look, and enabling potential clients to share it with internal stakeholders. [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION]
- Unique pricing transparency on Thrive’s website, resulting in 68% more pricing page views year-on-year [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION]. (Appendix-2.)
Subsequently, from July-2021, we’ve gained some significant enterprises, including Vodafone, [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION] Frasers, Avon, and Burger King. 60% of those were landed by Josh, who still has personal sales targets, despite also overseeing 16 people. (Appendix-3.)
Moreover, we now boast 370 customers to-date (42% YoY increase), year-on-year revenue growth, and positive customer feedback/overall results (Appendix-4).
HANDS-ON LEADERSHIP
Josh continually:
- Supports through regular coaching, weekly one-on-one meetings, and new technology to promote best-practice, including an intuitive, AI-led call-analysis recording system, Gong.
- Helps his peers achieve managerial/directorship roles (Appendix-5).
- Incentivises the team through various competitions[REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION]
Such support has resulted in overwhelming team-wide praise for Josh’s leadership. For example, in a recent survey (Nov-2023), 100% of Josh’s team rated Josh 9 or above out of 10 for his ability to lead them, exceed expectations, and motivate/inspire them to go the extra mile (more: Appendix-7).
- 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.
- 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.
Attached PDF.
- 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 245 words used.
It’s one thing to sell a product when it’s already a well-established, household name, but it takes a certain individual to be able to rapidly turn a blank page into an overwhelming success story. With Thrive, Josh Devanny has done just that. His sales acumen and expertise – combined with his skill to uplift and inspire those around him
– has helped to turn our learning industry underdog into a company with real bite, which poses a significant threat to our competitors.
From being able to count our customers on one hand, we now boast over 370 customers worldwide, including the likes of Asos, Reiss, and Volvo (the latter being won from a total of 24 possible vendors across the industry). Not only was this growth extraordinarily rapid, but it began during the biggest challenge any business could face – a global pandemic. Undaunted by the sudden changing conditions, Josh utilised his sales experience and enterprising attitude to flex our offering and lead his team by example. Even when he was promoted in Jan-2022 – with a much bigger team to manage – he continued to have his own sales targets and take a first-hand experience leadership approach.
Subsequently, within a tumultuous climate:
- Search demand for Thrive has risen by 90% (in contrast to industry products decreasing 10%).
- Several clients have migrated from bigger companies, including Homebase and Vodafone [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION]
- Thrive’s ARR has increased 55%.
| Attachments/Videos/Links: |
|---|
|
