“I want to make an impact, however small, which sees FloodMapp make a real difference to the lives of our customers and their communities.”
This is Shane Preston’s vision as he joins FloodMapp as Head of Sales to lead the sales, marketing and Go-to-Market (GTM) strategy and help guide the team on the mission to build a safer future.
Based in Sydney and specialising in the commercialisation of technology businesses, Shane is an incredible asset to the Operations team. One of Shane’s core objectives is to expand and strengthen FloodMapp’s presence in the United States of America. He’s more than qualified for this task and knows exactly what it requires to take an Australian company global, having previously done this with multiple businesses including, most notably, Nearmap.
“After beginning my career as a mechanical engineer in the 3D space, I ended up founding my own startup in 2009 and successfully exited the business five years later. Starting, scaling and exiting my own business is one of my proudest achievements to date, along with contributing to the creation of Australia’s own unicorn, Nearmap,” he said.
“I then took the lessons learned from rapidly scaling my own business on an international level and have spent the last decade focused on the GTM strategy and execution for Australian B2B SaaS (business-to-business Software-as-a-Service) companies - helping to scale revenue and customer acquisition.”
Shane’s international expansion expertise is sought out by founders and executives planning to expand into international markets, especially North America.
“I enjoy the challenge of taking an Australian business global and exporting its IP to the world. There’s an assumption, that’s often incorrect, that what works in your home market will automatically work in the international market. But that’s rarely the case,” he said.
“So, as I begin here, I’ll be working to learn the business and understand the customers and market. I’m standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before me and will be working to expand on the great work that has already occurred as the team strives to make a real difference.”
Shane had been watching FloodMapp from afar for some time before becoming a FloodMapper himself.
“I was most drawn to the deep tech, the international opportunity for an Aussie startup and FloodMapp’s vision to change the world for the better. After watching the great progress FloodMapp was making, I reached out to CEO and Co-Founder Juliette Murphy to learn more and explore the opportunities. I was so impressed with the team and the work that’s being done that I could not wait to join,” he said.
“I love working with founders of businesses that come from a technical background, have great ideas, deep domain knowledge and understand their market and customers. That’s Juliette and Co-Founder Ryan Prosser to a tee. My focus is now to ensure we’re seeing the appropriate growth of the business. That’s the area of business I’m most passionate about so I can’t wait to get onto it.”
Not only is Shane an asset to the technical side of the business, he’s also a champion of people, which is one of FloodMapp’s four core values.
“Focus on the people, not the revenue. This seems ironic but it’s one of the keys to growing a business,” he said.
“It’s so important to focus on people and culture - grow the person and create a culture that allows you to grow the business and achieve your objectives. I truly believe that if you give people everything they need to be successful, they often become far more successful then they or you ever imagined.”
Shane is the Head of Sales at FloodMapp. Connect with him on LinkedIn.