Anu Leppänen's career as an international sales leader spans several continents and industries. Born in Finland, Anu built her career in international roles with Booking and then Alteryx, relocating to New York to lead the Enterprise Sales team, where she served as Senior Director and later Regional Vice President. Now based in Malmö, Sweden, Anu joined Datadog in June 2024 as Regional Vice President of Enterprise Sales for the Nordics and Benelux.
One crucial aspect that has shaped me as a leader is my international experience. I’m originally from Finland but haven’t lived there for 20 years. I always wanted to have an international career, which inspired the professional moves I made.
I spent 12 years in North America — Vancouver, Seattle, Southern California and New York — before returning to the Nordics. I haven't had a traditional leadership journey because I have always been open to new opportunities as they arise, whether that’s a new role, a relocation or a new industry. I am deeply curious about people, and this curiosity has helped me to adapt to new situations.
One of the biggest takeaways I’ve learned from these diverse experiences is that there isn’t just one way to achieve an outcome. My goal as a leader is to set clear expectations that enable the team to carry out our shared vision.
Inspiring Growth in Others
I have been a people leader since 2010, evolving from managing a couple of direct reports to an organization of over 70 people, and each leadership situation brings different challenges and requires different skills. In each role, you have to know yourself as a person and as a manager, and to deeply understand the organization, the people in each team, and what the business is trying to achieve. That approach has shaped me as a leader.
I’m highly collaborative by nature — part of that goes back to my Nordic roots. It’s something that can be interpreted differently in different cultures and environments, but I think more often than not, it works in my favor. Sales tends to attract a lot of ambitious people who are very goal-oriented, but I’ve never had the need to be in the spotlight myself.
I prefer to make sure that it is the team that gets the credit for the work that they have done. My job is to help them get there. I really want to highlight the outcomes that the individuals in the team are delivering, and I think that in most cases, this is a helpful quality in a leader.
“I prefer to make sure that it is the team that gets the credit for the work that they have done. My job is to help them get there.”
The Opportunities Datadog Offers
The Nordics and Benelux are emerging markets for Datadog, and there is so much opportunity. Datadog has been investing significantly in international markets, which is exciting: it shows the kind of resources and investment that we have available for the region. My role was a new position, and since I’ve joined, we’ve doubled the Benelux team.
We have a significant headcount growth and resources available that we didn’t have before. That’s one part of the reason why it is an exciting time right now because there’s clearly investment and commitment from the company’s side. We work with some of the largest brands in the region, and continue to build our community of users and grow in the region.
Datadog’s Commitment to Sales Excellence
When I think about sales excellence, I’m mostly referring to the playbook model that we have that shows how we execute on a day-to-day basis.
I’m somebody who is very process- and data-driven and highly analytical. So for me, having a clear structure and roadmap brings consistency; it brings clarity. When you’re working together with teams, you know what good looks like and what you’re working toward. It helps not just us, but also the customer – it really does put everybody on the same page. There’s no question marks around the path forward, and I personally think that is good.
A Forward-Thinking Vision
Since I’ve joined Datadog, my focus has been on building the team; it’s the one thing that sets the foundation for everything else and is so critical to get right. Through internal promotions and external hires, I have tried to create a culture of coaching and enablement. When I look at the leadership team that we have and the impact that they have made so far, I feel like I’ve succeeded.
“Since I’ve joined Datadog, my focus has been on building the team; it’s the one thing that sets the foundation for everything else.”
The Nordics and Benelux are regions that are technologically forward-thinking, and there is so much opportunity for Datadog. Most sellers want to work for a company that is best-in-class and future-proof. Datadog is both. Our investment in research and development each year and our ability to launch new products means that there are many different ways to approach a new organization. As the platform expands, there are many opportunities to grow accounts and build long-term relationships with customers.
Looking forward, we have a lot to do, and I’m just really excited about the next six months and two years ahead and everything we will accomplish as a team.
