Our people
Jun 5, 2024
Building a career in sales at Wolt: Kyriakos' story
We're building a platform for the delivery of (almost) everything. Behind the scenes, across 27 countries and + 500 cities, our amazing salespeople are building relationships with businesses making cities better places to live. The rapid growth and expansion have enabled people in sales to build meaningful and exciting career paths at Wolt. Next, we’ll get to know Kyriakos, who’s been on the frontline building Wolt’s presence in Greece; stay tuned!
Towards the unknown
Joining Wolt's sales team in Athens in 2020 was a huge transition to Kyriakos. Since his young years, he has been exposed to sales through their family business. Over the years, he had gained plenty of sales experience from various well-established companies and industries. Before joining Wolt, he had never worked in a tech or start-up company that Wolt was at the time. "For me, joining Wolt as a restaurant partnership manager (often also called sales manager) was a step towards the unknown. When I joined the team here in Greece, there were only around twelve employees. I remember coming to a job interview wearing leather shoes and a suit and seeing others dressed in t-shirts. It was quite a transition from the corporate environment I was used to, but it turned out to be one of my best career choices. As a salesperson, I really appreciate transparency and promptness in communications, processes, and decisions, and these values have been strongly present at Wolt”, Kyriakos shares.
A passion for building meaningful things
As Kyriakos stepped into the role of a restaurant partnership manager at Wolt, his days became filled with purpose and passion meeting with potential merchant partners. In the beginning, they ran small launches in the Athens neighborhoods. "Nobody knew us, and it was typical that restaurants did not do deliveries in Greece, and if they did, they had their own courier partners. I felt that what we did was revolutionary. It was so unprecedented for Greece that I remember when we had just launched a store live, and they received their first order while I was still in the store. They prepared it, and when our courier partner came to pick it up, the staff and the owner stood up, filmed what was happening in front of their eyes, and then started applauding him! At the same time, it was sometimes challenging to convince restaurants to join the platform. However, after realizing how the value of our service could help them reach more customers and grow their business, it became easier.", Kyriakos says.
When Kyriakos participated in expanding Wolt's services in municipalities and communities of Athens, Wolt was still a small player in Greece. However, after they had built more established footholds in Athens, Kyriakos became keen on expansion sales. The thrill of expansion sales lies in entering new cities within the country, creating awareness by identifying and contacting new merchant partners, and getting them to the Wolt app. "First, I was part of launching two bigger cities, Thessaloniki and Larissa. Launching new cities requires a lot of flexibility and travel days, but the sense of accomplishment is gratifying", Kyriakos says. Later, Kyriakos launched more and more Greek cities and towns with the team. "One of my most memorable projects has been launching Mykonos island. It was a lot of work, but everything feels even better when launching in a paradise. We have decided to launch many other beautiful Greek islands following that launch, and I look forward to seeing them decorated in blue 💙," Kyriakos continues.
Becoming a team lead
Kyriakos’ career took a significant leap two and a half years ago when he was promoted to a team lead position in sales. "Having dedicated 16 years to sales, the opportunity to train a team presented an exciting new challenge in my career, one that I was eager to embrace. Along the way, I've had the privilege of being involved in a diverse range of projects at Wolt, but I hold my team in the highest regard. My team is exceptional, and I derive satisfaction from working with this group of people.
In sales, we collectively build remarkable things, and expanding into new cities and acquiring new merchant partners feels meaningful and empowering.", Kyriakos says.
Alongside team-leading responsibilities, Kyriakos also took over the responsibility for being an area and key account manager handling large, well-known restaurant chain partnerships. There were no two days alike, and weeks passed by quickly.
New opportunities, new home city
From September 2023, Kyriakos's career reached new heights as he got a new role as regional sales manager in Northern Greece, the country's second biggest city, Thessaloniki. This transition has also meant moving to another town and building the office there with others. "As a team here in Northern Greece, we have launched numerous new cities and expanded within the cities we operate in. My team is eight people strong now, and some team members have their subteams. I'm also in charge of the expansion and development program in Northern Greece and look after some of our key account customers.", Kyriakos says.
His role as a regional sales manager is not just about leading and managing but also about fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment within the team. "In the beginning, we had five people working in Thessaloniki, but now we have become an almost 70 people-strong team. Finding a new office location became essential for the growth, and being part of that project felt purposeful. Now, our office is in a beautiful and iconic location on the waterfront of Thessaloniki overlooking the entire city. One of the most enjoyable things working at Wolt has offered me is the opportunity to be part of versatile projects and shape the company's future. Here, it feels like your opinions matter and are being heard.", Kyriakos emphasizes, underlining the collaborative culture at Wolt.
With a sparkle in his eyes, passion, and enthusiasm, Kyriakos has already built an inspiring career in four years at Wolt. "Some companies get stuck in their processes, but it's a whirlwind of speed and energy here.
For me, Wolt culture means loving what you do and helping others. It's a short description but contains many things.
Honestly, at Wolt, I don't always know what the next chapter will be, but that's thrilling; I believe the future holds the best journeys. I'm constantly looking for new opportunities to learn and grow, whether taking on new projects, expanding my team, or exploring new markets. I'm excited to see where my journey at Wolt will take me next.", Kyriakos concludes.
