I'd hire any of these 5 SDRs tomorrow
Plus the three traits their managers can't stop mentioning
I'd hire any of these 5 SDRs tomorrow
Plus the three traits their managers can't stop mentioning
Dave Wilkins
May 01, 2026
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SDR
The five SDR’s every leader should know
After reading 80+ nominations from across EMEA for the inaugural SDR of the Quarter, I noticed something.
The five names below didn't win because they hit quota.
They won because their managers couldn't talk about them without smiling.
That's a different kind of signal, and it's the one I want this award to surface.
This is the first quarter we've run SDR of the quarter across EMEA. UK, France, Spain, Nordics. Five different markets, five very different sales motions, but the same three traits keep showing up in the nominations that made the cut.
I'll come back to those traits at the end.
First, the people.
Aika Patao — Senior BDR, N.Rich (Nordics)
"Aika is not only a top individual performer, but also a force multiplier for everyone around her."
Aika's nomination wasn't about her own number, it was about what happens to everyone else's number when she's on the team. That's the sentence I wish more SDR leaders heard about more of their reps.
Alexandre Trier — BDR, Pigment (France)
"His AEs see him as an extension of themselves and a valued business partner."
The phrase "extension of themselves" is the single line in the nominations I keep coming back to. Most SDR/AE relationships are transactional. Alexandre's are relational, and the AEs he works with are the ones telling that story unprompted.
Nominated by Paul Schmitt, Regional Manager, Sales Development at Pigment. LinkedIn
Eoin O'Halloran — Senior SDR, Xelix (United Kingdom)
"Flawless monthly attainment, and already on the path to AE. A standout performer setting the benchmark."
If you're an SDR leader looking for what "promotable" looks like, Eoin is the case study. Consistency over heroics, every single month, with the discipline that earns the next role rather than asks for it.
Nominated by Luciana Juarez, Head of Sales Development at Xelix. LinkedIn
Pauline Minier — BDR, Infor (France)
"Not waiting for opportunities. Creating them, consistently raising the bar for outbound excellence."
Pauline's nomination used the word "creating" three separate times. That's not how managers usually describe their reps. It's how they describe their best reps.
Nominated by Mélanie Negrier, Sr Manager, Business Development at Infor. LinkedIn
Maialen Zubeldia — Senior BDR, Darktrace (Spain)
"Consistent execution, strong conversion, and clear impact on high-value opportunities."
Maialen wins the "boring on the outside, lethal on the inside" category. Steady execution, no drama, and the quiet kind of conversion rate that only shows up when someone has actually figured out the role.
Nominated by Carlos Reinoso, Senior SDR Manager at Darktrace. LinkedIn
PATTERN
Three things show up in every nomination that made the cut:
Managers describe them as "force multipliers" before they describe them as "top performers." The language is unprompted and consistent across five different markets.
They all have at least one named AE relationship that goes beyond pipeline. Alexandre's "extension of themselves" is the cleanest version, but it shows up in every winner profile.
None of them are waiting. Pauline's nomination literally used "creating opportunities, not waiting." That posture, more than any activity metric, is what separates a future AE from a career SDR.
If you're an SDR leader trying to spot the next promotion candidate, those three traits beat any scorecard you'll find in a sales-enablement deck.
Q2
Q1 was unsponsored. Q2 won't be.
From Q2 onward, I'm taking on one sponsor per quarter for SDR of the Q. Companies that genuinely serve SDR teams in EMEA, not ones who want to convert my list.
The slot includes:
Co-branded billing on the winner announcement, which goes to ~4,000 EMEA SDR leaders at a 50% open rate
One named credit at the Funnel 26 awards in London this October
If that's you, reply with "Q2" and I'll send the one-pager. Two slots: Q2 closes for sponsorship on 31 May, Q3 on 31 August.
YOUTUBE
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Our community has had the honour of being joined by some of the best SDR leaders in the world over on our virtual Masterclasses over the last 2 ½ years. Each and every one has shared their expertise and playbook for how they handle a variety of situations we face daily.
One of the big questions i get after each of these masterclasses is, can you share the recording. So we have made it our mission in 2026 to add all of our past Masterclasses to our YouTube channels for EMEA and the USA, and we are committed to uploading our future shows as soon as they end.
This way, we can help provide you with the content whenever, wherever.
Check out our past episodes below, and be sure to hit that like button and subscribe; it will really help our reach and let other SDR/GTM leaders know that there is this level of content out there for them.
