Recently Danielle Gorlick, Director Benelux at AWS Global Sales (AGS), shared her leadership insights and vision for Amazon Web Services in the Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) region.
Danielle started her role as Director in January of 2024. She has over a decade of experience with Amazon, starting her career as an intern in the retail business, and joined AWS in 2013 as the first Demand Generation representative which is the entry position for sales. Danielle has led various regions and teams across EMEA, and her experience spans start-ups to large enterprises, allowing her to effectively understand the needs of AWS customers and help them accelerate their transformation goals. Originally from the United States, Danielle has spent the past twelve years living abroad and in her new role relocated to Amsterdam, giving her a unique perspective on the global tech landscape.
Can you share a bit about your career journey and what led you to AWS?
I joined Amazon as an intern in retail in 2012. I moved to AWS in 2013 as the first Demand Generation representative in EMEA. I continued to increase my scope and responsibilities, taking on account manager roles for Israel and the Nordics/Baltics. I built and led teams across Italy, Iberia, Benelux and Nordics & Baltics, based out of Luxembourg. I relocated to Stockholm in 2019 and built the SME and Mid-Size Enterprise businesses in the local countries like Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, and the Baltics (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia) from the ground up, growing it into the largest business in the region. In 2021, I stepped up to lead the Nordics Area, the fourth largest in EMEA at the time. In February 2022, I started as the Head of Engagement for EMEA and in January of 2024, I was appointed as Director for Benelux at AGS, responsible for accelerating digital transformation across Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and helping our customers innovate and accelerate time to value.
What has been the most exciting part of your first few months as Director Benelux at AWS?
Just a few months into my new role we were hosting the AWS Summit in Amsterdam, which is our largest customer event of the year for Benelux. The demand for the event was so high that we needed to close registration early. We welcomed 5,800 customers to the summit where they had access to over 70 sessions ranging from technical deep dives to business transformation. I had the opportunity to share the keynote stage with two of our customers, PostNL and Picnic, who shared their transformation journeys, and Becky Weiss, VP and Distinguished Engineer, shared how organisations are transforming with data and generative artificial intelligence (AI). Within the summit we hosted our Executive Leaders track, welcoming 200 customer executives from across the Benelux area to learn how they could accelerate their business transformation and hear from thought leaders like Tom Godden, AWS Enterprise Strategist, and their peers like NN and De Volks Bank. This was a fantastic place to meet with many customers and partners from across the Benelux region during my first few months in the role. There was an amazing energy surrounding the summit, which created a bar raising experience for our customers and partners.
How do you envision the growth of AWS in the Benelux region over the next few years?
The Benelux region represents a significant growth opportunity for AWS in the coming years. Collectively, the three countries boast the fifth largest economy in Europe and the fourteenth largest globally. The Benelux cloud market is expected to reach $12 billion this year, reflecting its vast potential.
Benelux punches above its weight in innovation and digital maturity, with an advanced adoption rate of cloud technology (57% vs. EU 45%) and AI (43% vs. EU 33%). This technological prowess presents an opportunity for AWS. Leading companies across the region are already leveraging AWS to drive innovation and compete on a global scale. A study conducted in collaboration with Strand Partners revealed that if Dutch companies achieve 75% AI adoption by 2030, it could unlock a staggering €230 billion for the economy. The cloud is fundamental to unlocking this potential. Despite the region's digital maturity, approximately 70% of workloads remain on-premises, indicating substantial room for growth in cloud adoption.
The rise of transformative technologies like AI will drive growth as organisations leverage these new technologies to innovate on behalf of their customers. I'm optimistic about AWS's opportunities in the region, with our focus on delivering exceptional value and enabling customer success.
What’s your approach to leadership, and how do you motivate your team?
As a new leader in an organisation, I think the first important thing to do is to spend time listening. Understanding the team, customers and partners and learning about what has been working well and where there are opportunities to improve. As a leader, it is my role to set the vision and mission that the organisation can rally behind something greater, and then setting clear goals and priorities that are aligned with that vision and mission, then empowering my leaders to deliver the mission. It’s also important as a leader to break down siloes, create mechanisms to bring teams together as this is how we are able to deliver the best results on behalf of our customers; as well as building an inclusive environment where employees can bring their authentic selves to work.
What are you most looking forward to about living in the Netherlands?
I am looking forward to exploring and enjoying Amsterdam, especially spending some time exploring the city by boat. I also look forward to taking part in some of the city’s large events like Kings Day and Canal Pride in 2025. Moreover, Amsterdam is a thriving tech hub. Home to industry giants, innovative companies, and a buzzing startup scene, it is the ideal breeding ground for cross-sector collaborations and ground-breaking developments in AI, fintech, and health tech. I’m looking forward to embedding myself in this ecosystem and understanding the trends to see how we can best support our customers and partners in the region. The city is also a great hub to the rest of the world; I finally have a direct flight to my former home town of Boston.
What’s your favourite way to unwind after a busy day at work?
I love to end the day with a work-out and treasure the moments when I can spend some quality time with my family, by preparing and enjoying a nice meal together or by binge watching our favourite series.
What’s a fun fact about you that most people don’t know?
Even though I am American, I never worked in the U.S. - after I graduated from university, I started my career here in Europe, in Luxembourg.
