Claire Darley, Vice President EMEA at Adobe Express: How Courage, Curiosity & 'I Don’t Know' Got Me The Job

Episode Guest:

Claire Darley is the Vice President of Go to Market and Sales EMEA at Adobe, where she leads strategic initiatives across the region with a focus on transformation and customer-centric growth.

Episode Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction – Meet Claire Darley, VP at Adobe

1:24 Humble beginnings – Hairdressing in Scunthorpe

3:40 Moving to London & landing an IBM internship

6:05 “It starts with a yes” – Overcoming fear & embracing change

8:30 Acting before you're ready – Career risks & regrets

11:00 Feedback fear – Why we resist it & how to overcome

14:15 Being super coachable – Asking for feedback with intent

17:05 How to reject feedback professionally

19:40 The ‘salesman’s pause’ & power of silence

21:20 What makes a great salesperson – Curiosity & listening

24:15 Questions over answers – Lessons in leadership

27:10 Preparing for business reviews – Zooming out with insight

29:45 Starting at Adobe – 16 interviews & instant culture fit

32:05 Defining company culture – Kindness, clarity & consistency

34:30 Becoming an internal activist – Leading change at Adobe

36:55 Launching Adobe Express – Side hustle to scale-up

39:10 AI for everyone – Accessibility, provenance & ethics

41:30 Future of creativity – Levelling the playing field

43:00 Staying energised – Disruption, excitement & impact

45:10 Claire’s invisible success – Driving change & creating followship

47:15 What gets Claire out of bed – Her kids, West Ham & purpose

49:05 Closing reflections – Ruthless kindness & career mindset

Episode Partners

✈️ easyJet

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