Nuvei Voices: Meet Zoe Bennett

When it comes to building high-performing sales development teams, Zoe Bennett believes success begins with understanding people as individuals. Based in London and leading Nuvei’s EMEA SDR team, she has driven measurable growth by tailoring her leadership skills to each person - how they work best, what motivates them, and how they want to grow in their careers.

From start-ups to global scale

Beginning her career at start-ups taught Zoe to move quickly and adapt constantly. While she valued the energy and pace, she wanted a new kind of challenge: applying what she'd learned to a business operating at true global scale.

Over the years, she developed a passion for the intersection of strategy and people development - identifying prospects, crafting messaging, and building teams that consistently open doors to meaningful sales conversations. Nuvei's global footprint, diverse markets, and complex product offering created the perfect platform for her to bring both sides together.

"Joining Nuvei offered something I hadn't experienced before - working across regions, with complex products, and collaborating with colleagues all over the world. Payments power so many industries globally, and even small improvements can have a meaningful impact."

A leadership philosophy built around individuals

Leading a team of six SDRs across EMEA, Zoe puts individuality at the centre of her leadership. She invests time in truly understanding each team member - their strengths, their motivations, and what support they need to do their best work. Some thrive on competitive energy, others through deep research and strategic planning. Her approach is simple: lead people as individuals, not just as a team.

“I don't believe in one-size-fits-all leadership. Understanding what motivates each person - and what support they personally need - makes all the difference in how they perform and grow."

By celebrating the big and small wins, recognising effort, and creating a safe space to test new approaches, she builds a team culture that stays energised, collaborative, and resilient.

Opening doors across a diverse region

EMEA is one of the most dynamic regions at Nuvei, spanning different languages, markets, buying expectations, and product use cases. Zoe works closely with sales leadership to understand regional priorities, identify what's performing well, and determine where her team should focus their efforts.

By staying close to sales, asking questions, and remaining flexible in their approach, her team ensures they are opening doors to the right conversations with the right prospects. It's equal parts strategy and relationship-building.

"Staying close to our sales leaders and being flexible in our approach is essential. It ensures we're not just generating activity - we're opening doors to the right conversations with the right prospects."

Supporting career progression

Career development is a meaningful part of Zoe's role. The SDR path can lead into sales, marketing, operations, customer success or leadership - and she takes pride in helping people define and pursue the route that inspires them most.

She starts by understanding what each person wants, then works with them to build the skills they'll need next: deeper discovery, stronger storytelling, running projects, presenting to wider teams, or mentoring new joiners.

"I believe in practising the next role before you step into it. Hands-on experience builds confidence in ways training alone can't."

When people get hands-on experience before making their next move, they transition with more confidence and the function benefits from their growing expertise along the way.

Thriving in a connected, global culture

Zoe meets with her team several times a week and collaborates closely with colleagues across Product Marketing and ABM, as well as SDR managers in regions worldwide.

"People at Nuvei are always willing to jump on a call or share insights. That's what makes a global organisation feel genuinely connected."

The London office energy adds to that culture. With three in-office days a week, my team and I can run live calls together, give feedback, and celebrate wins. Zoe also loves being next to Covent Garden - the team are foodies, and quality time often involves exploring new lunch spots!

Saying yes to the unexpected

Before joining Nuvei, Zoe took a year to travel. Her favourite destination wasn't even on her original itinerary - Brazil. While travelling through Latin America, she met people who mentioned Carnival in Rio de Janeiro was a few weeks away. She immediately said yes and added it to her itinerary.  

That willingness to adapt and try new things shows up in how she leads. No two days look the same, strategies evolve, and she's energized by that.

"I get to coach talented people, test new strategies, and see the impact quickly. Helping people grow while opening the right doors - that's what makes it rewarding."

Interested in a career at Nuvei? See our vacancies here.

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