Saildrone is excited to announce the addition of Tom Foldesi as Chief Revenue Officer, managing global sales, business development, partnerships, and marketing. With more than 25 years of strategic sales experience in the commercial and public sectors, and deep expertise in leveraging channel and ecosystem partnerships, Foldesi will be an important asset to the Saildrone team.

“I am delighted to welcome Tom to the Saildrone team,” said Richard Jenkins, Saildrone Founder & CEO. “He brings a wealth of experience, from defence to enterprise sales, and is perfectly suited to building the commercial side of the company, as we experience explosive growth in multiple sectors.”

Foldesi comes to Saildrone from DataStax, where, as SVP of Global Partner Sales, he built and led the team that managed the company’s partner ecosystem sales. As Director of Commercial Engagement for the Defence Innovation Unit in the Department of Defense, Foldesi led the development of the ecosystem engagement model that provided the DoD with direct and rapid access to proven commercial technologies. DIU’s engagement model continues to be one of the most effective connections between DoD and best-in-class commercial technology.

Prior to DIU, Foldesi held multiple executive roles at LVMH and Intel. In these roles, he led global sales and strategic business development organizations across multiple initiatives and industries, including digital transformation, mobile, and IoT.

“I have long admired Saildrone’s ethos, customer focus, and the revolutionary data capabilities that the company offers. It is an honour to join a world-class team on this mission,” said Foldesi. “Saildrone’s technology is critical to scientific research, commercial use cases, and global security. I am dedicated to partnering with our customers globally to ensure that they continue to realize strategic value from our products and services.”

Earlier in his career, Foldesi served honourably in the United States Navy as a SEAL officer. He holds a BS in Quantitative Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

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