A little over a year ago, I packed my digital suitcase and joined DeepL as Head of Performance Marketing and Customer Lifecycle.
And truthfully? I’ve been packing a real suitcase almost every week since.
That’s because my two amazing boys, Nico and Edo, live in Italy. Being away from them is, without a doubt, the hardest part of this chapter. Every trip back, every airport gate, every video call is a reminder of how much I miss them—and how deeply I love them. They are my compass, my daily reminder of what really matters, and the reason I pour my heart into everything I do.
So this past year hasn’t just been about taking on a new role at a fast-growing tech company. It’s been about navigating distance, building resilience, and learning how to lead with purpose—even when part of your heart is somewhere else.
And professionally? It’s been one of the most exciting, humbling, and growth-filled journeys of my career.
🚀 From Zero to DeepL
Joining DeepL felt like being handed the keys to a high-performance vehicle mid-race. The company is growing fast, the mission is bold, and the talent here is next-level. My role? To bring clarity, strategy, and impact to all things performance marketing and customer lifecycle—from acquisition to retention, and everything in between.
Sounds straightforward, right? Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.
🛣️ Roadblocks, Pivots, and Breakthroughs
In my first few weeks, I realized two things:
- DeepL is unlike anywhere I’ve worked before.
- There’s no playbook for what we’re trying to do.
We’re operating at a global scale, across dozens of markets, languages, and cultures (and that’s common or maybe not that common). But performance channels that “usually work” didn’t always behave as expected. Strategies that looked great on slides didn’t always survive contact with the real world.
And yet—that’s exactly what made it exciting.
We’ve had to rethink attribution. Rebuild our approach to testing. Say goodbye to vanity metrics and embrace actionable insights. And of course, learn how to make room for long-term brand building in a fast-paced performance world.
🌍 Culture Shock (The Good Kind)
DeepL is a deeply international company—both in product and people. We collaborate across borders, time zones, and work styles. And while that brings incredible creativity and perspective, it also challenged me to rethink how I communicate, lead, and prioritize.
Here are a few things I learned the hard (but rewarding) way:
Speed isn’t everything. Precision and thoughtfulness often win here (although I am not a fanatic of perfection, I’d rather be quick than perfect)
“Yes” doesn’t always mean agreement. Cultural nuance is real, and listening is a superpower (I master this superpower over the years and I can now say I am super listener)
Leadership is multilingual. Not just in language, but in empathy, context, and motivation.
💡 A Few Wins I’m Proud Of
While we’re just getting started, there have been some moments worth celebrating:
Built a new performance marketing framework to scale across key global markets.
Launched (few hiccups here to be honest) a lifecycle strategy focused on meaningful value and retention.
Collaborated across multiple functions like product, comms, field, finance and data teams to bring marketing closer to the customer.
Helped foster a culture of experimentation, learning, and smart risk-taking.
💬 Final Thought: It's Not About the Channels
One year in, here’s my biggest takeaway: the magic isn’t in the platforms, budgets, or dashboards—it’s in the people. DeepL is filled with curious, humble, wickedly smart humans who care deeply about making communication better for everyone.
And being a part of that? It’s something I’m really, really grateful for.
Here’s to year two—more learning, more building, and definitely more coffee.
