Presales
Presales is making complex solutions look simple. I work with clients to peel back the layers of what they actually need, then shape solutions that are innovative and immediately useful — with impact you can measure.
Technical consulting · Presales leadership · EMEA
Making complex solutions feel simple.
I’m Catharina Michels — technical consulting leader at Workday and a presales engineer at heart. I help enterprise teams across EMEA see exactly how cloud software and AI will work for them, before they commit to it.
Stations so far
- optibus
- TRUMPF
Three lines I run on
Where I do my best work
Management
A motivated team beats a managed one. I build open, collaborative teams where people own their work, and give them the guidance and cover to aim high — and hit it.
Cloud & SaaS sales
Staying ahead in SaaS means understanding where a customer’s industry is going, not just where it is. I build long-term partnerships over short-term wins, so today’s strategy becomes tomorrow’s breakthrough.
Experience, read as a line map
The route so far
-
Manager Technical Consulting · Workday
Leading technical consulting for enterprise HR and finance in the cloud — helping global organizations get real value out of Workday.
-
Group Manager Presales Engineering EMEA
Owned end-to-end presales across EMEA. Set solution design standards tied to revenue targets, and carried go-to-market for new products and acquisitions.
-
Team Lead Presales Engineering EMEA
Built and led a high-performing presales engineering team focused on complex enterprise accounts and strategic value engagements.
-
Solutions & Presales Engineer EMEA
Led technical presales on 25+ projects in 10+ countries, and trained and onboarded customers from first call to go-live.
-
DE
Hapag-Lloyd · TRUMPF · bonprix
Supply chain and commercial roles across container shipping, industrial machinery, and e-commerce.
-
HH
M.Sc. Supply Chain Management & Marketing
Coursework in machine learning and computer-based planning.
-
MS
B.Sc. Business Administration & Economics
Operations, empirical research, and innovation management.
On stage
Sharing what makes presales teams excel
In May 2024 I gave several lectures at UITP — the international association of public transport — on what made my presales engineering group excel. Rooms like this, full of tech leaders, whiteboards, and hard questions, are my natural habitat.
Core competencies
What I bring to the table
- Technical sales & presales
- Selling and implementing complex cloud solutions with enterprise clients.
- AI & ML fluency
- Deep working knowledge of AI and machine learning — and where they actually pay off.
- Value consulting
- Finding the high-impact features and proving their value in the customer’s numbers.
- Strategic thinking
- Spotting opportunities, shaping go-to-market, influencing product roadmaps.
- Relationship building
- Earning trust with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders.
- Team leadership
- Building presales teams that beat their targets without burning out.
Next stop
Let’s talk about where you’re headed.
If your organization is weighing cloud technology or AI — or you just want to compare notes on presales — I’d love to hear from you.