First-hand accounts.
Here are recommendations written by people who worked with me directly, mostly during my decade at Google leading global Marketing and Online Partnerships across four continents. Some reported to me. Others were peers. All of them chose to write something about working with me.
Hye In Kim
APAC Growth Lead, Google Play Games at Google
“Simon naturally has all the great things that are expected for great managers so it was not surprising to see him receiving the top scores every time in his manager feedback survey at Google. Simon is extremely good at people managing. He cares about people very much and he also knows how to push people beyond their comfort zone at the same time so that they can learn and grow. I was lucky to have him as my manager. He does not micro-manage but he knows where and how to direct people so that the team can achieve the goal more efficiently. He is always ready to support and listen. This gives his team a lot of confidence and flexibility to try out new things. I've also accomplished many new things under his leadership and I think it would not have been the same without him. I would highly recommend Simon if any of you are looking for an excellent team manager and a person who can drive innovation.”
Relationship: Reported to Simon at Google, where he was global Head of SMB Marketing.
About Hye In: 17 years at Google in Seoul, currently APAC Growth Lead for Google Play Games Go-To-Market. MS Marketing, Yonsei University. Marketing degree, The Wharton School.
Maiko Fujita
Consumer Marketing Manager at Meta
“Simon had led the team by showing clear vision and goals (short-term and long-term), always giving actionable feedback and pointing us back to the right direction when needed. It was also very helpful that he introduced us to various people that he knew to get inspirations and new ideas. He has been always a big supporter for personal carrier development helping us laying out milestones and coming up with action items to get there.”
Relationship: Reported to Simon at Google, where he was global Head of SMB Marketing.
About Maiko: Now Consumer Marketing Manager at Meta in Singapore, with 10+ years in tech marketing across Japan, Southeast Asia, and the United States.
Pratik V Udeshi
Head of Amazon Ads, Asia-Pacific at Amazon
“Simon and I have worked together on revamping Online Help Resources. Simon has very good communication skills and is very collaborative in nature. He has displayed these skills on the various global initiatives that we worked on - making sure that all stakeholders were always kept in the loop. Simon also has very good product knowledge and displays an amazing sense of ownership towards all his projects. He comes across as a very friendly and approachable person and is someone who will be an asset to any organization.”
Relationship: Worked alongside Simon as a peer at Google in Dublin, partnering on revamping Online Help Resources.
About Pratik: Now Head of Amazon Ads for Asia-Pacific, based in India. Built multi-billion-dollar digital ecosystems across Amazon and Google, including founding-team work on Amazon Financial Services.
Natalia Niznik
Co-founder at Zanzibar White Sand Luxury Villas & Spa
“Simon has been my mentor throughout my 3.5 years at Google and throughout this time, he has been an exemple of professionalism, intelligence, patience and an incredible trainer. I learned a lot from Simon, as he has always been pushing his reportees to greater challenges and successes. Apart from his managing abilities, he is also extremely hard-working, organized and creative, and a great colleague. It is truly a pleasure to work with him”
Relationship: Reported to Simon for 3.5 years at Google in Dublin, where he was her manager and mentor.
About Natalia: Co-developer of a family-owned luxury boutique resort in Tanzania. Former Google EMEA. BBA, ESSEC Business School. Post-BA, University of California, Berkeley.
Amelia Walkley
Product Marketing Leader & AI-Powered Creative Innovator, Independent
“Simon was my manager for 2.5 years in the Online Partnerships Group at Google, first hosting me in Singapore on a short term assignment which turned quickly into a career move for me with Simon's advocacy and support. Simon is fantastic to work with and brings a diverse skill set across communication, technical and management. As a manager Simon always empowered the team fully. He gave me the space to carve out my own project ideas and see them through to completion which was very rewarding. Nevertheless he was always available to coach and mentor me through challenges I encountered along the way. Simon was also very supportive of my personal and career development, and we had regular discussions about my goals and planned together on how to meet them. Simon was also the global functional lead for Scalable Marketing Solutions. He played a vital role in setting the vision for the team as well as organizing and resourcing the team to set us up for success.”
Relationship: Reported to Simon for 2.5 years at Google's Online Partnerships Group in Singapore.
About Amelia: Independent product marketing leader and founder of The Dream You Company, helping entrepreneurs build AI-powered visual brand systems. 13+ years in B2B product marketing across the full Google Ads suite. Based in Australia.
Ayako Kurokawa
Independent Management Consultant, Kurokawa Ayako Consulting
“Simon is great project leader for multi-cultural team. Holding a bigger picture, he offers solutions which solve not only one country's problem but multi countries' problem. He communicates openly and efficiently so that his work is fast and reliable which are crucial skills for multi-countries' team. In addition, his style is always inviting to questions and expressing appreciation for them. I certainly would recommend him for multi-countries'/cultures' team and for any projects related to online communication.”
Relationship: Reported to Simon at Google, where he was global Head of SMB Marketing.
About Ayako: Independent management consultant in Tokyo with 15+ years across global tech companies and startups, including Google and Amazon.