Founder
Damian Buckley
Founder | Partnerships & Practical AI
Damian is a founder of CoLab Works, with a focus on partnerships and practical AI.
Professional introduction
My career has centred on building relationships, developing teams and helping businesses grow. I’ve worked across Australia, Ireland and the UK, leading business development teams serving markets across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Through leadership roles with Groupon, Salesforce/Tableau and HubSpot, I’ve worked closely with sales, marketing and operational teams to understand customers, develop opportunities and turn plans into results. People development has been a consistent part of that work. I’ve recruited and built teams, designed coaching programmes and supported people to progress into new roles and leadership responsibilities. At CoLab Works, my focus is on partnerships and practical AI: understanding what organisations need, connecting people and ideas, and exploring how technology can make everyday work more effective. I also write BiTS — Breaking into Tech Sales, a Substack sharing practical guidance for people starting and building a career in tech sales. Drawing on my experience leading and coaching teams, I cover everything from preparing for interviews and choosing the right employer to finding your feet in a first role.
Areas of expertise
Partnerships and relationship development | Business development and growth | Team leadership and coaching | Sales and marketing collaboration | Practical AI adoption
Relevant professional experience
I bring more than 20 years of experience building and leading business development teams, from recruiting and onboarding new colleagues to coaching established teams across international markets. At HubSpot and Salesforce/Tableau, my work has combined growth planning, campaign development, performance reporting and close collaboration across sales and marketing. I’ve also created development programmes to help team members build their skills and progress in their careers. More recently, I’ve led the introduction of AI tools into everyday business development activities, including research, prospecting and customer engagement. This has involved exploring tools such as Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini, testing their usefulness and supporting teams to incorporate them into their work. That experience informs my interest in helping organisations move from curiosity about AI to practical, considered use.
How I approach my work
I start with a conversation: what are you trying to achieve, where are things getting stuck and what would make a useful difference? Building relationships means listening, understanding different priorities and following through. Whether I’m developing a partnership or coaching a team, I look for shared goals and clear next steps. I take the same approach to technology. I’m interested in where it can save time, improve the quality of work and give people more space to use their judgement and skills. People need the opportunity to try things, ask questions and build confidence as they learn. For me, progress comes through strong relationships, practical support and helping people see what is possible.