The Sales Technology Podcast · David Dulany

Exploring Growth Operations and the Future of SDR with Anton Lenke

·49 min

David Delaney opens with Anton Lenke. Anton is Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Global Director of Growth for AI, and the conversation moves from the neon-backed video setup into how growth teams actually work. The pace stays brisk. Anton talks about the mix of art and science in his background, while David keeps steering the talk toward what that means for SDRs, marketing, and growth operations in practice. The show stays practical. Anton says the makeup of future sales development teams will likely change, with more operations focus and more people who can bridge data, systems, and frontline execution. That point lands clearly. He also says some of that work may swing back under marketing, since marketing is already one of the most leveraged functions in a company. The host leans into that idea. Anton explains that the real shift is not just about where a team sits on the org chart, but about how it supports people as they move through a buying journey. That matters. He pushes back on the old factory model of marketing, SDRs, sales, and customer success passing work down a straight line. The conversation does not treat that model kindly. Anton says real buying paths are messier now, with loops, committees, and people trying different things before they ever land on a short list. That is the better frame. He says growth should be organized around how people discover problems and move toward a solution, not around neat internal silos. The point keeps coming back. He warns against chucking things into the wood chipper and hoping something useful comes out. The image sticks. Instead, he argues for understanding where someone is in their journey and mapping the next useful step. That is the operating idea. David keeps pressing for a concrete read on what this means for SDR leaders and growth teams. Anton responds by stressing alignment and specialization rather than one-size-fits-all work. He also notes that his team includes people with different backgrounds, including a former data scientist who helps bridge the gap. The episode closes with Anton offering templates and inviting listeners to share their own thoughts. The final note is collaborative rather than polished.

As heard by us

A practical look at growth operations inside sales development.

Anton Lenke and David Delaney talk through growth operations as it shows up inside modern sales development, with HPE as the anchor point. Anton's role sits across marketing, SDR, and growth, and the conversation keeps returning to how teams are actually split up today, how…

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Why you'd press play

Hear how growth ops may reshape SDR work at HPE.

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