Simon Dale, who is the Managing Director, Southeast Asia (SEA) & Korea for Adobe probably does not have an easy job. Besides managing a large region that has hundreds of languages and a very diverse set of economies and businesses, he has to cover a lot of different people.
If you don’t know the company, you probably clicked on this article by accident. Adobe is one of the most recognisable brands for technology, creativity and more. The company is known for the Creative Suite (photoshop and more), but is also a leader in workplace automation tools as well.
How does he do it? Well, to find out what tools he uses to manage his team, we had him share his tech stack with us. As a respected leader in the industry, Simon has over three decades of professional experience in the technology sector, including twenty years in Asia Pacific. His career has spanned software development, sales management, and executive leadership at both start-ups and large corporations.
Prior to Adobe, Simon held senior roles at MapR and SAP where he established and scaled new businesses across the region, and gained deep and practical understanding of the software and cloud services business.
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Since February 2022, Simon has extended his leadership to the Korean market to drive Adobe’s Korea and SEA businesses across Adobe Experience Cloud, Creative Cloud and Document Cloud.
Simon also currently chairs the ASEAN committee on the board of the US-ASEAN Business Council, and sits on the advisory board of the Nanyang Polytechnic School of IT. He is an active mentor and angel investor in multiple start-ups, and also a mentor and coach to early talent through Mentorshub.
Simon graduated from Middlesex University with a Master’s Degree in Sales Management and Sales Transformation, and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computing Science from Staffordshire University. He also recently completed the Singapore Management University SID-SMU Directorship Program.
Microsoft Office for everyday work tools (Paid and free)
Microsoft Office is an everyday tool at work, particularly applications like Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, for daily work management and communication with my team, customers, and partners. My team and I rely on Microsoft Office as a trusted tool for any productivity-related work items that require collaboration, including planning, forecasting, and even basic communication over email.
It is a suite of intuitive applications that many are accustomed to since a young age, which makes it accessible for everyone on the team, as little onboarding is required.
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) & Adobe Sign for better document collaboration (Free)
PDF is my go-to tool when it comes to secure document collaboration. My job requires me to sign agreements on the go, with our customers, partners, and suppliers. Adobe Acrobat and Sign are very user friendly and reliable options as they are compatible with most systems. More importantly, they simplify complicated security and collaboration processes with their in-built streamlined feedback and auto-complete functions.
Last but not least, I can easily optimize any document and compress it to a manageable size for sharing via email or a hyperlink.
Streamline internal communication with Microsoft Teams (Paid)
I value the time that I spend with my team every day, whether it’s in-person, virtual, or a hybrid meeting or gathering. With team members located across Southeast Asia and Korea, I’m used to connecting with them virtually. While I sometimes travel to Malaysia, Thailand, and Korea for business, I spend most of my time in Singapore, during which Microsoft Teams plays a big part in bridging any communication needs.
Microsoft Teams has been a staple application for team management especially since the pandemic began. Before 2020, I could easily arrange an in-person chat or meeting in the office, but since then, I have had to count on digital platforms like Microsoft Teams to speak with my team members. Even now, with hybrid working arrangements, virtual meetings are set up for team members who are working from home.
Specifically in Singapore, we have a unique “Kampong Spirit,” which embraces the community spirit that is rooted in local heritage and fosters inclusivity. We regularly celebrate wins and share updates via a regular Kampung bulletin that is circulated across departments. During the COVID-19 lockdown, we held quarterly “Kampung Perhimpunan” gatherings over Teams to celebrate the team’s achievements.
Build better workflows with Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) (Paid)
Within Adobe, we use the AEM to manage a wide variety of digital content and assets, and to streamline analytics workflows for various platforms. It powers our own intranet and learning management system (LMS) plus manages hundreds of millions of visitors to more than 65 of our websites, enabling us to serve both our internal and external stakeholders with the best digital experience.
Our recent collaboration with Microsoft also seeks to improve business processes and intelligent automation with Adobe Experience Manager Forms, which is now easily connected to Power Automate to provide a simplified, time-saving business workflow. When it comes to signing forms and other action items such as reviewing, approving, and notifying the appropriate stakeholder, the integration of essential features will ensure a more effective collaboration.
The continuous expansion of our partnership ecosystem shows our commitment to ensure the most efficient and productive workplace system for our customers, partners, and businesses.
LinkedIn for network building and talent recruitment (Free and paid)
LinkedIn allows me to connect, communicate and stay informed with my professional network built up over many years. It allows me to nurture professional relationships as every achievement and every job movement is a cause for celebration – the engagement functions are a good way to connect with everyone in my network.
More than just a platform for engagement and talent recruitment, LinkedIn also features insights from different networks and connections. I enjoy reading about different perspectives on the same topic, which allows me to learn on the go. The site keeps me apprised of any industry developments, which is extremely important in a world where information and knowledge move at record speed.