“I joke that my sales career started in third grade.”
Door to door
Chris grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia, the son of two entrepreneurs who built their business side by side for more than twenty years.
He started selling as a boy, going door to door with Russell Stover candies and magazine subscriptions, and raising money for schools and churches along the way.
He was a competitor too. His athletic ability earned him two Division I scholarships at La Salle University, for basketball and for track and field.
The big deals
After a short spell running his own company, Chris decided he had a lot to learn. He joined EDS, the enterprise services company, to learn world class operations.
From there he went on to sell mega deals for some of the largest companies in the world, among them Hewlett Packard and DXC Technology, the company formed when CSC merged with HP’s enterprise services business.
One pursuit shaped how he leads. On a large opportunity with Coca-Cola his team submitted a proposal with mistakes in it, and the customer called them out. Chris took full accountability, the team raised its game, and it won the business.
“If I didn’t make that mistake, I don’t think we would have won.”Chris Donato, Exadel, 2026
The same side of the table
Chris believes that selling is about serving others and solving problems, and that done well it leads to a good outcome for everyone.
With his wife Donna, a procurement leader, he runs Move to the Same Side. At work they sit on opposite sides of the table, as seller and buyer. Their aim is to bring both sides round to the same one.
He later launched his own firm to help organisations improve sales performance. Then Michael Boustridge, with whom he had worked years before, asked him to help at Exadel, where he is now Chief Revenue Officer. He says what brought him back was simple: “The people.”
A builder by nature
Chris says the most rewarding part of his work is teaching. He likes to say that his superpower is seeing the superpowers in others, and he puts real time into the next generation of sales talent.
He leads from the front and stays close to the work. He takes his lead from stoic thinking, and from books such as The Obstacle Is the Way, treating every setback as something to learn from.
He is part of the Group Partners Expert Network. He turns strategy into a commercial rhythm that teams can trust, and helps leaders get everyone on the same side of the table.
The path
From door to door to the boardroom.
- Philadelphia
Grows up in a family of entrepreneurs, selling door to door from third grade.
- La Salle
Two Division I athletic scholarships, in basketball and in track and field.
- First venture
Runs his own company, then joins EDS to learn world class operations.
- Enterprise
Sells mega deals for Hewlett Packard and DXC Technology.
- Same Side
Starts Move to the Same Side with his wife Donna.
- Own firm
Launches a firm to help organisations improve sales performance.
- Now
Chief Revenue Officer at Exadel.
In his own words
“My superpower is seeing the superpowers in others.”
“Honestly, things very rarely go as planned.”
“You have to have one foot in today and one foot in tomorrow.”
“I’m a builder by nature.”
“Stay curious.”