Meet the
Skale team

Italo Viale is the co-founder of Skale, a company specializing in scaling demand generation for B2B SaaS businesses through performance-driven Search Marketing.

He has been working in the SEO industry for 5+ years. He grew and led another search marketing agency’s hyper-growth at different stages and countries during this time. He worked with +120 SEO clients from all industries, including top brands such as Danone, Shopify, Glovo, and Typeform.

Additionally, he co-created and scaled a WP themes business and an SEO online course from €0 to €1.5M ARR.

He has been a guest speaker at top-level European universities like Universitat Ramon Lull (Blanquerna), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, and the National University of Ireland Galway. (Open to new speaking opportunities!)

When he is not meeting great people at unique brands and working through strategic models with his co-founder, he enjoys traveling, training, biking, and Barcelona’s fantastic views.

See Italo’s LinkedIn

Jake taught himself SEO in 2009 out of necessity. After coding online apps to break down language barriers, he needed to find a way to drive new user acquisition at scale. After reading books on SEO, joining online communities, and learning from trial and error, he scaled this venture to 5M+ unique visitors.

In 2015 he joined Typeform where he built and led the Growth Marketing function, growing the team from himself to 12 people, spanning across SEO, PPC, and CRO. He scaled the SEO channel from 0 signups to more than 30,000 per month. As a result, Typeform was able to scale from $1M ARR-> $25M ARR and raise a Series B of $35M

After, he joined $100M Series C SaaS TravelPerk as Head of Demand Generation. He scaled demand, for a 100-person sales team, utilising an array of demand channels including SEO, Paid Search, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, CRO, content marketing and email marketing.

Apart from his in-house SaaS experience, he has also consulted for top SaaS brands such as HotJar and spoke at numerous online & offline industry events.

Jake’s now dedicated to helping other SaaS companies scale MRR through building a high-impact, performance-driven SEO channel that gets results.

See Jake’s LinkedIn

Currently living on a farm in rural England, Ben has spent the last 6 years of his life in the SEO trenches. At Skale, he spends his time mentoring the Tech and Content teams , tweaking deliverables and championing best-in-class SEO.

With an early background in copywriting, graphic design and front-end-development, he has formed a unique, user-centric approach to SEO that has led him to work for some of the biggest brands in the UK.

Away from the desk, Ben is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor, an amateur guitarist, an extremely amateur golfer, and best friend to Coleman, the world’s happiest Golden Retriever.

See Ben’s LinkedIn

Leah currently lives in Cape Town, South Africa and has been working in content marketing for the past few years with a variety of clients across a range of niches. She started off in content creation with a knack for writing and has developed a deep curiosity for SEO and its potential and power in growth marketing.
When she’s not at work she’s traveling, exploring the hiking trails, or has a nose in a book.

Gemma is from Edinburgh, Scotland and has been working within HR and Talent Acquisition teams for the last 9 years.  She has excellent interpersonal skills and enjoys connecting with new people, and she is always on the lookout for talented people to join Skale!  In her spare time, she enjoys exploring the outdoors with her dog, travelling to various countries, and trying out new foods!

Chloe is based in her hometown of Lebanon, but is moving to Barcelona in late 2021! Having worked for 2 years in B2B machine sales, and as a Social Media Consultant for a startup e-commerce fashion company, Chloe joined Skale as a Growth Advisor. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her pug, and socialising with friends.

Sarah was born in the UK, but has lived in the US and South America. After graduating with a first-class degree in English Literature & Creative Writing, she worked as an editor, copywriter, and team lead in the wellness industry. She has a passion for SEO and creating top-notch content and joined Skale as a Junior Content SEO Specialist to help clients reach and surpass their goals.When she’s away from her desk, you’ll find Sarah tucked away in a corner reading, researching, and writing about different topics from history to food and music.

Alex started out as a content creator but soon realised she has a deep interest in SEO and problem solving. She loves projects that allow growth, creativity and working with others, and is always on the lookout for ways to improve her craft and stay up-to-date on current trends in SEO. She has joined Skale as an SEO Content Specialist! Alex’s home-base is in South Africa, but she loves traveling around the globe, eating new foods, teaching yoga and meeting new people. 

Originally from Venezuela, Daniel has 2 years SEO experience and is currently studying a Masters degree in Management & Marketing. Having previously worked in Sales, Daniel discovered his passion lies in Marketing and he is excited to be working as a Link Building Specialist and diving deeper into the industry. In his spare time, you’ll find him travelling, playing guitar, and watching football – particularly Barcelona FC!

Pat began his digital marketing career as a copywriting intern. After discovering SEO, he moved over to an agency that specialized in it. There, he developed organic campaigns for a variety of B2B and B2C clients while managing the agency’s link building and content departments. Having joined Skale as an SEO Growth Strategist, Pat spends his time creating impactful strategies for innovative SaaS companies. Outside of work, Pat can be found exercising, ice skating and watering his large indoor plant collection! 🙂

Stevan started his SEO journey in December of 2016. Since then, he has worked with various marketing agencies and development companies, crafting both his SEO and general marketing skills. In that period, Stevan helped different brands improve their online visibility and grow their business. He likes to spend his spare time with his children in the great outdoors!

With a background in teaching English after gaining her Masters degree, Julijana got into SEO through Content writing and is now passionate about Link Building. In her spare time, she studies Graphic Design, and she loves grasping any opportunity to learn something new!

Currently based in Macedonia, Ana is an ambitious Outreach Specialist! She began her digital marketing journey in 2020, and enjoys grasping every opportunity she can to upskill. Prior to joining Skale, she worked as an Outreach Specialist with clients across Europe and the US. Outside of work, Ana enjoys reading, trying out new foods, and watching TV series!

Ricard is an Industrial Engineer from Barcelona and enthusiast of the startup world. With 5+ years of fast paced operations experience, he likes to automate systems, understand the whys behind the numbers and see the big picture of every business.

When he is not at his desk, you can find him with his friends, playing padel, surfing or snowboarding, depending on the time of the year!

Maja is bringing the best of both worlds – her experience in Off-Page SEO as a Link Building Manager, and her passion to help people grow as a Recruiter. Her experience in these fields is as old as the pandemic, and previously, she lived and worked in Dubai for 5 years, handling People and Operations for upscale restaurants. She is also a certified personal trainer and sommelier. 

Maja possess a unique set of empathy, understanding and patience, that helped her scale throughout her career. As she loves to say, she gravitates around her PC, the gym and the mountains. You can find her lifting weights on a Friday night and hiking around Macedonia on Saturday morning. 

Darko is an ambitious Link Building Specialist, currently based in Macedonia! He has been
working with various niche clients by planning and building links, helping them to achieve
their Off-Page SEO goals. In his spare time, he is eager to learn more On-Page and Off-Page SEO, as well as improve his Link Building knowledge. When he’s not working, he enjoys riding his bike, taking long walks and recharging his batteries!

Ivana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from NYC and a Master’s degree in Supply Chain Logistics from the UK. Working in finance appeals to her for a number of reasons, one of which is the fast-paced and challenging nature of the industry. 

Ivana loves learning new things and teaching herself new skills. Outside work, Ivana enjoys spending time with her two dogs, being outdoors with family and friends, and traveling.

Donna is Irish but living in France. She has been writing professionally since 2017, but personally since the tender age of 13. She has been working remotely primarily as a content writer and editor/proofreader, managing teams and diving deeper into the fabulous world of SEO. She eats books for breakfast, drinks copious amounts of tea, and enjoys days out with her kids and hubby. 

Born and bred in Cape Town, South Africa, Stuart has joined the SEO Growth Strategy team at Skale to deliver exceptional results for clients. Stuart offers over 10 years of SEO and digital marketing experience in managing strategies for SMEs and large corporations.

He focuses on client development by devising strategies to build on client strengths while addressing shortcomings for sustainable growth. When he’s not at his desk, you’ll find Stuart playing board games, getting out in the mountains or simply staying in with a good book or movie.

Gus currently lives in Cape Town, South Africa and has been in the digital marketing landscape for over 11 years. He has worked across multiple niches.

Gus was going to be an accountant before the SEO bug bit, and took him on a whole new journey into the world of digital. Gus has been focused on creating and implementing successful SEO strategies backed by data. 

Aside from digital, Gus is a father of three, lover of photography, coffee and, of course, Apple (the company). 

Vera lives in Belgrade Serbia and has been doing Off-page link building for a little over 2 years.

Before joining Skale, she used to do outreach and link-building for clients who had Amazon Affiliate Sites. She is an outside-of-a-box thinker and loves finding out new ways to get backlinks.

Besides work she loves to spend her days outside in the sun, having a cup of coffee. Vera is also super passionate about electronic music and she doesn’t leave a house without her beats, loves watching Netflix and HBO TV shows, and has a senior cat named Zeljko.

Maria is a Journalist and comes from Venezuela. She has been working in areas such as Corporate Communications, Marketing, SaaS Sales and Customer Service for more than 5 years. She begin her SEO journey in 2022 as an Outreach & Link Building Specialist.

Maria is creative, detail-oriented and passionate about the digital world, loves connecting with new people and staying up to date with the latest marketing trends.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, working out, watching YouTube videos and trying out new beauty products. She’s also a tea lover and is always happy to have great conversations and a good laugh.

Elena is a self-taught SEO specialist with 10+ years of experience in the field, currently based in Macedonia. She has hands-on experience with content writing and optimization, Tech SEO, On-Page SEO, and Off-Page SEO, with the last two being her true passion – hence her role as an Outreach Specialist at Skale.

When she’s not working, she likes to enjoy the simple life: a Sunday lunch with friends and/or family, petting stray cats and dogs at her favorite local bar, or spending the day curled up in bed and watching true crime, thriller, and comedy series.

Stanislava has been officially in the world of SEO since 2016 when she started as a link builder. Since then, she was on different sides of the SEO process, from writing to outreach. Met a lot of mythical creatures along the way – from white-hat SEO wizards to the elusive missing links. Passion and creativity are included in the package and they are not sold separately.

Personal skills checklist:
– Innovative and creative
– Great sense of humor
– Great dancer, dancing to the rhythm of Google algorithm!

Full-time comedian for friends and colleagues, a part-time fantasy writer, and an all-time nerd.

Ljupka is a creative and curious individual who discovered the world of SEO through her passion for content writing. Drawn to the challenge of link-building, she quickly found her niche as an LB specialist and has been honing her skills for the past 10 months.

Based in Kumanovo, Ljupka enjoys spending time with her child, exploring the great outdoors through hiking, and indulging in all types of series and shows, with a particular love for dark comedy, fantasy, and science fiction genres. A fast learner who thrives on challenges, Ljupka is excited to embark on the next stage of her Outreach journey.

Emma is a Marketing Lead at Skale. Her extensive experience includes digital marketing, inbound marketing, marketing strategy and management. She has worked for different types of companies such as: PR, digital advertising agencies, cultural centers and non-governmental organizations. Emilija is passionate about building effective strategies and creating meaningful bonds that allow the company to thrive with its marketing efforts. 

In her spare time, she loves being outdoors, riding a bike, travelling, singing and writing poems. 

Lauren is based in Cape Town, South Africa and has a travel background. While working in the travel industry, she learnt how important it was for companies to feature on search engines. She decided to study further and pursue her career in digital marketing in 2020. Lauren first started her digital marketing career in E-commerce and has since gained valuable Off-Page SEO experience while working at Skale.   

When she’s not working, you can find Lauren exploring hidden gems in and around Cape Town. She loves being outdoors in nature and near to the ocean.  

Based out of Belgrade – Serbia, Toni has worked across numerous industries with the bulk of his experience being in Sales offering SaaS solutions. His transition to sales has been a natural one as it was always a passion of him and he thoroughly enjoys helping clients achieve success and make the right decisions for them.
Toni also takes great satisfaction from coaching people and leading teams and seeing people perform at their best which motivates him to always strive to do the same. He is a very family-oriented person and he takes great joy in sports, particularly boxing which he also coaches during his spare time.

Kate-Lyn’s our Senior Editorial Lead, and is based out of Gqeberha, South Africa. With her roots in Journalism, Kate-Lyn promotes content that’s research-led, storied and makes an impact. After more than ten years in the industry, she’s now focused on building and overseeing our new editorial department and content creation service, and develops value-driven content for our clients. She’s also an enthusiastic hobbyist, reader and DIYer.

Jan lives in Kumanovo, Macedonia, and has been doing link-building for various clients for over a year.

He started working as a Link Building Specialist and quickly progressed in the role, utilizing various resources and “out of the box” approaches. Jan sees himself as a creative individual with an analytical mindset, who loves challenges, learning new things, striving for constant progress, and staying curious all the time.

Aside from work, Jan enjoys producing music, reading books, and occasionally writing poems. He is also a fan of conspiracy theories, horror movies, and hip-hop culture. Something rather unusual for him is the fact that he’s got a snake pet named Kai – a 4-year-old ball python which he uses to break all the stereotypes surrounding snakes.

Stan is a seasoned professional in SaaS sales and customer success. With 5+ years of experience in the field, he`s all about providing top-notch value to customers and developing effective sales strategies that fit the modern business scene. Throughout his career, Stan had the opportunity to work with companies like Databox and Veza Digital, refining his skills and gaining valuable insights. He enjoys spending his time on the football field, exploring new destinations, and indulging in his love for good food. These personal passions bring a fresh perspective to his professional life, allowing him to strengthen his relationships and make meaningful contributions to the team. Stan strives for excellence and innovation in everything he does, always pushing the boundaries to provide the best possible results for the clients.

Romy is from Cape Town, South Africa and is a Senior Project Manager. She has a BCOM degree in Financial Management and is passionate about all things project management. She enjoys working with different clients and ensuring projects are successful. A key part is learning from each iteration to ensure we grow in professionalism and productivity. When she is not working she can be found on the beach or spending time with friends and family. 

Bettina comes from Serbia where she was born and raised and she’s been in the SEO world for almost 5 years now as a Link Builder and Outreacher. She loves all the knowledge that this position and the whole SEO world brings to her, along with its challenges, which allow her to be dramatic once in a while.

Bettina loves learning new things and working with smart and professional individuals who can inspire her to be a better version of herself. 

When not working, she enjoys a cozy day, playing video games, watching Friends, and cuddling up with her cat Kloi. 

Zeljka is a former journalist and TV host who fell in love with SEO a few years ago. She brings a wealth of expertise as an Outreach and Link Builder, having collaborated with a diverse array of clients across various industries.

Her commitment to enhancing her skills in SEO and related areas is evident through her ongoing pursuit of knowledge and professional growth. Outside of her professional endeavors, Zeljka finds enjoyment in the simple pleasures of life. Diving into a good book, staying active through exercise, taking leisurely walks, or savoring a cup of coffee, brings her peace and motivation