Patric Sawada (澤田)
Interim Head of Growth &
Strategic Growth Advisor
Founder of Silkdrive. 11+ years helping European and East Asian companies grow across borders. I embed with your team as a trusted advisor, auditing, strategising, and driving measurable growth.
Patric Sawada
Founder, Silkdrive
How I Work
I embed with your marketing team as an independent growth advisor. I audit your channels, manage agency relationships, run technical deep-dives, and keep everyone accountable, without competing with your team or pushing my own services.
Independent Perspective
As an outsider, I can raise difficult topics and challenge assumptions without internal politics.
Broad & Deep Expertise
From SEO to paid media to content strategy, I go deep on every channel while maintaining the full-funnel growth view.
Research-Driven
I research, deep-dive, discuss and advise to move the needle. Implementation is delegated to your team or agencies.
Cross-Cultural Intelligence
Marrying into a Japanese family, combined with European business experience, gives me authentic insight into both markets.
The ADAPT Culture Framework
We developed the ADAPT framework to systematically adapt marketing assets, copy, ads, and creative, for different cultures. Grounded in cross-cultural research (Hofstede, de Mooij, and 100+ scientific papers on culture & advertising), ADAPT ensures campaigns resonate authentically in every target market.
Analysis
Cultural research and market context analysis
Data Points
Identify key data points in baseline assets and campaigns
Asset Localisation
Adapt content, copy, and visuals for the local culture
Persuasive Arguments
Align with local buyer motives and cultural values
Test
Validate with A/B testing and consumer research
Each step is backed by scientific research and validated through rapid experimentation.
Engagement Models
I work with companies at different stages of international growth:
Interim Head of Growth
Step in as your dedicated growth leader. I build strategy, manage teams and agencies, run experimentation programmes, and drive revenue, for as long as you need.
Strategic Growth Advisory
Ongoing advisory for CEOs and CMOs navigating international expansion. I audit your marketing, identify opportunities, and provide actionable recommendations.
Cross-Cultural Marketing Consultant
Cultural adaptation expertise for authentic market connection across Europe and East Asia.
Background
I married into a Japanese family (澤田), which gave me a perspective on Japan-Europe business that most consultants read about in textbooks. That firsthand experience shapes everything I do, from how I approach market entry to how I read the subtleties of business relationships across Europe and East Asia.
I started my career in 2014 as a marketing manager at Ciber, an international IT firm, working on the Netherlands market. In 2015 I founded Silkdrive, and have since led growth marketing for 50+ clients across 30+ industries in European, East Asian, and South-East Asian markets.
I trained in growth hacking at Growth Tribe (2016, with advanced programmes in 2019) and hold a post-graduate BSc in Digital & Online Marketing from Beeckestijn Business School (2015), the experimentation-driven approach I still apply to every engagement. I've written on cross-cultural marketing and digital privacy for outlets including Frankwatching, Hackernoon, and Eurobiz magazine (the EU Chamber of Commerce in China), where I covered China's PIPL privacy law and its implications for European businesses.
As an external expert for the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, I regularly speak at webinars helping European companies understand the Japanese market. Through their Market Access programme I delivered the “Cross-Cultural Growth Marketing for Japan” webinar to Polish and Czech SMEs in June 2025 and to Swedish SMEs in September 2025. I founded Silkdrive to bring together everything I'd learned, combining growth marketing expertise with genuine cross-cultural intelligence to help companies expand internationally with confidence.
Geographic Expertise
Deep market knowledge and cultural insights across key regions for international expansion.
Europe
East Asia
North America
Credentials & Experience
Recognized expertise and proven track record in international growth and cross-cultural marketing.
EU-Japan Centre Expert
EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
Recognized expert in EU-Japan business relations and cross-cultural marketing
Head of Growth
Second Company
Growth marketing, experimentation, and lead generation for clients including cpe.nl, bestetherapeut.nl, and brockmeyer.com.
Growth Tribe Alumni
Growth Tribe Academy
Growth hacking (2016) and advanced experimentation programmes (2019). The experimentation-driven methodology I still apply to every engagement.
Post-graduate BSc, Digital & Online Marketing
Beeckestijn Business School
Post-graduate Bachelor of Science in Digital & Online Marketing.
Marketing Manager
Ciber (international IT firm)
First marketing role, covering the Netherlands market, before founding Silkdrive.
Marketing Writer
Frankwatching, Hackernoon, Eurobiz
Articles on cross-cultural marketing and digital privacy, including China's PIPL law in Eurobiz magazine (EU Chamber of Commerce in China).
Speaker
EU-Japan Centre Webinars
Speaker on cross-cultural growth marketing for European companies entering Japanese markets.
What Clients Say
“Are you looking for an interimmer who can make a difference in a short period of time? […] integrated smoothly in the team, being pro-active and delivering much more than expected. Patric [Sawada] is data-driven […] and a strong advisor.”
“[…] his knowledge, skill, and data-driven approach […] his results with Linkedin (one of the hardest marketing channels to use out there) are absolutely staggering!”
“Patric [Sawada] enables us to exceed the goals of our LinkedIn Ad campaigns. He skillfully oversees the entire process of implementing, executing and monitoring campaigns […] extensive knowledge of tooling and data-driven work.”
Ready to Accelerate Your International Growth?
Let's discuss how strategic advisory and cross-cultural expertise can unlock your next phase of growth across Europe and East Asia.