Tell us a bit about yourself and what you're up to now
Over the past 15 years, I have worked across sales, account management and customer success. The past 7 of those have been building, leading and growing customer success teams within large enterprises as well as founder led start ups.
My two young daughters take up most of my time! When I get a chance, I'm trying to complete climbing all of Scotland's mountains. 80 down, 202 to go. When the weather is behaving, I can be found hacking my way around a local golf course.
I have recently joined Airbox Systems to lead their customer success function. Airbox provide vital tech to our emergency services - it's a great privilege to work with first responders and our passionate team.
What was your journey into a career in Customer Success
I joined Booking.com in 2012 as an account manager. This was during their huge growth stage and was my first experience of an online company. I used SAP products during my time there and that took me to my first SSAS based role in 2014.
What would you say are the best things about working in Customer Success
Working closely alongside customer success, sales, marketing, product and more - all the teams that pull together to build and deliver a great product. You gain great experience with that exposure, along with understanding the critical components that form a success business.
What advice would you give to someone who is just about to start their career in sales
I would recommend that you question your customers and colleagues to death. That's where you'll gain most experience and will inform both your approach and development in future years.
Future focus is so important. Tech is written by humans, so will go wrong at some point - you have to learn to accept that and try and anticipate what your customers, your business and your own needs will be in 6, 12, 24 months from now.
Why did you decide to join Tangent as a Mentor and why should others join as Mentors too
Having made a transition into customer success and also been out of work for a period myself, I understand that having a friendly face to discuss your situation really helps. Whilst helping people back into work is a great motivator, I've also been able to better adapt my approach depending what situation a mentee may be in.
Ready to make a difference?
A few hours a month, a lifetime of impact. Tangent connects you with aspiring Business Development Reps from socially diverse backgrounds for short-term mentoring and an employee referral.
Sign up to be a Tangent Mentor today 👇
