The Ramped Podcast

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

01:28 - Who is Leslie? In her on own words 
03:28 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can make and why? 
07:51 - How have Leslie's views on sales changed over the years 
11:08 - What is one mistake Leslie made early in her career and how did it impact her current work 
14:53 - Who has had the biggest impact on Leslie's career? 
19:00 - If Leslie were able to go back in time, what would she do differently? 
22:12 - Closing thoughts and how to reach out to Leslie

MORE ON LESLIE:

Leslie Standlee is a relentless encourager who believes bringing people together helps solve the most complex business problems while having some fun.  Currently she is the Director of Emerging Markets at nCino, focused on growing the brand and building a new business model in new locations around the world. 

Prior to joining nCino Leslie was a Senior Vice President at Bank of America where she served in various roles all focused on improving the customer and employee experience through process re-engineering and software delivery.  Leslie holds a patent for delivering the Global Treasury Monitoring System a risked based application that protected the firm during the 2008 financial crisis and has previously led large global teams.  She received her BBA from Texas A&M University in Management and Information Systems.

Leslie lives in Dallas, Texas with her rescue pup Homer.  In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, Scuba diving, cheering on the Texas Aggies/Dallas Mavericks and/Dallas Cowboys,  and serving on the board for Children’s Cancer Fund in Dallas.  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliestandlee/

MORE ON RAMPED:

Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com

Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup

Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

02:14 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can do for themselves and why? 
07:43 - How have John's views on sales changed over the years? 
13:44 - One mistake John made early in his sales career and how did it change how he operates today 
18:44 - Who has had the greatest impact on John's career and how? 
20:39 - If John were to go back in time, what would he do differently? 
26:00 - How to reach out to John

MORE ON JOHN:

John has 20+ years in Sales, Marketing, Branding, and Communications. He is currently focused on building the Club Colors brand, media presence, communications style, messaging, and culture building to drive internal success and external awareness. John has trained and managed hundreds of salespeople, driven growth for multiple brands, and designed strategies to build culture, recruit talent, and retain clients and staff members. John has transitioned from traditional sales practices to a new style of social media, communication, and content creation to create brand awareness and brand attention that drives lead generation and influences prospective clients to buy, over being sold. John is not only driven within his career, but he is also passionate about motivating and supporting young athletes to be their best by coaching for his son's baseball and football teams.

MORE ON RAMPED:

Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com

Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup

Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

MORE ON CAROLINE:

Caroline is a visionary executive helping organizations navigate their digital transformations. She understands how to build and balance high performing teams that can thrive within the ever-evolving tech landscape. Caroline is a culture and innovation fanatic and draws upon a deep understanding of neuroscience to guide her leadership style. She leads teams with high levels of empowerment, personal accountability and respect to drive the most impactful business outcomes.

Caroline is currently leading the Corporate Central Region at Okta as the Area Vice President of Sales. She loves engaging with customers to evolve their organizations and is excited to be influencing the market transformation underway relative to identity.

Prior to joining Okta, Caroline served as the Head of Sales for Google Cloud for ~4 years. She also held Cloud leadership roles at IBM and spent 6 years with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in regulatory and risk management. Caroline holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carthage College.

Caroline lives in Chicago with her husband and two children. She is passionate about education and serves on the Board of Directors for Altus Academy, an inner city school for underserved youth. Caroline also serves on the Presidential Advisory Board for Northern Illinois University (NIU).

MORE ON RAMPED:
Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com

Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboard...

Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

 02:01 - Who is Ari Levine? In his own words
 03:07 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can do for themselves and why?
 08:38 - How have Ari's views on sales changed over the years and why?
 15:05 - One early career mistake Ari made and how did it shape him
 19:39 - Who has had the greatest impact on Ari's career?
 25:45 - If Ari were to go back in time, what would he do differently?
 29:25 - Where to reach out to Ari

MORE ON ARI:

Ari is a connector, a dad, a plant grower, and an exceptional leader. He focuses on brands and ads at Tumblr. Ari has spent 15+ years shaping and shipping digital media products and content driven advertising solutions. Early in his career, he focused on working with superstar talent and music.

MORE ON RAMPED:
Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com

Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboard...

Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• 01:59 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can make for themselves and why?
• 08:54 - How has Sofie's view on sales changed over her career and why?
• 13:22 - One mistake Sofie made early in her career and how it impacted her
• 21:42 - Who has had the greatest impact on Sofie's career?
• 26:51 - If you could go back in time what would you do differently?
• 30:02 - Closing thoughts and how to reach out to Sofie

MORE ON SOFIE

Sofie Peedu is currently Senior Director of SMB Sales at Box, overseeing an organization of Account Executives, Managers and Directors. She started her Box career in 2012 as an Account Executive, and through the years moved through a number of different roles and took on a number of challenges including being a founding member of the renewals team, relocating to Europe to build out the renewal motion overseas, and managing across varying segments from the Enterprise to Emerging. 

Along the way, she has been a President’s Club winner 5 times and has helped grow the SMB segment 30%. Seeing the company grow in both revenue, from ~$200m to ~$900m, and employee count, from ~400 to ~2100, has given her a deep understanding of how a company and a sales organization evolves into a mature operation in the Tech space. 

Prior to Box, she has 5 years experience selling hardware and SaaS at Granicus, a San Francisco start up. Sofie is passionate about coaching and developing her team to become future sales all-stars and leaders, making customers wildly successful and creating a top performing, highly collaborative and engaging place to work. 

She received her education - a Masters of Political Science - from the University of Uppsala in Sweden, where she was born and raised. A 29 year resident of the Bay Area, she currently lives in San Francisco with her partner, Esteban, and in her free time enjoys going to see live music, being outdoors camping, hiking and skiing, and visiting her sister, niece and nephew in Southern California.

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• 02:18 - Who is Tim? In his own words
• 10:01 - What does the future of work look like within the next 5, 10, 25 years? 
• 18:59 - Which jobs are in danger of being automated away and which ones are here to stay? 
• 24:39 - What does the future of SALES look like specifically? 
• 28:09 - What are some further resources to look up in order to think effectively about the future of work?

MORE ON TIM

Tim Gerend is executive vice president and chief distribution officer at Northwestern Mutual where he leads the career distribution, marketing, and strategic communications organizations to bring the company’s value proposition, brand and story to life. Gerend also serves as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, which oversees Northwestern Mutual’s strategy, execution and operations.

As the leader of the company’s distribution system, Gerend’s focus is to accelerate a positive transformation of the company by bringing together advanced technology and the most trusted advisors to improve the overall client experience. This also means growing the largest and most diverse field of advisors that reflects the markets the company serves.

Gerend joined Northwestern Mutual in 2002 and has held a variety of leadership positions spanning Law, Field Compensation & Planning, Enterprise Compliance, and campus planning. As lead for campus planning, Gerend oversaw the planning and design of the company’s state-of-the-art Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons, which opened to the public 2017.

In addition to his leadership at Northwestern Mutual, Gerend is a thought leader in the Financial Services Industry. He is an advocate of professionalism and high standards and for developing the next generation of financial advisors. Gerend previously served on the Advisory Board for the Center for Ethics in Financial Services and on the CFP Board’s Center for Financial Planning. He now serves as Trustee of the American College.

Before joining Northwestern Mutual, Gerend was an associate in the Commercial Litigation Practice Group at Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago. He is a graduate of Butler University with a B.S. in economics and received his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame.

In the community, Gerend is passionate about supporting opportunities for young people to grow toward their potential. He serves on the board of the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and the board of Milwaukee College Prep, a leading charter school that serves Milwaukee’s inner city.

Gerend and his wife Sandy have four children. They are active members of St. Monica’s Parish in Whitefish Bay. For fun, Gerend enjoys all sports and anything outdoors, especially cheering for and supporting his kids in their various activities.

• Northwestern Mutual LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/northwestern-mutual/
• Tim’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-gerend-67753425/
• Northwestern Mutual Twitter - @NM_Financial
• Northwestern Mutual Website - https://www.northwesternmutual.com/

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• 01:53 - Who is Marilee Bear in her own words 
• 05:14 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can make for themselves and why? 
• 09:21 - How has Marilee's view of sales changed over the span of her career so far - and why?
• 15:28 - One early career mistakes that shaped the way Marilee operates today 
• 20:55 - Who has had the greatest impact on Marilee's career 
• 26:21 - If Marilee could go back in time, what advice would she giver herself?

MORE ON MARILEE

Marilee Bear is Senior Vice President of Enterprise Sales, North America at Zendesk. With over 20 years experience in the Enterprise selling space, Marilee has extensive knowledge of SaaS, Cloud Computing, CX, eCommerce and Cloud Security. Prior to Zendesk, Marilee spent 13 years at Akamai Technologies in a variety of sales leadership roles. Her high-performing teams contributed to building out the eCommerce industry vertical and growing Akamai's Cloud Security business from zero in revenue to over $1B ARR in 2021. Marilee thrives on building successful, turbo-charged sales teams while leading with empathy, optimism and a big heart.   As a midwestern transplant, Marilee is based in Marin County, CA and resides with her twin boys and rescue dog.  

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• 02:01 - Who is Kirsten Kuykendoll? 
• 10:41 - The winners of the pandemic era were those who recruited with empathy 
• 17:07 - What are some ways for an early career sales person to boost their career? 
• 21:37 - Who will be the winners in the future work environment? 
• 24:45 - The democratization of the job market 
• 27:51 - Closing thoughts and further resources

MORE ON KIRSTEN

Kirsten Kuykendoll is the Head of Talent Acquisition at Fidelity Investments.
Kirsten and her team are responsible for hiring and committed to increasing
the diversity of our workforce – one that reflects today’s customers, suppliers,
and businesses. At Fidelity, we are deliberate about considering individuals
from all industries and sectors as we hire people who have a variety of
experiences, thoughts, and skills by thinking beyond traditional recruiting
strategies.

Kirsten is a strong leader, committed to associates and their experience, has
an analytical mindset, and proven operational background. She excels at
working across multiple disciplines, and her prior Fidelity Investments
experience is a testament to her dedication to “thinking and working across
Fidelity.” She has an impressive track record as a strategic leader who can
manage large-scale, enterprise-wide programs and transformation initiatives.
Kirsten has been with Fidelity Investments for 15 years. Prior to her current
role, she was Head of Associate Experience where her team was responsible
for listening to associate feedback across various channels, using that insight
to shape our programs, and bolstering associates’ confidence that their voice
is heard.

Prior to joining HR, she was Head of Global Procurement Operations where
her global teams were responsible for end-to-end process improvements that
improved the procurement experience and minimized risk to the firm. She
also worked in Investment Operations within Asset Management, where she
led cross-departmental initiatives and facilitated multi-year strategies. She
started her career leading end-to-end initiatives to improve the client
experience in Fidelity Institutional.

Kirsten volunteers as a coach in the MyCareer Center. She is an ally and active
member of all affinity groups and currently serves as a Texas Regional Leader.
She was named D CEO Dallas 500 publication for 2021 and serves on the
Kappa Delta Foundation board.

She enjoys traveling with her husband Dustin and spending time with her
beloved dogs Maggie and LouLou. She is a graduate of Miami University of
Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in finance, and is a certified Six Sigma Black
Belt.

Connect with Kirsten via Fidelity here: 

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Fidelity Careers

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• 01:47 - Who is Dave Simon?
• 03:52 - Question #1: What is the best early career investment a salesperson can make?
• 09:00 - Question #2: How has your view of sales changed over the years and why?
• 14:22 - Question #3: What is one mistake you made early in your sales career and how has it affected you in the present?
• 18:22 - Question #4: Who has had the biggest impact on your career and why?
• 22:01 - Question #5: If you could go back in time what would you do differently?

MORE ON DAVE:

Currently VP of Sales at Viant Technology, Dave is charged with leading Sales & Strategy across a multi-leveled 6 office territory that includes the Central and Southwest regions of the US. Driving vision for hiring, training, talent development, product roadmap, cross-team collaboration & customer growth, focusing on the adoption of Adelphic, our omnichannel DSP.   Prior to Viant, Dave was at Convoy, where he was Head of Mid-market and Small Business sales. Prior to Convoy, Dave was at Cuebiq, a location measurement & analytics startup where he led the Programmatic Sales team as well as standing up their Partnerships team.  Prior to Cuebiq Dave spent over 10 years at BrightRoll, and then Yahoo!/Oath via their acquisition of BrightRoll.  At BrightRoll he led their Midwest sales team.  Post acquisition, Dave pivoted to building the newly created Agency-focused DSP Sales team, eventually leading it for all of North America.  He held a similar, US role, at Oath/Verizon Media after Yahoo was acquired by AOL.  Dave will be based in Chicago and will oversee the central region as well as the Texas and Colorado offices.  Outside of work, Dave can be found on his bike, on the golf course, or in his home gym.   Dave lives in River Forest, a Chicago Suburb with his wife Sendy and their two kids, Avery & Luke.

Connect with Dave here: 

• https://twitter.com/DaveSimon18 
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesimon1/

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• 02:32 - Question #1: What is the best investment an early career sales person can make and why?
• 10:00 - Question #2: How has your view of sales changed over the years?
• 15:02 - Question #3: What is a mistake you made early in your career and what did you learn from it?
• 22:10 - Question #4: Who has had the greatest impact on your career?
• 26:01 - Question #5: If you could go back in time with the benefit of hindsight what would you tell yourself?

MORE ON DANIELLE:

Danielle Lemieux was born and raised in the Bay Area and began her technology sales career back in 2013 after graduating Cum Laude with degrees in Drama and Hispanic Studies from Vassar College. She is currently a Regional Vice President of Sales at MongoDB. Within four years she rose through the ranks and was promoted from AE to VP running 1 of 3 Corporate regions in North America. 

Danielle’s work ethic, boundless energy, competitive spirit, and charismatic personality has helped her to thrive in sales and successfully motivate her team (and now teams) quarter after quarter. Her passion for helping women in technology also has led her to found “Sell Like a Girl” at MongoDB in order to help create an inclusive community for women in sales to network, share stories, challenges, and ultimately connect at MongoDB.

In her free time, Danielle enjoys hiking with her corgi Maggie, traveling the world, performing on any stage she can find, and enjoying good food and wine with family and friends.

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]