Meet Kim! She's an install base sales manager from Sydney, Australia, who is growing her career while also maintaining work-life harmony.In this monthly blog series, we shine a light on Procorians across the globe who are living our values of ownership, openness and optimism as we work to improve the lives of everyone in construction. They are Groundbreakers in every sense of the word, and these are their stories.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m from Griffith, New South Wales, a small town approximately 600 kilometres southwest of Sydney, Australia. My family has been there since the 1950s when my grandparents immigrated from Italy. When I was fifteen, I moved away to attend school in Sydney and later attended the University of Sydney and got my master's in management from the University of Technology Sydney.
My foray into sales began at a gourmet butcher called Victor Churchill. I got so passionate about the product and what they were selling that I knew sales was for me. After that, I joined News Corp Australia as a direct sales partner for real estate and progressed into a real estate account manager role before I realised I wanted to get into tech. I then accepted a job at Salesforce and grew my career from a sales development representative to a business development representative to an account executive. When I learned about Procore Technologies’ purpose of serving the construction industry and commitment to investing in their product at an early stage in APAC, I jumped at the opportunity and haven’t looked back.
I now live in Manly, Australia, with my partner and our two-year-old son. I love going to the beach, spending time outdoors and being sporty—whether I’m playing tennis or taking F45 classes. I aim to do morning exercise, and the perk to being up early is I get to walk home along the beach and see the sunrise, which is the best way to start the day. Since having a toddler, our weekends are filled with many activities, but our son loves the beach, so that is where we spend the majority of our time.
Kim and her family at the beach.
What has your Procore journey looked like so far?
In September 2018, I joined Procore as an account executive on the new logo emerging sales team. The new logo team supports companies who are new to Procore, which was the same type of role I held at Salesforce. My manager at the time, AJ, was employee number five and a fantastic mentor who was incredibly knowledgeable about Procore and the construction industry. I learned so much from him and eventually transitioned into a mid-market account executive role. When the opportunity arose for an install base account executive position—where I would work with existing customers to continue to grow Procore’s influence within their organisation via additional training, support, products and services—I knew it was for me. I took on that role in 2020 and was recently promoted to install base sales manager. I am so excited to step into sales leadership and take my career to new heights.
Kim at a Procore Sydney event with her co-worker, Caitlin, another featured employee Groundbreaker.
What obstacles have you overcome in your career?
The biggest obstacle we all face is accepting change as a constant and learning to adapt. That's not only the case for product development in the tech space but also for the sales landscape, the construction industry and market conditions as a whole. With all this change, especially everything that has come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, one major benefit has been the move toward a more flexible working model.
What does flexibility at work mean to you, and how does Procore support that?
Flexibility at work means I have more control over when, where and how I work. From a support perspective, it’s all about your trust in your team and from leadership that you can get your job done when and how you need to. It is possible to succeed from both a career and a personal life front, and Procore has been so supportive of that. When I returned from maternity leave, I had open conversations with my manager about flexibility. I felt supported by Procore’s leadership, and it has been an incredible blessing not to have to choose between my career and my family.
Kim’s son eating his way through “bring your kids to work day” with her manager, Sydney.
How has your experience been as a female working in male-dominated industries like tech, construction and sales?
I’ve been fortunate in my Procore journey to have a great working relationship with my colleagues, and have always felt very included. The construction industry is also comprised of some extremely intelligent, down-to-earth people who I’m grateful to work with every day. And even though tech, construction and sales are male-dominated industries, I have always sought to go against that grain.
As a whole, these industries could benefit from encouraging more females to enter the space. Throughout my time here, Procore has consistently empowered me and my female peers to own our careers. That means helping support Procore’s mission as a tech company at heart that serves the construction industry where there is so much room for digitisation. For me, that makes this such a groundbreaking space to be in.
What are your daily sources of inspiration?
First and foremost, my son, because he is so funny and makes me laugh so much. I am also super competitive, so being in a sales role is where I’m meant to be. Coffee also inspires me a lot! I drink a ‘magic,’ a double ristretto three-quarter flat white. It was branded in Melbourne, the coffee capital of the world!
How does Procore support your values?
Ownership is one of Procore’s three core values and is something that resonates deeply with me. I believe in making your own opportunities and ensuring that your career path and progression can come to fruition. You are ultimately responsible for driving your career, but it’s also important to feel supported by your manager and leadership.
Conclusion
A big thank you to Kim for sharing her story!
We’re always looking for Groundbreakers like Kim to help us continue to improve the lives of everyone in construction. Explore a career with Procore today, or join our Talent Community to stay connected.
Kiersten Albert
Talent Brand Communications Specialist
- sales
- Women at Procore
- Working Parent
