Kelly Causey
As VP of Services at Emburse, I’m honored to share my career journey to inspire future business leaders to lean into their passion and never be afraid to try something new.
Before I started my career, I studied accounting and business administration, with sights firmly set on becoming a CPA. However, when I began working in accounting, I felt something important was missing. I longed for the personal connections I enjoyed at my jobs in college and wanted to thrive in a workplace that supported the career advancement of women.
I’m grateful that one of my mentors, a woman, helped me secure a new opportunity at a Human Capital Management (HCM) company, which was a game-changer for my career path. I quickly realized that I loved building client relationships through software, and my experience at the company aligned with both what I was good at and enjoyed.
When it was time for my new challenge, another mentor, my aunt, recommended that I read the book Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. This quote from the book really resonated with me: “If you're offered a seat on a rocket ship, don't ask what seat! Just get on.” That bold advice pushed me to embrace new opportunities without overthinking them, leading me to pursue roles that combined the skills I acquired and honed over the years with my deep passion for people. I became laser-focused in my endeavor to create a career of my own design.
In 2013, I took a leap of faith and accepted a job with a company I didn’t know much about at the time, now known as Emburse. I moved across the country to fully immerse myself in my new role and learn the company culture. Diving into the fast-paced environment of a high-growth SaaS company was a steep learning curve for me, but I quickly realized that my accounting skills, coupled with my natural ability to connect with people, would be one of my greatest assets and help me thrive.
At Emburse, I've had the incredible opportunity to elevate my career by working with amazing people, being at the forefront of ever-changing technology, all while leveraging my accounting background. I believe my service-focused mindset is what enables me to successfully run a large, revenue-generating global department. By fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration, I've been able to help my team exceed their goals and achieve both personal and professional fulfillment.
Emburse recently unveiled its new company values that will help us achieve our new mission and vision of leading what’s next in T&E. I’d like to share two of these values with you and how I’m bringing them to life at Emburse.
Collaborate
My teams collaborate regularly with our customers and internal Emburse teams to ensure high-quality delivery, customer satisfaction, and best practice implementation. We consult with our customers to understand their unique goals and business challenges to help them plan and implement proven success strategies. This looks different for each customer and as we are at the heart of the customer relationship, we work diligently to ensure the right people are involved every step of the way.
Exceed
In customer surveys, we receive fantastic feedback on the value that Emburse Solution Advisors (ESAs) provide. This ongoing customer feedback helps me set the right service strategy for our teams and for my teams to know they are doing a great job listening and responding to real customer needs while delivering the greatest business value for our customers.
As a people leader, I recognize the importance of identifying and nurturing the unique talents within my team. I treat them like I would my clients, striving to support every individual as a human being with ideas, feelings and new ways of looking at the world. Treating each person with kindness and empathy, while maintaining clear expectations of success, has been critical to our collective success. This same principle applies to our customers — when they feel connected to our company and supported while using our products, they are naturally more inclined to remain loyal and engaged with our business and be customers for life!