Medallia : With a Passion for Both Work and Play, Leila Reflects on Her Adventures as a Medallian

Leila Kim shares her passion for relationship building, why she became a Medallian, and what moves her outside the office

At Medallia, we believe in 'hiring the whole person' and fostering a culture where everyone feels a sense of belonging. As part of our ongoingMedallia Life blog series, we get the chance to shed some light on what it's like to be a part of our team.

This month, we connected with Medallian Leila Kim, a solutions consultant based in Florida, who told us about her journey to joining Medallia, her favorite part of her job, her dream vacation, and more.

As you journeyed through your job search, what about Medallia caught your eye?

I was immediately attracted to Medallia's position as an industry leader, high growth potential, strategic vertical focus, anddiverse company culture. Then, thesuccessful IPOconfirmed to me Medallia's strength as a company.

Also, I heard great reviews about the solution from friends in the industry. As I was researching the company, I came upon aQ&A blog postthat spoke to me. The blog mentioned that the role of a solutions consultant was an 'amazing opportunity to bring in your industry expertise.' I felt like I could bring a different perspective to the role because I had been in the financial services industry for 10 years, working directly with clients to provide stellar financial planning experiences. Our clients trusted us to help them achieve their financial goals, but beyond that they were trusting us to protect their families and plan for unexpected life turns. That one-on-one interaction is something I think about today when developing solutions for Medallia customers who are listening and taking action to provide the best experience for their customers.

Reading those words in the blog post inspired me to reach out directly and kicked off my journey to becoming a Medallian.

And we're glad you're here! What do you enjoy most about being on the team?

During my time in financial services, I worked with individuals, families, and businesses. At times it can be a difficult industry to be in because you're advising clients on decisions that have a real impact on their lives. That's why providing a first-class experience and building strong relationships were always top priorities. The same is true for my role at Medallia today. I love working together with financial institutions focused onunderstanding their customer's point of view. I'm still able to provide input and help customers receive the very best experiences from the financial institutions they trust.

Financial services is a complex industry that is seeing major disruption and transformation in multiple areas of customer andemployee experience. At Medallia we work together as a team of industry experts, whether from the client side, customer experience management, market research, or data science - to name a few areas. I'm so impressed by the expertise everyone brings to the table and the collaborative team efforts to help our customers succeed. Plus, we're all unique individuals and that definitely makes it fun to be on this team.

Any tips for someone considering a career in your field?

Do your research, talk to people in this industry, write down what you want to achieve and why it's important, have a timeline to complete those milestones, and share your goals with others. At Medallia, since we are vertically aligned, I also suggest understanding the challenges within a given vertical.

What's something someone may not know about you?

I'm very passionate about scuba diving and underwater photography.

Very cool! Can you share with us your dream vacation?

To dive with and photograph the giant cuttlefish migration that takes place from May to August in Whyalla, Australia. This is the only known place in the world where thousands of cuttlefish congregate every year.

Sounds like that would be a memorable experience! Speaking of which, just about everyone has a memorablecustomer experience. Do you have one you can share, and why does it still stand out?

The employees at my neighborhood grocery store have been so helpful and positive throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It's a difficult time for everyone, but especially difficult for these essential workers. They are working to create a safe environment while continuing to provide the best customer experience.

Are you a part of anyMedallia Employee Resources Groups (ERG)? If so, how has your experience within these groups impacted you as a Medallian?

I recently joined Medallia Medley, Medallia's cross-functional Diversity Council, and Women in Tech to learn, support, and share ideas. It's been inspiring and empowering to meet so many community advocates who are driving initiatives to make Medallia an inclusive and diverse workplace, including the efforts of Blacks & Medallia (BAM) working in collaboration with Medallia's executive team to listen, understand, and take action by reviewing recruitment practices along with increasing funding to all ERGs and offering donation matching to nonprofits like the Foundation for College Education. Our town hall sessions have also been so educational to learn about different perspectives and get exposure to topics that may not be regularly discussed.

Medallia is growing and dedicated to 'hiring the whole person.' Join the #MedalliaLife by heading to ourcareers pageand applying to one of our open positions today!

Plus, be sure to follow Medallia Life onInstagramandTwitterfor an inside look at our culture, for updates about openings, and more.