Kate Massey is the 2018 Young Executive of the Year

JCurve Solutions CMO Kate Massey first joined the cloud services business, then Stratatel, in 2009 and over the years has implemented significant changes to drive it toward success.

The business provides cloud ERP (enterprise resource planning) software to manage sales, marketing, purchasing and ecommerce activities for businesses. It also offers telecommunications expense management services.

With a passion for innovation, Kate established the company’s Customer Experience WorkGroup which identifies what the company is doing well, what needs to be fixed and how it can reduce bottlenecks for smoother operations.

"I am constantly looking to challenge the status quo, remove road blocks that slow progress and try new things to improve results," she says.

Kate constantly suggests how the company can achieve growth targets and KPIs, embark on new opportunities and push into new markets. She also launched a marketing graduate program for the business. This has had a 100% retention rate – with three out of five graduates receiving promotions – and has contributed to A$3.4 million in closed deals since November 2016.

Furthermore, Kate organised ‘Company Day’ which included team building exercises such as the amazing race, a sailing regatta, a MasterChef challenge, shared culture lunches and paid volunteering days.

Kate is the driving force behind employee engagement, internal communication and culture initiatives within JCurve Solutions. With her investment in these areas, the company has moved from being in the bottom one per cent of companies globally to the top 82% within two years.

But it’s not just in business that Kate has shown her strong ambition. Seven years ago, at the age of 26, Kate received the devastating news that she had cancer. After beating the disease, Kate became dedicated to the fight against cancer.

She has completed several endurance challenges to raise funds for Cure Cancer including the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and completing the New York Marathon. All of these efforts helped her raise more than A$57,000 for cancer research.

"These challenges taught me the importance of resilience as a leader in fast-paced tech," Kate says. "Success is never straight-forward but by developing a fighter mindset, impressive results have been achieved in and out of the office.

In acknowledgement of all these achievements, The CEO Magazine awarded Kate with the 2018 Young Executive of the Year Award.

"Taking home the award tonight is recognition of a huge amount of effort that has gone on, not just by myself, but also by the entire organisation," Kate told The CEO Magazine after accepting the trophy.

And for those wishing to apply for the 2019 Executive of the Year Awards, Kate advised: "Focus on the results and the story will tell itself."

View the full list of winners in the 2018 Executive of the Year Awards.