Kevin Shirley - Vice President, EMEA Sales at Gainsight

Kevin grew up in a working class family in the UK and went to an all boys grammar school. He struggled with his weight as a child which he feels made him tougher and more determined to prove people wrong.

Kevin started his career working in retail at Vodafone. He enjoyed the customer interactions and being able to compete on sales targets. He was ambitious and wanted to earn more, so he set his sights on becoming a corporate account manager.

Early inspirations for Kevin were two managers he had at Vodafone - Karen Halford who coached and enabled him, and Sarah Sanders who was his cheerleader. More recently Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool FC inspires him as a leader who creates an environment for people to excel.

Kevin is proud of the sales team he has built from just two people to what it is today. He gets joy from seeing others succeed rather than just his own achievements. The biggest challenge he faces currently is keeping his team motivated during tougher economic conditions.

He believes AI should be used to enable salespeople, not replace them. It can help summarize customer information and allow reps to focus more on the human side of selling.

If Kevin won the lottery, he would travel the world with his wife. Key things for him are spending time with family, music and great food.