Welcome back to another edition of Inside Drift, where we introduce you to all of the people that make Drift such a great place to work.
So far you’ve met Shannon Donovan, Mary Mitchell, Catherine LaMacchia, Nadine Shaalan, Britnee Laughlin, Carolina Caprile, Michelle Ai, Frank Schepps, Tate Knapp, Zareena Javed, Jason Richman, Stacy Chen, Lillian Frost, Josh Moody, Miles Kane, Lorraine Chon-Qui, Meghan Catucci, Josh Perk, Fiona Heaney, and Moe Lawson.
Today we’re introducing you to Richard Wright. Richard was one of our first London-based Drifters and currently drives all of our EMEA sales efforts. When he’s not spending time with the rest of our London team (almost 30 strong!) you can find him on his Peloton, traveling with his wife, or cheering on Leeds United.
Ready to meet Richard? Let’s go ⚡
Editor’s note: The following has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Kaitlyn Martins: Hi Richard, it’s great to chat with you. Can you tell me a bit about what you do at Drift?
Richard Wright: Hi Kaitlyn, sure. I was brought on board to drive our EMEA sales efforts and to build out the team to support our aggressive growth plans for the region.
Kaitlyn: What does your day-to-day typically look like?
Richard: A few of us were the first on the ground in EMEA about a year ago so it’s been a matter of starting from scratch. I’ve done everything from finding an office space that fits our culture to hiring top-notch professionals who are also first-class human beings and building partnerships to help us meet the demands of our customers.
That’s a long-winded way to say my day is full of lots of calls and meetings. And that’s with the goal of creating a culture that our people enjoy and our customers will get desirable outcomes from — all while driving us towards our revenue goals.
Kaitlyn: We officially opened our London office in June 2021 and it has been rapidly growing ever since. Can you tell us a little bit about the roles that sit in London and what the team is like?
Richard: As I mentioned, a year ago, we essentially had one local team member, Ru, supporting our customers in the region. Now, we are blessed to have almost every team represented, with the exception of legal and finance.
It’s great because we have people in marketing, customer success, sales, solutions consulting, support, and professional services who all work in the London area on our clients’ local time. We’ve got a cohesive team that treats one another with respect and, at the end of the day, is laser-focused on putting the customer at the center of everything we do. Of course, we like to have fun, too.
Kaitlyn: What has it been like to help Drift move into a new market?
Richard: Really exciting. It’s been cool to recruit and work with like-minded people who are moving towards establishing Drift in the region.
There have been challenges along the way though like trying to build a team while working remotely or figuring out how best to support our customers who have different data protection requirements. But overall, I think we can all be proud of what we’ve accomplished in a short amount of time.
Kaitlyn: Given that Drift is a Digital First company, what flexibility do you have now that you maybe didn’t have at previous companies?
Richard: That’s an interesting one. There’s definitely more flexibility during the day, though that has sometimes led to missed lunches and breaks while jumping from one Zoom to the next. I do like the fact that I can jump on the Peloton for 20 minutes in the middle of the day when my schedule allows for it.
Kaitlyn: What is a fun fact that people might not know about you?
Richard: I try to live by the mantra, “Get busy living.” A very close family friend we lost about 12 years ago told me to take this attitude while we have this time on earth, and it’s something we all embraced as a family. The premise is to be the best version of yourself, whether that’s as a parent, sibling, friend, manager, at work, in the gym, etc.
I’m also a big Leeds United fan.
Kaitlyn: When you aren’t working, what can we find you doing?
Richard: I take my health and fitness almost too seriously so I spend lots of time exercising or being outdoors. My wife and I have three awesome kids but they are all in college or working now, so I spend tons of time with my wife, ideally traveling.
Kaitlyn: Finally, what advice do you have for prospective Drift candidates, particularly someone who wants to work in EMEA?
Richard: Be your genuine self. While we care about a candidate’s experience, we want people who are naturally curious and willing to leave their ego at the door. We’re a team that is gritty, values integrity, and likes to have fun. If all that sounds like you, let’s talk 💬
Want to work with Richard? We’re hiring. Check out our open roles here.
