Amber Kinney

Observer
DISC Type : ic

Sr Director- Private Equity and Late Stage Startups Lead at Microsoft

Sammamish, Washington, United States

Overview

Amber Kinney is the General Manager for Cloud & AI Platforms, Americas SMB at Microsoft. With over two decades at the company, she is a visionary leader with a proven track record in program marketing, business operations, and leading strategic initiatives with startups and private equity. She studied Computer Science at the University of Washington.

Amber is a passionate advocate for women in leadership, celebrating colleagues who lead with curiosity and create opportunities for others. She values deep listening and collaboration as essential tools for understanding customer impact, particularly within the Managed Service Provider (MSP) community.

Amber was recently honored as an FY25 Microsoft Pinnacle winner, an award recognizing the top 0. 007% of global contributors.

Personality Overview

Value Driven

Curious

Example Seeker

They ask a lot of questions and rely heavily on information and collaterals.  They are generally good communicators and can be hard to convince. They can sound friendly and charming but can quickly change gears to become inquisitive and probing.

Topics They Care About

SMB Growth
Her current role and recent summit participation highlight her focus on empowering Small and Medium-sized businesses, which she considers the heart of the economy.
Partner Enablement
Emphasizes the importance of listening to the Managed Service Provider (MSP) community to understand customer impact and drive successful technology adoption.
Women in Leadership
Frequently celebrates and reflects on the impact of women who lead with curiosity, challenge assumptions, and create space for others to rise.

Media Appearances

Amber Kinney, Author at Microsoft for Startups Blog. Featured in Microsoft Startups Blog

See Now

Work History

11-2019 - 6-2023
Sr Director- Private Equity and Late Stage Startups Lead at Microsoft
5-2019 - 11-2021
Sr Director of Microsoft for Startups: Programs Operations and Digital Marketing Lead at Microsoft
5-2018 - 5-2019
Director of Azure IT and Data Audience Marketing at Microsoft
7-2016 - 5-2018
Director of Global Demand Center Business Operations teams at Microsoft
2-2013 - 6-2016
Director of Web Strategy: Cloud and Enterprise Team at Microsoft

Education

1995 - 1999
Computer Science from University of Washington

More Information

Social Presence :

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Exp : 23 Location : Sammamish, Washington, United States Job Level : N/A Designation : Sr Director- Private Equity and Late Stage Startups Lead at Microsoft
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Insights For Selling To Amber

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Focus on immediate action-items rather than the larger goals
  • Ask them questions to understand their needs better while staying affable
  • Persuade objectively how your product will help them achieve their goals

DONT's

  • Avoid making offhand commitments
  • Don’t be too objective but make sure to pad your storytelling with data points
  • Don’t brush off any concerns, take all questions seriously

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Amber is

  • Proven value, strong testimonials are important for them, rapport can impact decisions a little.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Amber

  • They are practical and friendly, don't expect a clear-cut response often.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Amber move?

  • They like to perform full analysis and can take time to make any decision.
  • Can Amber take some risk or not?

  • They weigh all decisions systematically and are unlikely to take many risks.

You And Amber

Personality Compatibility


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