Kristen Suess

Commander
DISC Type : D

Personal goal pursuit at Career Break

North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Overview

Kristen is a seasoned HR Business Partner known for scaling high-growth startups. She was instrumental in growing Slack from 300 to 3, 000 employees through its IPO and acquisition and built foundational people programs at Apollo GraphQL. People who have worked with her describe her as thoughtful, compassionate, and proactive.

During a recent career break, Kristen pursued personal goals, including gravel biking adventures. She also dedicated her time to environmental conservation by leading a public pollinator re-wilding project in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation.

Unique fact: Kristen founded People Up, a consultancy offering resources and services to help job seekers, employees, and employers thrive at work.

Personality Overview

Very Quick

Strong-Willed

Decisive

They do not care very much about building rapport or relationships.  They like to stay in control of the negotiation or defining of the terms. They prefer to move quickly, and expect the same from others.

Topics They Care About

Scaling Startups
She has extensive experience in hyper-growth environments, notably scaling Slack's team tenfold and building pre-IPO people programs at Apollo GraphQL.
Leadership Development
At Apollo GraphQL, she launched the company's first leadership framework and delivered manager training programs, demonstrating a focus on elevating leadership capability.
Gravel Biking
She specifically mentions her "gravel biking adventures" as a key personal pursuit during her recent career intermission, indicating a strong personal hobby.

Media Appearances

Kristen has no verified media appearances

Work History

3-2025
Personal goal pursuit at Career Break
8-2023 - 3-2025
Sr Director, People Business Partner at Apollo GraphQL
11-2022 - 8-2023
Principal People Business Partner at Apollo GraphQL
6-2022 - 12-2022
Founder & Consultant at People Up
2-2020 - 2-2022
Director, People (HRBP) at Slack

Education

2000 - 2004
Bachelor of Commerce from University of Victoria
2018 - 2018
Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 12 Location : North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Job Level : N/A Designation : Personal goal pursuit at Career Break
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Insights For Selling To Kristen

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Help them weigh the risks by sharing objective proof points without becoming too analytical
  • Speak about competitive differentiation that your product offers
  • Objectively showcase the impact that your product creates

DONT's

  • Do not spend too much time focusing on product tech or features
  • Don’t be in a rush to invite them for a social meet and greet
  • Don’t focus on process and rules, give the impression of being a ‘gets it done’ person

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Kristen is

  • Confidence in impact is paramount to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Kristen

  • If they decide not to go ahead, they will say no without hesitation.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Kristen move?

  • If convinced, they can reach decisions quite fast.
  • Can Kristen take some risk or not?

  • They do not shy away from taking risks, but can be quite binary about them.

You And Kristen

Personality Compatibility


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