The Sync Up: A Conversation with Kathy Lord, 1WorldSync Chief Revenue Officer

In October 2022, 1WorldSync welcomed Kathy Lord as its new Chief Revenue Officer. With more than 25 years of sales and customer success management, operations and executive leadership across a wide range of market segments and industries; Kathy joined the team to scale the global sales organization.

As CRO, Kathy leads all sales segments globally for 1WorldSync, including field sales, inside sales, and customer success, and is responsible for growing market share and accelerating top-line growth.

In this Sync Up interview, we sat down with Kathy to learn more about her approach to sales and leadership, her connection to 1WorldSync and how she orchestrates more than just product content.

With 25+ years of SaaS sales management, customer success management, operations and executive leadership experience, what brought you to 1WorldSync?

“Firstly, I have a lot of respect for Battery Ventures and their approach to acquisitions. Secondly, the culture of 1WorldSync was a big attraction. You get to a point in your career where you could work at a lot of different places but you want to work somewhere that aligns with your values. I want to work with people that have the same ideas of what’s important at work and in life. Thirdly, the value we bring to our customers is very compelling. We aren’t just a ‘nice to have’ we fundamentally help our customers generate sales. Not only does that make us macroeconomically resilient, but it also provides fulfillment within the role.”

How would you describe your approach to sales and management?

“From a sales perspective, I’ve had the fortunate experience to oversee the full customer journey. My philosophy is an outside-in approach. It’s a buyer’s journey not a sales process. We can’t start with our products, we have to start with our customer’s needs. Our main goal is to alleviate their concerns and create the most significant, positive impact to their organization.

When it comes to management, I believe in hiring people who are smarter and better than me. I work to create freedom within a framework which is when the team has clear goals, objectives and guardrails. Then each individual has the freedom to solve problems creatively and with their specific skill set. I don’t want to micromanage, I trust my team to know what I don’t and provide results.”

Why should a customer choose 1WorldSync?

“First, we’re a strategic partner for our customers. Who we are and the services we provide are of huge impact. We’re committed to our customer’s success. Secondly, we are the leader in this space. 1WorldSync is bigger than all our competitors combined when it comes to market share and revenue. With that leadership comes a deep understanding of the space and the nuances within it. Thirdly, what we do is crucial to business success. Content needs to flow across an organization efficiently and with our full platform approach, we remove siloes for organizations, simplifying their processes immensely.” 

What does product content orchestration mean to you?

“Product content orchestration is about the seamless flow of accurate content. It’s organizing a company’s product data so that it is complete, accurate and gets where it needs to go. 1WorldSync is a leader in product content orchestration because it handles all of the creation, management, delivery and analytics in one platform, allowing customers to avoid manual processes across multiple programs.”

What does it mean to you to be a 1WorldSync leader?

“Being a leader at 1WorldSync really goes back to our values. It’s important to be humble and realize your strengths and weaknesses. Our goal as leaders is to hire a team that complements us. We value being honest. I’m focused on a growth mindset, continuous improvement and how we can get 1% better everyday. Leaders at 1WorldSync leave their egos at the door, we aim to be receptive to feedback and seek to understand. What I’ve learned most here is that it’s not enough to win the minds of colleagues and employees, but we must win their hearts too. Everyone here should have an emotionally vested interest in the organization succeeding. We represent our values and our customers. It’s our job to make sure they’re happy and continuously gaining value from 1WorldSync.”

How do you orchestrate your life outside of 1WorldSync?

“I have a 14-year-old son who is an elite hockey player and I am an avid equestrian. A lot of my life is spent at the barn or an ice rink. I’m an adrenaline junkie and our household is energized by competitions. We’re either at a competition or training for one. In between, I try to spend as much time as I can with my husband and dog.”