Celebrating our Zipsterversaries: November - January

In this reflection, we celebrate three-mendous years for Archana Kanakamedala (Associate Engineering Manager, AU) and foursome years for Robert Reid (Manager, Training & Quality, US) and Adam Schmidt (Principal Engineer, AU).

Archana Kanakamedala (Associate Engineering Manager, AU) - Third Zipsterversary, November 22

Congratulations to one of our rising Technology stars, Archana, who marks three-mendous years as a Zipster this month! Throughout her time with us, Archana puts the growth of her career down to two main things; ownership and support.

“The amount of opportunities we have to shape our careers amazes me. The recent addition of the Associate Engineer Manager role is a good example of how I’ve been backed to grow new skills. I’ve also valued having the freedom to choose streams of work that interest me.”

“One of our core values is ‘Own it’ and that sums up my journey so far. In the same way people say, ‘To err is human’, I believe that ‘to solve it is an Engineer’. At Zip we get the chance to own challenges and come up with solutions.

“A good example is the team’s work around enhancing customer security at login. We shipped an additional step of multi-factor authentication on login at Zip speed. It was rewarding to see our work positively impact so many customers that quickly.”

Thank you Archana for everything you do - and here’s to many more years as a Zipster!

Robert Reid (Manager, Training & Quality, US) - Fourth Zipsterversary, December 22

We’re delighted to round out the year by celebrating Robert Reid’s fourth #Zipsterversary in December! A true OG in our US Customer Experience (CX) team, Rob is proud of his team’s achievements and the impact he’s made working remotely from his home base in Colorado.

“Looking back over my time here, I am very happy with where the team is and how much we have accomplished together.

When I first started, I was one of three CX agents. Seeing how we have grown, being able to give agents a good foundation to start their Zip journey, with a library of information to use is my general happiest moment.

I also love the freedom I have in my position and how we’ve embraced the remote work model. As a team, we know exactly what we need to accomplish and we’re trusted to achieve our goals.

Being a remote worker gives me the opportunity to have that work-life balance which is so important to me. That being said, I have such good relationships with my co-workers even though I haven’t met all of them in person. We still take the time to get to know, and grow, with each other as we continue our journey with Zip.”

Thank you for all you’ve brought to the ZipFam Rob - here’s to another great year ahead for you and the team in 2023!

Adam Schmidt (Principal Engineer, AU) - Fourth Zipsterversary, January 23

What better way to mark the end of a productive first month back on the tools, than by celebrating bona fide Zip legend Adam Schmidt’s foursome years as a Zipster? Adam, a Principal Engineer in our Technology team, believes there are two things that set Zip apart.

“For me, it’s about the reach and impact you can have here, and the leadership that supports you in doing it. I’ve worked in plenty of places where you’re made to know that you’re a small cog in a big machine. It’s awesome to be in a place like Zip that encourages you to do more.

Some of my happiest times have been at our end-of-year celebrations. It’s a yearly reminder of what we’ve accomplished, how far we’ve come, and how great it is to work with the team that we have.

It’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day, but I take it as an opportunity to remind myself that our hard work really does add up to something, and really makes a difference in our customers’ lives. Zip also knows how to party, so you’re guaranteed to have a good time.”

We’re with you Schmidty! Love your work and can’t wait to see what more you and the team deliver in 2023!

Thanks Archana, Rob and Adam for all of your fearless contributions during your time as Zipsters - here's to many more years to come!