Meet Magda Esparza from Austin, Texas, a seasoned professional in the tech industry with a passion for customer success and a track record of driving impactful results through empathy, strategic insight, and relentless determination.
Introduction:
Magda, a proud 7th-generation Texan originally from San Antonio, relocated to Austin almost ten years ago to capitalize on the city’s booming tech industry. Raised by a single mother, a powerhouse who juggled multiple jobs to make ends meet, Magda admired her mother’s work ethic and aspired to emulate it. Her mother has remained her guiding light, shaping both her professional and personal outlooks. Her commitment to integrity and excellence underscores every aspect of her career, making her a beacon of inspiration for those around her.
Magda’s Educational Foundation:
Magda established the foundation for her future career by earning a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts, Media Studies from the University of the Incarnate Word. She was a student ambassador , made the Dean’s list several times, and was a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority. This educational background gave her a strong base in effective communication, essential for her later high-stakes roles. It also exposed her to a wealth of diverse personalities and perspectives, widening her mind as she was heavily involved on campus with the 2008 Obama election.
The Rackspace Journey Begins:
Magda began her career at Rackspace in San Antonio towards the close of 2010, starting as a technical support specialist within the company’s Email & Apps division. Initially, she had little knowledge about the intricacies of MX servers and the underlying mechanisms that facilitate email functionality. To address this gap, she committed herself to mastering the essentials from “THE BOOK,” as it was referred to by newcomers—a nod to the era when paper-based resources, rather than digital onboarding, were the norm. She was quickly promoted and designated as a mentor and assisted with chat support verbiage training.
After swiftly advancing through the ranks and being hailed as a “success story” by leadership, Magda was selected from a highly esteemed cloud team to start interviewing. A coworker, whom she had frequently assisted with a positive attitude and unwavering dedication, nominated her. This coworker, who has since become a lifelong friend, was so impressed by Magda’s capabilities that he advocated to his management for her recruitment as a Cloud Advisor in the company’s Public Cloud division.
Transition to the Cloud Division:
Magda’s transition to the Cloud division marked a surprising yet pivotal phase in her career. She was rapidly assigned a large client base as a Cloud Advisor, responsible for educating customers on optimal cloud practices and meeting a stringent, non-negotiable sales quota. Subsequently, she advanced to a Technical Account Manager position, where she handled an even larger account base, effectively combining the roles of Cloud Advisor and Technical Account Manager into one.
Venturing to Austin:
In 2016, Magda seized a new career opportunity with a private WordPress-centric company and moved to Austin. Although leaving her hometown was challenging, she was elated to begin a new chapter in her favorite city. In Austin, Magda refined her enterprise skills in her role as an Enterprise Account Manager, overseeing a smaller, yet critically important account base with significantly higher stakes and the continued requirement of being on 24/7. She also refined her communication and cross-collaboration skills with colleagues and internal leadership.
Embracing Remote Work:
In 2018, Magda transitioned to a remote position with a major cloud hosting company based in NYC, taking on the role of Senior Global Enterprise Account Manager. This role brought her a variety of exciting challenges, as she managed a diverse range of customers all over the world, and frequently traveled to meet her teams in Boston and NYC. Additionally, she represented the company at several conferences as a CS subject matter expert, further highlighting the dynamic and engaging nature of her work.
Joining Convey by Project44:
In 2020, Magda joined Convey by Project44, drawn to its status as a local Austin startup and the community from which it emerged. Her enthusiasm for supply chain management was fueled by the opportunity to work with esteemed brands such as Neiman Marcus, Sephora, and the Farmer’s Dog. Magda played a crucial role in the success of her Customer Success Management (CSM) team, helping contribute to Convey’s acquisition by Project44.
During her tenure, she deepened her knowledge of supply chain logistics and worked closely with enterprise-level spending and Fortune 500 companies. The culture at Convey, marked by transparency and a deeply collaborative environment, along with the remarkable team and clients, made this period a standout chapter in her career.
Philosophy and Approach:
Magda distinguishes herself as a Customer Success Manager who leads with deep empathy for her customers, fueled by her startup hustle mentality and sharp strategic insights into their needs. She believes that successful CSMs employ a methodical approach, skilled in reading situations, listening carefully—along with extensive research and preparation —helps ensure that a CSM is consistently exceeding expectations.
Magda enjoys the array of challenges and learning opportunities each and every client encounter provides, viewing every interaction as a unique story and a chance to deepen her grasp of various business models. She’s had proven success with collaborating with other departments like Product, Marketing, Engineering, Support, and Sales, emphasizing that every interaction, whether with a client or a colleague, matters a lot and should always be taken seriously and handled respectfully.
Drawing inspiration from her mom. her greatest mentor, Magda leads with humility, strength, positivity and a relentless drive to resolve any challenge that arises. She looks forward to continued leadership, learning and “advocating to see more CSMs that look like me,” in the words of Magda herself. Her advice to younger CSM’s is simple: Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, don’t forget to hustle yet be humble, and never forget to be customer centric in all that you do.
5 Leadership Lessons
- Empathy and Humility: Lead with a compassionate and humble approach.
- Embrace Challenges: View challenges as opportunities for growth.
- Customer-Centricity: Prioritize the needs and satisfaction of customers.
- Cross-Department Collaboration: Foster collaboration across various departments.
- Continuous Improvement: Maintain a relentless drive for personal and professional development.
Editorial Note:
Magda Esparza’s journey exemplifies the spirit of resilience and leadership. We applaud her accomplishments and invite other executives to share their inspiring stories on Executives Diary. Visit executivesdiary.com/blog/submit-biography to contribute your biography today—because every story deserves to be heard, and it won’t cost you a dime.
