Meet the Maker: Kelly-Marie Melville, Sales Strategy & Operations Manager
Knowledge is power. And this Black History Month, Kelly-Marie is working to understand the intricacies of oppressive systems so she can restructure them.
Our team of Wealthsimplers work collaboratively to build the best possible experience for our clients and then make it even better. Everyone is a maker and an owner. What does that mean? We take ownership of our own work. No one here is a manager that doesn’t contribute to any hands-on work. We question the status quo and when we want to update, change or fix something — we take initiative, involve others and #shipit, then improve it. Get to know the team with our Meet the Maker series.
When did you join Wealthsimple and why?
I joined in January 2022 after a friend sent me a job posting they thought I would be a perfect fit for. At the time, I was not looking for a new opportunity but after meeting the team and learning more about the company and its values, I was sold!
What is your role? What types of projects do you work on?
As a Sales Strategy and Operations Manager, I’m currently working on supporting our growth initiatives for 2023 and enabling our client facing, quota bearing teams.
What has your career journey been like?
It has been a beautiful, unpredictable, passion-filled circus, and I am the ringmaster! I started off studying Chem Eng at U of T. After graduating, I did a small stint in the financial sector, then decided to “use” my degree and joined a power automation company headquartered in Sweden. I worked on many multi-million dollar quotes and proposals for projects in oil and gas, mining, power grids, and enterprise software for five years. After that, I joined a Canadian IT solutions company. I ran their sales enablement programs for two years before joining Wealthsimple!
The 2023 theme for Black History Month is Black Resistance. Resistance against oppressive systems can happen in countless ways, like through music, politics, education, etc. What does this year’s theme mean to you?To me, Black resistance at its core means Black knowledge. As a kid my parents always told me, “knowledge is power.” I believe that this been an important part of the successes in my life. Truly understanding the intricacies and levers of the systems that create oppression, and how those systems came about, gives us a roadmap for resistance and restructure.
What motivates you to create positive change?
I come from a long lineage of smart, capable, and phenomenal Black people and I see how excited and moved they are at the progress that’s been made (albeit small) from their adult years to now. I want to keep that going for the next generation of young Black people, my present nieces and nephews, and my future kids.
An important part of resistance is making time to rest and reset. How do you take care of yourself?
Therapy. It is the truest form of self-care.
At Wealthsimple we demand diversity and create inclusion. What’s one idea or lesson you’d like folks to take away from this Black History Month?One idea I would like people to take away from Black History Month is that Black people are people. We dream, we laugh, we dance, we love, we cry, and we hurt. We want to be given the same respect and access that others receive.
We deserve to grow up and to grow old. We deserve to be trusted. We deserve to be people.
To learn more about how Wealthsimple demands diversity and creates inclusion, read our Culture Manual.
Are you looking to find a sense of community within your workplace? Visit our “Work With Us” page to learn more and view open roles.
Wealthsimple is a new kind of financial company. Invest, trade, save, spend, and even do your taxes in a better, simpler way. “Maker Stories” is an inside look at how we get things done.
