Kristen Skundrick
Kristen Skundrick is a seasoned Strategic Account Executive at Wrike, with extensive experience in enterprise SaaS sales. She has dedicated her career to managing strategic accounts, including Fortune 50 and occasionally Fortune 5 companies, helping organizations evaluate and implement technology solutions that optimize operations. Kristen is highly self-motivated and competitive, excelling in solution selling, contract management, and delivering measurable business outcomes. Her performance has earned her multiple President’s Club awards, reflecting her ability to consistently exceed sales targets while putting the customer first.
With prior roles at Oracle, Experian Marketing Services – Marketing Suite, and other digital sales organizations, Kristen has built a reputation for strategic thinking, mentoring, and fostering collaboration across teams. She is direct, clear, and confident in her communication, while also emphasizing partnership and listening to diverse perspectives. Her superpower lies in building authentic rapport — taking the time to understand clients and colleagues alike, creating strong, trust-based relationships that drive results. Kristen earned her Bachelor’s degree in Public and Corporate Communications from Valparaiso University, which underpins her ability to communicate and influence effectively.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Kristen is deeply motivated by personal experiences. In 2022, her husband suffered a stroke that left him disabled, and navigating his recovery has shaped her resilience, perspective, and drive. Supporting him and ensuring a quality life fuels her determination, pushing her to tackle professional challenges with the same persistence she admires in him. Kristen thrives in collaborative environments, especially with her predominantly female team, and continues to combine her passion for sales with empathy, mentorship, and meaningful impact for both clients and colleagues.
• Valparaiso University - Bachelor's degree, Public and Corporate Communications
• National Association for Professional Women
• Homeless Shelters
• Salvation Army
• Goodwill
• Doctors Without Borders
What do you attribute your success to?
It's part of my DNA. I'm a wildly self-motivated individual. I'm very competitive, so in sales, it works very well. I might seem fearless - there's a lot of fears internally, but I just really can't not want to be number one. It's just something that's always driven me, and I will do what I need to do to get there in terms of performance and learning. I'm not shy about being direct, clear, concise, and having a voice in the room. I don't think that it needs to be male or female - if you've got good ideas, let's hear them, and listen to everybody else and cheer people on. The only way you're gonna get better is by collaborating and partnering with everybody. I take the time to listen to people, talk to them, ask them about themselves, and just learn and create that connection. My superpower is to build rapport. What also drives me significantly is my husband - in 2022, he suffered a stroke and brain damage, and he almost died in 2022, 2023, and 2024. He's disabled now and no longer can work, so that drives me to be able to support and give him a good life. To see him fight such adversity also helps me push through and fight adversity on my side. It puts things into perspective. Almost losing him will change your outlook, for sure. It's personal drive - it's just the way that I'm built.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say that they need to start recording anything and everything you can to go back and re-listen so that you can hone your craft, because there's always room for improvement - it's a constant evolution of learning, you never stop. I also think that it's really important to have what I call a success journal, and in that, I write down my wins and losses, and when I feel like I can't do something, I go back and I read it, and I feel like I'm a boss again. That's been a really, really helpful tool. I think always stay curious. Don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand, but of course, do your research first. And then ask, but just curiosity wins, I believe. And be human! People buy from people, so I think the human element of it is really, really important.