When I tell people that I went from a corporate tax accountant to an award-winning Customer Success Executive in under two years, I usually get the same reaction. “Really? How did that happen?”
The truth is that it was not a straight line. There was no perfect roadmap or overnight transformation. But it was intentional. And it was never about chasing awards, even though those eventually followed. It was about leaning into what I already had, committing to learn what I did not know, and making one simple promise to myself: Be the person the customer sees first, remembers most, and trusts completely.
The Foundation: From Tax to Technology to Trust
For more than a decade, I worked in the tax departments of multinational companies. To most people, tax and Customer Success sound like two completely different worlds. I discovered that they are more connected than they appear.
In tax, you are constantly managing complexity. You explain intricate processes to Tax Directors, VPs of Tax, and CFOs, balance compliance and risk, and rely on technology to deliver accurate results. You work across time zones, with potentially multiple team members and tax consulting firms, and handle multiple competing tax compliance deadlines. Complexity to the max.
That experience became my foundation. When I joined Thomson Reuters in Customer Success, I was not starting from zero. I was bringing ten years of experience solving problems for the same people I would now serve as clients. I could speak the language of the VP of Tax or the CFO. I understood their pressure points and the need for accuracy and clarity. I knew their frustrations because I had experienced them myself.
That understanding became my greatest advantage.
The Pivot: Learning to Be Customer Obsessed
Even with that foundation, the transition required a completely new mindset. Tax work is often reactive. Customer Success is proactive, predictive, and focused on relationships. I had to shift from solving problems after they occurred to anticipating them before they did.
I focused on three things that made all the difference.
First, I listened more than I talked. I began every conversation with a simple question: What keeps you up at night? Second, I reframed every metric. Instead of thinking only about deadlines or budgets, I asked myself whether the customer actually won. Third, I took ownership of outcomes. When the software failed a customer, I saw that as my failure too. Their success became my responsibility.
This shift toward empathy, curiosity, and shared accountability changed everything. I was no longer managing accounts. I was building partnerships.
The Outcome: Trust First, Awards Second
By the end of my first year, the impact was clear. In 2023, I was honored with the Rookie of the Year and Circle of Excellence awards. In 2024, I received the Customer Success Executive of the Year award. What mattered most, though, was not the recognition. It was the trust I built.
Customers began telling me,
“We do not want a vendor. We want a partner who understands our world.”
That was the moment I knew the transition had truly worked. I was not just helping customers renew their software. I was helping their entire departments evolve.
In 2025, I pushed even further. I met with 28 customers in person across multiple states and industries. I built new Customer Success plans and used AI tools to strengthen relationships with enterprise clients.
Awards are meaningful, but trust endures far longer.
Why This Matters For Your Organization
If you are evaluating a Customer Success partner or building a Customer Success program internally, here are three lessons I have learned that make the difference.
First, domain fluency and empathy matter. When you understand the customer’s world and can translate that into meaningful success metrics, it changes everything.
Second, speed with depth matters. Strategy is only valuable when it leads to real execution and measurable progress.
Third, a culture of customer obsession matters. The goal is not to close tickets or hit quarterly numbers. The goal is to serve the person on the other side of the screen and help them achieve lasting success.
When you combine those three things, you create true advocates, not just satisfied customers.
My Promise
If we work together, whether you are looking for a Customer Success leader, or building a best-in-class program, or seeking a trusted long-term partner then this is what I bring:
I bring a record of award-winning performance grounded in tax and strategy expertise. I bring a mindset that places the customer at the center of every decision. And I bring a commitment to drive measurable outcomes that reduce risk, improve efficiency, and accelerate growth.
I have been in your shoes. I understand your challenges. I have built the bridge between the process-driven world of tax and accounting and the outcome-driven world of Customer Success. That connection is where real transformation happens.
If you are ready to move from checking boxes to creating measurable value, let us talk. Because the best kind of success is not just customer success. It is shared success with your team and your customers.
Ryan Stemen, MBA 