In our Meet Addepar series, we sit down with the people at the heart of our success — those who enable us to consistently deliver excellent outcomes for our clients. Today, we speak to Kelly Paisley, Manager on our Core Plus Sales team.

Kelly joined Addepar in 2021, bringing with her nearly a decade of experience across wealth management and fintech sales. She now manages a team of account executives focused on serving current clients and prospects within the mid-market RIA and single-family office sectors. Her team helps these businesses navigate their next phase of growth.

Could you tell us a little bit about your education and early career experiences? How did you come to find yourself in this industry?

I often tell people that I grew up in the industry. My mom began her career as an ICU nurse before successfully pivoting and founding her own independent wealth management firm. Watching her build the business from the ground up provided me with a unique perspective, and I gained invaluable experience firsthand by attending conferences and industry dinners with her from a young age.

She really made an impression on me and my siblings that wealth management, at its core, is about deeply caring for clients — for people. She taught me that it's really about understanding the individual across the table, how they think about risk, how they plan for different life events and what's actually important to them. 

What drew you to Addepar specifically?

I actually had the opportunity to sit next to Eric Poirier at a 2017 eMoney Summit dinner in Arizona. I didn't know much about Addepar at the time, but from our conversation I could tell he looked at this industry differently, and could tell a compelling story about where it’s headed. 

Fast forward a few years later, I was looking to make a change and I knew I wanted to stay in wealth management fintech. But I wanted to go deeper and to be on a platform that would have a different type of impact on an advisor's business. I knew this would also provide me deeper exposure into the world of family offices and how they serve their own family members, allowing me to provide unique insights to RIA firms trying to grow in the UHNW space. When I saw that Addepar was carving a really unique space for themselves in the industry, I jumped at the opportunity. I've been here almost six years now.

Can you tell us about your current role and the segment you work with?

My team focuses on what I'd call the mid-market: single-family offices and RIA firms at roughly $750 million to $2.5 billion in assets under management. These firms have done a great job building their businesses and now they’re on the cusp of a really great breakthrough at the asset level. For RIA firms specifically, they typically need to grow, merge or acquire to reach that next stage, so they're building out their teams and re-thinking the technology needed to take them to the next level. 

As manager, my day starts with a full view of the business including our pipeline, what's happening across my team's deals and what insights are coming through from the tools we use. Then I'm largely supporting my team on prospect and client calls.

What makes selling to this segment unique and how would you define your approach?

It starts with genuinely understanding the firm rather than trying to sell them anything. Instead, ask:  what are their goals, what are their challenges, what does success look like in two years, five, ten? If you jump straight into a product pitch without understanding them first, it does not serve anyone on the call. Our role involves helping firms address the critical questions they might otherwise overlook.

The flexibility of Addepar's platform lends itself really well to this because we're not delivering a one-size-fits-all demo — we can tailor the conversation around what that specific firm is actually trying to solve for. This applies to reporting as well. Historically, a lot of platforms gave you a client view that was static and lacked flexibility, it was the same report for everyone. Just like my mom always told me, “a client is not a pie chart”, Addepar has really pioneered the ability to tailor reporting around what each client actually needs, and when you layer AI on top of that, what we've built with Addison, our AI agents, our client insights tools, it's genuinely changing what advisors can do in a day without having to scale headcount to match.

What are the biggest challenges in your role?

Change management, without question. It is natural to feel hesitant before a major platform migration. We frequently coach prospects through this stage by teaching them how to transition effectively, as we anticipate the moment when it is time to take a deep breath and commit to the change. And, what challenges they should expect.

The pace of AI can also be a challenge. The space is changing so fast that you really have to stay on the cutting edge in order to keep up. 

What do you find most rewarding?

During my first five years here as an individual sales representative, I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to learn from our clients. It was invaluable to gain insights into how different firms think, the nuances of negotiation, and what truly matters to them. I’m grateful I've had the opportunity to help bring on amazing clients that I still keep in close contact with today. Now that I'm managing a team, the feeling has completely shifted. Watching one of our Account Executives close a deal they are proud of is far more rewarding than winning one myself. Supporting their success is truly what drives me now.

And finally, what do you value most about working at Addepar?

The best part of working here is definitely the people. Everyone is fully invested and ready to jump in to help one another. When I first joined, I was nervous about leaving a team I had been part of for years, but I have found a similar sense of family here.

I believe this culture also extends to our client relationships. We prioritize the fundamentals: building genuine personal connections, consistently seeking feedback, and showing up for our partners. For these firms, Addepar is their source of truth — it’s mission-critical. 

It starts with genuinely understanding the firm rather than trying to sell them anything. Instead, ask: what are their goals, what are their challenges, what does success look like in two years, five, ten?