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 Kendall Preusch, Senior Manager for the Core Account Management team. 

After four-and-a-half years at Goldman Sachs, putting clients first has defined Kendall's career. Addepar's shared commitment to client centricity resonated with her and, looking for a new challenge, she joined the implementations team in 2017.

Fascination with what drives business decisions in fintech led her to branch out into account management, and she now leads a dedicated team of account managers (AMs), overseeing the management of Addepar’s Family Office, MFO and RIA accounts. Kendall ensures every Addepar client receives best-in-class service and the resources they need to achieve their goals.

Could you tell us about your role and what led you there? 

I originally started at Addepar as a solutions consultant in a very technical role. I really enjoyed interacting with clients and building strategic partnerships, and I still have strong relationships with those clients. I find it hugely rewarding to work with high-caliber people and firms across the industry.

I'm always looking for ways to deliver the absolute best client experience at scale. Given Addepar’s tremendous growth, how do we continue to serve clients to ensure they’re getting the service they deserve? I work hard to empower my team with the right tools and tech to help them do exactly that. And I have the opportunity to coach and build the next generation of AMs in a way that continues to raise the bar.

What steps do you take to ensure Addepar clients are happy clients?

At the end of the day, client success comes down to building relationships in an authentic way. While issues with features and functionality may crop up, those things are always temporary. A happy, healthy partnership rooted in trust — that’s what lasts. It’s fundamental. We make sure to be the one to pick up the phone when they call, whether it’s positive or negative. And we prioritize face-to-face interaction above all else. Clients are happy when they can trust you and count on you.

How do you manage when clients come with such variability in size, structure, needs, etc.?

Having a varied client base is what makes the day-to-day fun. We serve many different client sizes, structures and needs. It really comes down to understanding our clients’ unique goals and business objectives, and how Addepar can help them reach these goals. Effective planning and Addepar’s flexibility help make these goals achievable.

We see a lot of common threads in what clients look for. We’re always developing best practices and gathering learnings from varied client types, and building solutions to improve the experience as we go forward. Our team also leverages each others’ backgrounds and expertise to better serve our clients.

Can you illustrate the difference Addepar has been able to make for our clients?

Two scenarios come to mind. Post-implementation, I get to see clients breathe a sigh of relief with a full picture of the results. Transparency in data is a significant improvement, with faster, better reporting and improved client experiences to follow. Having data normalized, accurate and all in one place is critical to any business, and eye-opening for our clients. After they see the results, I see them asking “What’s next?”

We’re also able to make a difference when it comes to making goals tangible and achievable for firms. We see clients turn to Addepar first for support when they want to implement a new idea within their business. I think that really speaks to the impact Addepar has on client success.

What makes a successful AM? How do you help cultivate these qualities in your team?

Successful AMs use creativity and outside-the-box thinking. They challenge the status quo and aren’t daunted by new challenges — they’re comfortable with being uncomfortable. In addition, great AMs are open to being challenged themselves and seeing things in new ways.

How do you balance a people-first approach with managing company goals?

Above all, I have to understand my clients’ business and goals. If I don’t, how can I expect to help them achieve and expand on them? We’re helping clients invest in the right solutions to grow their business. We want the right solution to be implemented, whether it’s through Addepar or another provider in our partner network. 

A strong relationship and understanding of business needs leads to expansion opportunities for our clients, and for us. We grow together, and we succeed together. We win when our clients win.

What new developments are you most excited about for 2025?

I’m excited for the enhanced client journey we are introducing this year. This project rethinks the way not only Account Managers, but the broader Client Management team, engage with our clients right out of the gate. I’m also really excited about our geographic expansion. Focusing on new clients, new segments, new geographies — the team is very eager. 

For my team, I’m looking forward to better using data, tooling, and dashboards to provide a clearer focus on priorities. Focusing on what’s important will free up time for the team to share ideas and help clients in new ways.

I think what we are building with our Dashboards is transforming how our clients engage with data and manage their business. Our clients are always looking for better ways to engage with their own clients; giving them industry leading tech around data in a visually appealing way enhances their ability to do so.