Humans of Xero: Donna Torres

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Welcome to Humans of Xero! It’s a series about some of the awesome humans that work at Xero. We’ll talk a bit about their work, their passions and what makes them tick.

We’d like to introduce you to Donna Torres, Director of SMB & Commercial Operations. We sat down and had a chat about life in and out of Xero.

Tell us about your role?

I joined Xero in 2014 as Head of Inside Sales. Time has flown by since then and I’m now the Director of SMB & Commercial Operations. As well as overseeing our commercial operations, I look after the marketing and sales strategy for the work we do directly with our small business subscribers.

It’s been fantastic to be part of the Xero journey in the UK, and I love to think about just how many small businesses we have helped thrive in that time.

Why Xero?

I stumbled across the world of sales when saving to go to law school. As it turned out, sales was my calling, and something I really enjoyed.

I was told about a job opening at a certain accounting software firm. At the time, I wasn’t really looking to jump ship. That didn’t stop the recruiter waxing lyrical about some of the awesome stuff this company was doing.

It was of course Xero, and you could immediately see how the company was really shaking things up. That really excited me.

What’s it like working for Xero?

Xero is a fast-paced company with lots of energy and ambition. We aren’t still for long. It’s incredible to think that when I first joined, there were only 50 employees and now there are 2,000 spread globally across 20 offices.

The culture shines through. We’re all empowered to innovate and strive forward. Every day I feel like we are working towards the same goal; to make the lives of small businesses easier, the world over. I love the fact that we aren’t afraid to try new things in the pursuit of this goal. I feel like I’m making a real difference when it comes to helping small businesses thrive.

This was a breath of fresh air when I joined, and a far cry from the corporate roles I had pre-Xero.

Tell us something #human about yourself?

It’s family all the way. Days fly by so quickly and I never want to feel like I’ve missed out. I spend as much time with them as possible, even if they are at the age when hanging out with their mum isn’t the coolest thing to do. I just got back from a holiday in St Lucia, we don’t normally go that far afield, but as my son has just completed his GCSE’s, we felt like we all needed a relaxing break! We went deep sea fishing, which was incredible for my son and I, but my daughter and husband were seasick, so it wasn’t such a great experience for them!

I enjoy the gym, especially spin classes. Once you’re on that bike, there’s no escaping the next 45 minutes of intense exercise. Other than that, I love a good book, going to the theatre and catching up with friends. Book category of choice is normally a thriller, I like something quite dark, mysterious and murderous! We try and get to London every Christmas for the theatre. Last year we went to see Scrooge at the Old Vic, it was a great interpretation of a classic.

I make a devilishly delicious Sloe Gin to be drunk responsibility at Christmas. It’s a firm favourite with my friends!

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