Meet the winners of the first CSM Appreciation Week awards

This week, ChurnZero announced the winners of its first CSM Appreciation Week awards, recognizing seven exceptional Customer Success managers from across the SaaS industry and around the world. The winners were decided by nearly 10,000 public votes from a field of 18 finalists, picked from 400 candidates nominated by their colleagues for their dedication, skills, and revenue-driving accomplishments in the field of CS.

“We’re awed by the worldwide response to CSM Appreciation Week,” says You Mon Tsang, CEO and co-founder, ChurnZero. “We’ve seen award nominations from CS teams everywhere from the to Ukraine; from the Netherlands to New Zealand. We’ve also seen an upswell in appreciation of the value that CSMs deliver. CSMs aren’t just coaches, advocates, problem-solvers; they’re engines of growth and revenue for their companies. We congratulate and appreciate every winner, finalist, and nominee.”

ChurnZero’s Customer Success team announced the winners at a live watch party. Take a look.

Let’s meet the winners.

1: Growth Driver

Alejo San Segundo of Cutover wins the Growth Driver award, sponsored by ESG. This award recognizes a CSM who delivers long-term growth and net revenue retention (NRR) through expansion and cross-selling. Runners-up: Nick Schaefer, Center, Adhiti Narayan, CoStar.

2: Tech Trailblazer

Molly Sitzer of Ellevation Education wins the Tech Trailblazer award, sponsored by Skilljar. This award recognizes a CSM with a masterful, forward-thinking approach to technology, data, and process. Runners-up: Angus Lindsay, LightSpeedHQ, Ann Mansour, RouteThis.

3: Churn Warrior

Connor Ronan of ClearGov wins the Churn Warrior award, sponsored by Blind Zebra. This award recognizes a CSM who helps grow NRR using a proactive approach to solving problems and fighting churn. Runners-up: Lisa Autry, NAVEX, Finalist: Sahil Sharma, Dynamic Yield.

4: CS Advocate

Anna Kainova of Shelf and Martin Malone of Interact both win the CS Advocate award, sponsored by SuccessCOACHING. This award recognizes CSMs who champion the Customer Success team’s role in a way that other teams can’t ignore. Runners-up: Nathan Guastella-Byren, Chili Piper, Ben Nicastri, HiBob, Sara Newman, Cision, Marcello Rosales, 6sense.

5: Engagement Expert

Matt Michalak of CoreView wins the Engagement Expert award, sponsored by Higher Logic Vanilla. This award recognizes a CSM who goes above and beyond to create excellent customer experiences. Runners-up: Christina Meguerian, Opterus, Emily Salzer, Tripleseat.

6: Future CS Leader

Reza Slivka of Realync wins the Future CS Leader award, sponsored by The Success League. This award recognizes a future CSM leader who is new to Customer Success, but already making a major impact. Runners-up: Nick Barraclough, Nylas, Evan Saltzberg, Logiwa.

Congratulations to every winner, finalist and nominee!

Did you miss CSM Appreciation Week?

While it’s too late to join this year’s awards, you can still benefit from ChurnZero’s career-focused webinar for CSMs. If you’re wondering what’s next now that you’ve landed your first CSM role, you’ll love Peter Armaly’s advice on finding your career path in CS.