Meet Emily Over the Largest Iced Americano You Can Serve
Emily Key, CEO & COO of Northumberland Group (Basically the Marie Kondo of Business), Co-Founder of @thisisforthecurious | Vancouver, BC
I met Emily at a Female Funders panel event in Toronto. Emily was a key panelist and she basically Blew. My. Mind. I absolutely had to meet her. We struck up a conversation and as though she was reading my mind, she boldly asked "can we be friends?". A few shared Macchiatos <> Very Large Iced Americanos later, we got to know each on a professional and personal level. She is the real deal. She tells it like it is. She is brilliant at her Ops career. She is an inspiring mother of two who can fully relate to the fact that juggling it all and remaining sane is HARD. She leads by example. She is a builder and a connector. She is raw and authentic. She might just be a magical unicorn. 🦄 She is the Marie Kondo of Business, after all.
Emily is a growth-focused operations leader in tech. As the Founder & CEO of the Northumberland Group, she helps businesses scale and transform. She has founded, built, grown, and sold her own software company, helped scale a VC-backed financial technology company from 30-300 people and through their Series A and Series B raises, and established a strategy and operations practice with Canada's largest publicly traded technology company, Shopify. She's the mother of two little sweethearts, and is an incredible supporter of and advocate for women entrepreneurs.
Time to organize our thoughts with the Marie Kondo of Business, with a very large Iced Americano in hand. ☕️
What does the power of connection mean to you and how has it impacted your personal and business life?
E.K.: Everything is connected, and so are we. Life's paths are broken but perfect. You are where you are because of all of the connections and steps that got you to where you are, and you can influence what that looks like from this moment onward. The power of connection has impacted me in so many ways, although I certainly resented it in my youth. I grew up in a small town, and everyone knew everyone else's business. I didn't like that very much, and I was swept up by the allure of anonymity and moved to NYC. Let me say: the other end of the spectrum is a lonely, disorienting one as well, and so I sought out a happy medium; where can I have a healthy balance of 'give and take' in this concept of connection? I figured it out over the last decade and respect its value so much more. It comes down to what you put into it. If you're helping connect for others, be it connecting the figurative dots or connecting them with their next investor, you can have such an impact by doing very little. Low effort, big lift. Really, why not? Selfishly, I feel really happy and fulfilled playing the connector. In business, the practice of being both open and action-oriented has meant that I'm approachable and reliable. We operate in a very fast-paced, ever-changing world now, and I've had mostly positive reaction to just getting sh*t done for and with people.
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Everything is connected, and so are we. Life's paths are broken but perfect. You are where you are because of all of the connections and steps that got you to where you are, and you can influence what that looks like from this moment onward.”
- Emily Key
You tell it like it is and approach life with so much zest. How has that approach helped you in your career and life and what drives you to adopt this mentality?
E.K.: As with anything, our strengths can be our weaknesses. While you and I love to Tell It Like It Is, it's not for everyone. Nor is my zest! These traits have helped me stay focused on what matters, and to keep a healthy perspective on what doesn't. I've run into a few health scares that have pushed me to get really clear on my purpose and how I want to spend my time while I'm here. While each of us will have a different purpose, one thing is the same for all of us: we get one shot, so let's not waste it!
You’ve had various inspiring career pivots, from successful entrepreneur to leading tech operator at one of North America’s largest tech companies. You also have a keen passion for helping Startups grow with the best operational strategy and for building communities. Throughout all of your pivots, what is the common thing that weaves all of these experiences together?
E.K.: It's been a ride, and I've been lucky to have such varied experiences. The common thing is working with fun, bright, creative people! In all of my experiences, the best outcomes have come because of the genius of the teams I've been lucky to build or work with. If you can surround yourself with friends and colleagues that you respect and want to learn from, you're winning.
“Strong policies for health care, paid parental leave, remote work options, and robust benefits packages should be the standard.
Let's focus on our People and Culture teams, and give them the respect and budgets they deserve!”
- Emily Key
You have a true passion for supporting entrepreneurs as you know first-hand what it takes, particularly operationally. Tell us more about your latest venture, the Northumberland Group, as well as how entrepreneurs could reach out to you and your team for consideration.
Thank you! Northumberland Group is a small group of companies that focuses on women in business. We have our consulting firm, where we have assembled a fantastic team to support tech companies through rapid scale and change. This is the bread and butter, and it's truly impactful work. It's important to give back to the community so we can continue to cultivate a healthy, growing technology sector in Canada! If you're trying to grow your business, or need support on strategy and ops, org design and development, or sustainability measures, we're your team! In addition, we also have a small angel portfolio and invest in and advise women-founded businesses. Finally, we've recently created a production company and are focused on entertainment for women and kids! We're having a blast.
Northumberland Group is a small group of companies that focuses on women in business.
As most, you have many priorities in your life that can pull you in various directions in a given day. What changes and improvements would you like to keep seeing in the modern workplace?
E.K.: It's a real grind these days! The juggle of work, kids, school, and a commuter partner have worn me out. And you're right, we're all feeling that in some way. There are basics to creating truly inclusive workplaces that should be adopted across the board: true accessibility, smart design, flexible floor plans, modular furniture, lighting and sound...the list goes on. Creating a sense of belonging takes a lot of work, and is a constant evolution.
Smarter talent acquisition strategies and career development programs need to be consistently iterated upon by employers. The game is changing quickly and companies need to not only consider the ways they recruit, but how they can better retain.
In addition, strong policies for health care, paid parental leave, remote work options, and robust benefits packages should be the standard.
Really, what I'm saying is let's focus HR or our People and Culture teams, and give them the respect and budgets they deserve!!
“The hope for @thisisforthecurious is that women find a small bit of joy in our bite-sized, unsponsored, fluff-free recommendations for making the working-traveling-woman's life easier.”
- About @forthecurious newsletter
To shed authentic light on the juggle of pursuing a passionate career that often requires travel and keeping family life together, you’ve co-founded the raw and inspiring @thisisforthecurious community. What do you hope women take away from this community? (shameless plug, join the This is for the Curious Newsletter here!)
E.K.: I was *not* expecting you to ask me about this! Thank you. The hope for @thisisforthecurious is that women find a small bit of joy in our bite-sized, unsponsored, fluff-free recommendations for making the working-traveling-woman's life easier. My partners Briana and Cristina share this goal. We are often on the road, struggling with logistics and guilts and partnerships, and we felt out of energy and out of the loop. By putting some energy into a quick newsletter, women can feel in-the-know about shows, books, travel tips, and even skin care. It's short and sweet. It's fun!
What three qualities do you hope your beautiful kiddos learn from you?
I hope guide them through learning and practicing the value of the truth and kindness, of curiousity, and creativity.
I also hope they learn patience, but that unfortunately won't likely be from me.
Mindset you live by... go!
There's a solution for everything.
Keep going. Try again.
If you don't know, learn.
If you simply cannot, ask for help.
Check in on your friends and family. Tell them you love them often.
Life is short, have some fun!
Connect with Emily!
