Ever wondered what it is like to work at Amazon? Curious about the type of people that thrive in one of the world’s most customer-centric companies?
Learn more about this Amazonian’s six year career across three teams during his time in Amazon’s London office. In this short Q&A you will also discover Stephen’s insights about the Amazon culture, his dare devil disposition for swimming with sharks, and his recent work with Amazon Pay on Prime Day.
How would you describe yourself in 2-4 sentences?
I’m an outgoing, ambitious and driven person. I love to travel and spend time with friends across the world, though at the end of the day there’s also nothing like a good London pub on a lazy weekend!
What’s career looked like at Amazon?
I joined Amazon in January 2013 in the Amazon Webstore team. I later moved to Amazon Product Ads before ending up in Amazon Pay as an Account Manager. Since then I’ve moved into a Program Management position, supporting new product launches and features, ensuring we meet our customers’ needs in the EU.
What does your typical day look like?
I must admit that I don’t really have a typical day at Amazon! It’s an exciting environment to work in and I’m continuously engaging in new activities and projects that certainly test my skills for dealing with ambiguity. One day I may be working on new feature proposals or go-to-market strategies, the next I’ll be in execution mode to make sure we have successful launches. There is a huge variety in my role and I’m always learning something new every day.
What a big initiative you’ve worked on lately?
Most recently, for example, I’ve been managing Amazon Pay’s involvement in Prime Day 2019 in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, ensuring a great customer experience for our Prime members on participating websites featuring Amazon Pay. It’s certainly kept me on my toes!
Can you share a little insight on Amazon’s culture?
Amazon’s culture encourages people to share their feedback and thoughts vocally; everyone’s opinion is important no matter who you are or what you do. A fresh pair of eyes or a diverse group of people can often be a great way of promoting innovation.
What is your favorite leadership principle and why?
Learn and Be Curious. It’s great to see how colleagues strive to never stop learning. There is always a way to develop your abilities or knowledge base to broaden your possibilities. Personally, it’s been a key driver for my career growth, especially when moving from role to role.
What is one of the reasons you enjoy working at Amazon Pay?
The fantastic team I get to work with! My role allows me to work with people across the world, from a diverse set of backgrounds. Everyone is welcoming, works hard, but most importantly has a lot of fun in the meantime.
How does Amazon support your career goals?
The managers that I’ve had at Amazon have not only pushed me with my career development but have also been incredible advocates for me through the process. People really listen to what you want to do and where you want to go, supporting you in your working backwards plan to get there.
What are some of your passions outside of work? What are you most excited about outside of work?
I love to travel, especially when I get to see and stay with friends. Some of my favourite places have included Fiji, the British Virgin Islands and Vietnam. I also like to Scuba dive if I get the chance (and the waters are warm enough).
Back in London, I like to swim when I can, otherwise you’ll find me in Greenwich with friends and family either in the park or the pub.
What’s something about you most people at work may not be aware of?
I’m a trained Rescue Scuba Diver and I’m a bit of a thrill seeker when I comes to diving with sharks. My favourite dive is off Beqa Island in Fiji, where I got to swim with schools of Reef and Bull sharks.
Learn more about working at Amazon Pay through our career site.