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Profiles in Pay: Diane Steven

Learn about life as an Amazonian through the eyes of an Account Manager in our London Offices.

Ever wondered what it is like to work at Amazon? Curious about the type of people who thrive in one of the world’s most customer-centric companies?

In this month’s profile, we get an inside look at Amazon life through Amazon Pay UK Account Manager, Diane Steven. Diane takes through her day to day life at Amazon, her eye to spot the next farmers market and brunch place in London as well as the importance she puts on Bias for Action within the Amazonian culture.

How would you describe yourself in 2-4 sentences?

I’ve always lived in London (apart from the three years I spent studying History at York University) but absolutely love to travel and explore new areas in my spare time, including trips to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, Italy and New York over the past few years.

I’m a big foodie and am always looking for the next food market, weekend brunch spot and of course any form of new burger restaurant!

I joined Amazon in January 2018 as an Account Manager at Amazon Pay. I’m responsible for around 60 of our top UK accounts & am focused on making sure these businesses, and their customers, are getting a great Amazon Pay experience. This involves making sure businesses are optimising the Amazon Pay integration so their customers get the most out of their checkout experience.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I spend most of my time engaging with merchants – answering questions and providing recommendations to grow their business. On a typical day this could include discussing the UX on a merchant’s website, checking to see if a merchant could benefit from improved functionality or features, and setting up customer facing promotions. I’m also working on ways to improve retention, collaborate on ways to monitor merchant satisfaction, and fixes for common pain points.

What do you enjoy about the Amazon culture? Or what’s one thing you’ve learned since your time at Amazon?

As someone who is always looking for ways to improve our service, product and processes, Amazon is the perfect place to work.

An interesting example -- Amazon Pay is a unique business within Amazon, as we we’re focused on improving the customer experience on websites outside of Amazon. This sums up how truly customer obsessed Amazon is – working within a team and company who are so customer focused means we’re constantly moving forward in striving for a best in class customer experience.

What is your favourite leadership principle and why?

Bias for action is my favourite leadership principle as it sums up the importance of testing your ideas and learning from them, which is really encouraged at Amazon!

How does Amazon support your career goals?

Amazon puts a really strong emphasis on the importance of mentoring and goal setting. Through our personalised development plans, we’re actively encouraged to challenge ourselves. I feel supported to shape and drive my future within Amazon.

What’s the best thing about coming to work each day? Is there a “perk” to your job that might surprise people?

Amazon was recently voted as “The Best Company To Work For” and that comes from a hard-working and driven culture. Being around likeminded people who have a strong sense of pride and passion in what they do makes coming into work each day a lot of fun!

What’s your super power or a something about you most people at work may not be aware of (secret talent, hobby, aspiration, etc.)?

This year I’ve really gotten into running. I’m currently trying to shave seconds off my 5km personal best. I welcome any tips if you have them! Learn more about working at Amazon Pay through our career site.