At Smartsheet, we believe that no great achievement is accomplished alone. Together, we ensure that we are creating meaningful — not inevitable — change. Our team finds new ways to make this happen every day.
Because we believe success is a journey — not the final destination — we pause each quarter to recognize employees who go above and beyond in exemplifying the traits that drive our company’s success. This honor is known as our Brightspot Award. Peers nominate colleagues who bring to life our core competencies — drive results, take accountability, earn trust, value and lever difference, and continuously learn and adapt — in the brilliant work that they do.
We’re thrilled to celebrate this quarter's five Brightspot Award winners! Read more about each winner and what their colleagues have to say about them.
Justin Cestro | Drive Results
Justin is recognized for driving results within the Customer Success Organization, where he is responsible for a portfolio of customer renewals. Throughout 2022, Justin has voluntarily taken on more responsibility (and remained accountable for both his and the team’s performance); as such, he has become the go-to person for renewal process improvement. According to his manager, he consistently internalizes and implements feedback, exceeds expectations, and is genuinely fun to work with.
What does this award mean to you?
“I'm honored to be recognized for the 'Drive Results' Brightspot Award! It feels great knowing that myself and the Renewal Management team are making a positive impact here at Smartsheet. Thank you again for this award; I'm grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a great team.” - Justin Cestro
What do Justin’s coworkers say about working with him?
“Justin Cestro is as good as they come!” says a co-worker who nominated him. “I worked with Justin directly on a large initiative that I was managing to implement a process management framework for Smartsheet's renewal process. Justin was the first one to volunteer and was a main contributor in every team discussion. [He] did not shy away from being responsible for this metric, and after project completion, he is presenting his metric and process to senior leadership, adjusting the metric based on feedback, and learning all he can about the framework and how to improve his metric.”
Another colleague adds, “Justin was instrumental in guiding the Renewals Team while we were without a manager for part of Q1. He is a source of knowledge and encouragement on our team, and I trust that whenever I have a question or problem, he will know where to find the answer.”
“I was so lucky to have Justin as a stakeholder on this project, and Smartsheet is lucky to have him as an employee,” they continue. “I cannot speak more highly of Justin and he is very deserving of this reward and recognition.”
Nina Tan | Take Accountability
Nina Tan is celebrated for taking accountability in her role as a New Business Customer Success Manager (CSM) in APJ. As one of the first in her role, Nina has been critical in shaping the function and caliber of the team, and in setting a precedent of helping customers achieve their goals as quickly and efficiently as possible. Beyond crushing her own responsibilities, Nina has also stepped up to help customers who don’t yet have an assigned CSM, as well as mentoring her Smartbuddy (the Smartsheet new hire buddy program) and several other new hires along the way.
What does this award mean to you?
“I'm immensely thankful for this award and also grateful for the recognition that came from my colleagues,” says Nina. “Receiving this award is a clear testament to how much I enjoy and value my role ever since we opened our APJ office, and I'm excited for what the future looks like as we grow more in this region.” - Nina Tan
What do Nina’s coworkers say about working with her?
“Nina is an absolute superstar,” says her colleague. “To say Nina goes above and beyond is an understatement — she does all of this with a smile on her face, brings new ideas and passion to the broader team and customers, [and] always wants to improve, learn, and grow as a professional.”
Another coworker shares, “I love Nina’s passion to inspire our customers and to help them reach their potential.”
“Quite simply,” they say, “without her support and dedication, the APJ CS Team and our customers wouldn’t have been as successful as they have been.”
Jamil Ghores | Earn Trust
As the leader of the internal communications efforts that support the company’s DEI initiatives, Jamil Ghores demonstrated a deep ability to earn trust of the Smartsheet community. Whether managing the quarterly All-Team Meeting Slack channel, developing internal comms plans for Sponsor X and the Special Olympics, or creating company messaging to address social issues, Jamil embodies the Smartsheet Way and works to meet the needs of our employees.
What does this award mean to you?
"I'm so honored to receive a Brightspot Award this quarter!” says Jamil. “I don't take earning trust lightly. It's a vital part of my job, so I'm proud to be recognized for this core competency in particular." - Jamil Ghores
What do Jamil’s coworkers say about working with him?
“Jamil is a once-in-a-lifetime teammate, and I am beyond grateful to be on a team with him,” says his colleague, who nominated him. “Jamil earns trust inherently with everyone he works with by delivering on commitments on time, anticipating needs, and making things happen before folks even realize what needs to be done.”
Another co-worker adds, “Jamil is always a bright spot in my day. He has gained the confidence and trust of many Smartsheeters across the organization through his thoughtfulness, ability to listen, and by consistently showing up without being asked. Jamil thinks big, and also values and leverages differences by pulling in others for their points of view to ensure we incorporate diverse perspectives into decision making.”
Danielle Wilson | Value and Leverage Differences
Recently embarking on a new role as a Product Marketing Manager, Danille was previously tasked with helping customers to achieve their goals by illustrating high-value use cases on the Smartsheet platform as a CSM. This role relies on developing and nurturing healthy customer relationships, which means being able to foster meaningful connection with all different kinds of people. Additionally, Danielle empowers customers by providing helpful resources and remaining organized throughout it all.
What does this award mean to you?
"It means so much to be recognized for my contributions to the Customer Success department! Smartsheet has been such a supportive environment and it has been my absolute pleasure to work with the smartest, kindest team members I could imagine,” shares Danielle. “As I take on new challenges in the Product Marketing department, I look forward to seeing how I can contribute to that part of the organization!" - Danielle Wilson
What do Danielle’s coworkers say about working with her?
One of Danellie’s nominators says, “Danielle has taken on a role to lead a cohort of new CSM hires. This is not something that is expected of her in her current role and she is killing it!
Danielle’s willingness to go above and beyond in not only meeting with us but also in taking the time to put together a deck for each bi-weekly meeting has been invaluable to my post-onboarding growth within my position. I’m extremely grateful for her outstanding efforts!”
Sara Arntz | Continuously Learn and Adapt
As a Senior Product Manager, Sara works with customers to understand their needs and pain points, collaborates with Engineering teams to deliver features and capabilities, and partners with the GTM and field teams for launch planning and release management. She is nominated for her willingness to continuously innovate on behalf of our customers in order to deliver meaningful experiences and impact.
What does this award mean to you?
“I’m so honored to have been nominated for and received this award,” says Sara. “I take such joy in working collaboratively across our teams to help deliver tools that enable our customers to efficiently and securely manage Smartsheet. I’m excited and proud to be part of such a great team!” - Sara Arntz
What do Sara’s coworkers say about working with her?
“Sara has made an incredible impact developing Smartsheet's governance posture,” her coworker says. “She has been a tremendous asset to the security Sales Engineering team, helping discuss multiple different roadmap features with various customers. She has developed trust with customers any time she joins a call to present realistic timelines on future roadmap items to customers.”
Another nominator adds, “Sara is an absolute pleasure to work with. She wants to hear from any and all customers and is always willing to jump in, lend an ear, take opinions into consideration, and help move Smartsheet forward. She is also constantly empowering Sales to talk about the features in the right manner and give them the tools they need to speak confidently.”
Congratulations to all of our Brightspot Award winners this quarter!