2023 Women Leaders in Technology: Kim Whittaker

FNTS President Kim Whittaker is a passionate leader with extensive knowledge in identifying trends, strategic solutions and new technologies that meet technical needs facing organizations today. She has served FNTS since 1996 and was named President of the company in 2016. Kim is instrumental in developing strategies for emerging technology, IT trends, enhanced security capabilities and customized managed service solutions.

Kim cares deeply about the customer experience and long-term relationships. She ensures that FNTS provides high-level service and products to clients who rely on responsive, redundant and reliable solutions.

Before joining FNTS, Kim held positions at First National Bank of Omaha and Principal Financial Group. Kim has a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a bachelor's degree in Marketing and Finance from the University of Nebraska.

What has been the biggest factor in your success so far?

The biggest factor in my success has been developing a culture, along with attracting and retaining the best people. I realized this early on in my role, as we had several cultural challenges within the organization. Those challenges were inhibiting our business in realizing our full potential, and our growth was stagnant. Through a very purposeful process, we defined and built the culture for the organization, and began recruiting the best talent for each role – both technically and culturally. Having a strong culture where everyone believes in the purpose and impact we are making, and has trust and confidence in their peers and the leadership, has enabled our company to accelerate growth and achieve our goals. It also has produced a very fun and inviting environment, which attracts additional talent. The combination of a strong, healthy culture with the right talent is truly a winning combination and is why we continue to invest in our culture.

What do you enjoy most about your career in the consulting industry?

I enjoy listening to and understanding the needs of FNTS clients and employees as their needs guide us in creating solutions to help them thrive. I aim to embody the FNTS culture commitment of having a "builder mentality," by structuring the organization for long-term sustainability through consultative and collaborative business approaches. We advise clients and build, migrate and manage IT environments based on usage-based models versus having them operate their own physical infrastructure.

Due to this shared commitment, expertise and support among the team, FNTS received an above-average annual retention rate of 97% from customers. This is a key differentiator in why organizations stay with FNTS long-term. Also, to connect with clients and understand their needs in a post-COVID world, I implemented Executive Leadership Summits to ensure clients have technology that meets their growth objectives for the next five years.

FNTS also distributes an annual survey to clients and saw an increase in overall participation and satisfaction in our consulting capabilities and ability to provide recommendations to clients. In 2020, FNTS began tracking its Net Promoter Score (NPS) in this client survey. As the FNTS customer experience continues to evolve, this metric will provide valuable insights. FNTS received an NPS score of +54, a 32% increase in 2022. This above-average score shows steady growth since we began tracking this metric. We also increased our customer satisfaction score to a 4.51 (out of 5) due to fully implementing agile transformation that has resulted in faster speed-to-revenue cycles and increased customer satisfaction.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

I was recently named a finalist for the Excellence in Business Award as part of the Omaha World-Herald newspaper's Inspire Awards. The awards celebrated women who have truly excelled, not only in their professional lives, but as leaders and role models.

As the first female President of FNTS, I enjoy mentoring rising female leaders at FNTS and inspiring youth to consider future careers in technology through FNTS' Women in Technology initiative. That is why I serve on boards for Nebraska Technology Collaborative and Applied Institute of Management (AIM), which helps at-risk and underrepresented youth and adults who are seeking a change in their career. In 2020, I was named AIM's Tech Leader of the Year, which recognized visionaries and changemakers pushing the Silicon Prairie's tech sector forward. Nationally, I am a member of the MSFT Women in Cloud Advisory Group, which accelerates gender inclusion.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Throughout my career, I have received great advice from many mentors and peers along the way. One of the greatest pieces of advice I received was to ask yourself if you are providing value to the company every day. This piece of advice framed what it truly meant to work for a company, and the importance of my role in that organization. Instead of asking what the company is doing for me, I ask myself what I can and should be doing for the company and ensuring every day that the work I complete is adding value to the company's mission. This lens provides additional clarity to ensure the work I am producing is progressing the organization and is in alignment with the company's vision. It also generates a sense of purpose, as I realize firsthand the impact I am making, and provides additional motivation to work hard in every aspect of my role

What does this recognition mean to you?

Tech, sales and support leaders at FNTS have become trusted advisors to our clients by advising and consulting them on innovative tech solutions that future-proof their business. Being recognized for excellence in leadership and consulting further supports our continued work in 2023 as we launch additional efforts to enhance both the client and employee experience. Efforts include expanding our Executive Leadership Summits to enhance client migrations and help them reach their long-term growth objectives; and providing in-depth consulting services and virtual CISO assistance.

Through this high degree of support and consultative services, we can continue to invest in tools and provide recommendations on opportunities for improvement and optimization. This recognition also allows us to strengthen partnerships and allow us to reach new audiences as we explore growth opportunities through acquisitions.