Cory Apperson: Keeping Austin Boxing and Collaborating
In this installment of our Team Member Spotlight series, we’re introducing you to our indefatigable COO, Cory Apperson! Cory is a major driving force behind Xurrent’s success, especially with regard to our expansion into the US market. Based in Austin, TX, and originally hailing from Santa Barbara, Cory is full of deep operations expertise, ITSM know-how, and inspiring people skills. (She wears a lot of hats here).
Hitting the Ground Running at Xurrent
Cory initially worked in a high-level people management role at Logic Monitor. When Kevin McGibben moved from LogicMonitor into his current position as CEO of Xurrent, he reached out to Cory and asked her to join as COO. After doing some research on Xurrent, and speaking to others at the company, Cory became super enthusiastic about the awesome team here, the competitive product and platform, and Xurrent’s ambitious goals for the future. So she came on board.
“It’s pretty impressive what the Xurrent founders built, and the team they brought on to help carry out the mission,” says Cory. “The product and positioning in the market, and what we can go after, is really impressive. I wanted to be a part of that.”
Women in Tech
Cory recently hosted a powerful keynote session about women in tech, at our major annual conference, Connect 24. She wants to draw attention to the issue of gender representation in the tech world, and is actively working to build a community of Austin women and allies to discuss the topic, and their experience.
“It’s funny,” Cory recalls. “I think about my first board meeting ever, when I was working as a Director and I was the only woman in this pristine white room with this long board table up on the 50th floor. It was really intimidating. I think in order to fix that, there has to be more investment in career progression and education for women, and more women in tech overall. I’ve talked to some other women in tech about this, but you have to foster it early and invest in careers, professional development and get women a seat at the table from the start.”
One of Cory’s main sources of inspiration here in Austin is her mentor, a well-connected female CEO in the Austin tech scene, who is working hard to generate and propagate ideas and plans for companies to become more diverse and to become better environments for women. Cory greatly admires her and draws a lot of inspiration from the relationship.
Cory also energetically mentors the women around her, whether that’s in her networking community or at Xurrent itself. With her wisdom and experience, she does an awesome job of helping others pursue their dreams, build their careers, and navigate the tech world. Cory is also busy establishing a group within the Xurrent organization to help guide and support women in the tech field.
Austin Life – And Mixed Martial Arts
She’s become a full-fledged Austinite, enjoying the restaurants, the live music scene, Barton Springs, seasonal events, and mingling with all the young and motivated people in the city. “The tech space in Austin has fostered a lot of innovation and energy,” she says. “We have great employees and team members here, and are really trying to cultivate and harness the city’s energy.”
As a passionate mixed martial artist, Cory also notes that there’s been an upsurge in Austin’s mixed martial arts scene, along with national recognition that Austin is a vibrant spot for competitions and training gyms. In fact, Cory’s husband owns a boxing gym, Archetype, here in the city. Cory tells the story of how she and her husband became involved with the mixed martial arts community here:
“Every other month I was coming to Austin for work with LogicMonitor. As I was visiting, I realized how awesome the city is, but also noticed that they didn’t have a lot of boxing gyms at the time. My husband was looking to open a new gym – he had two MMA gyms in Santa Barbara, and he was looking to open a boxing concept somewhere new. I told him he should look at Austin!
He joined me on one of my business trips here and he thought it was perfect. We came back to scope out locations, and then he returned with me a third time for our holiday party at LogicMonitor, and he proposed to me in Austin! So I was like, oh, wow, this is where we’re supposed to be and build our future.”
Looking Toward the Future
With her ITSM knowledge, Cory has some solid insights into what the future of the industry might hold. “ITSM is really moving into enterprise service management,” she says. “What is coming up in sales calls, and what customers are saying, is that they’re looking for a comprehensive ITSM solution, and spreading it across different departments.”
“That’s where Xurrent has a unique opportunity,” she points out. “We do ITSM and ESM very well, so we can become the platform that all departments use outside of CRM. That’s a big claim, and we’re delivering on it.”
AI is also at the top of Cory’s mind, and she’s excited about all the advanced AI-driven functions that Xurrent is deploying. “Xurrent has invested a lot in our AI, and we are well positioned to be competitive in that space”
Cory is very excited about the growth going on in the US market, and loves working with the US team. One of her focuses this year is post-sales engagement, as well as Xurrent’s partner ecosystem.
Relaxing and “Kicking” Back
What does Cory do to unwind from such busy days? Her go-to is physical activity, and she’s got a circuit of workouts, from boxing at Archetype, to cycling and yoga.
“Every time I go to a new country or city, I always try to seek out boxing or kickboxing gyms,” she tells us. “I’ve gone to some really cool gyms, especially in Asia. I found a great place in London, and am looking for one right now in Amsterdam!”
We’re all extremely grateful and proud to have Cory on the team. Her hard work and dedication are inspirations to us, and the support she offers is invaluable. We wouldn’t be where we are today without her leadership.
If you think you’d be a fit for our culture of innovation and energy, check out our Career page here!