Executive Assistant of the Week: Austin

Christine Ziegler
Senior Executive Assistant to CEO & CFO/COO
BIGCOMMERCE

Christine Ziegler is the EA to the CEO, CFO, SVP of Finance, General Counsel, amongst others at BigCommerce, the leading ecommerce SaaS platform. BigCommerce carries clients such as Toyota, Ben & Jerry’s, Camelback, and Paul Mitchell. In addition, she is the manager for the team of EAs at the company and the Board of Directors liaison. She started at the company just over 5 years ago when there were 2 offices, 9 executives, and 250 employees. In her tenure, they have grown to 5 offices (with a 6th on the way), almost 25 executives, and close to 700 employees. She has been working as an EA now for almost 9 years and has no plans to walk away from the career path she is on. If you ask her to describe her job, she would say “anything that saves her executives time so they can focus on their area of expertise.” Originally a California girl, Christine has resided in Austin, TX for the past 6 years.

Christine will be one of the distinguished contributors at the ELS Forum: Austin on February 27-28, 2019

Tell us about a mentor who changed your professional life. What was it about this individual that left such a lasting impression?

There are 3 people specifically who have had the most impact on Christine’s career. The first CFO she worked for at another SaaS company took a big chance hiring her. She had administrative experience but not as an EA and nothing at the C suite level. For almost 2 years prior, she had been in the health and fitness industry, and he hired her because he somehow knew she was right for the job. He told her years later after their working relationship ended that he knew if she couldn’t do something, she would find a way and do it well. Next is the first EA she worked alongside. Most of the foundational points of view she has about the job and in the job day to day are thanks to Ashleigh. She taught her things such as never giving excuses, think through every single detail as if you were living it yourself, and so many other skills to keep up with the pace of the Executive level. Lastly, the CFO at her current job is the only executive she has worked for in her 5 years at the company. He always has her back, has rooted for her behind the scenes, and helped her get to the position she is in by encouraging development with company support.

How do you unwind after a long day or week?

In Christine’s spare time, she spends time with her dog and Military Working Dog foster. She has an affinity for the four-legged furry best friends, and it’s one of her favorite ways to unwind after a long day. Reading is also something she thoroughly enjoys and would recommend the book Jewel in the Leader’s Crown to any Executive Administrative professional. Anything outdoors is a win in her book as well – beach, camping, boating, hiking, swimming, BBQ’ing, etc.