Being the first CSM at a company can be a dream with limitless possibilities, or a nightmare with unclear objectives. Nonetheless, it's a challenge many will (hopefully?) face during a career within CS.
So how should you tackle it? We have invited Lauren Cumming, Director of CS at Candu, and Liz Stephany, Director of CS at Close who will share their experiences and best practices on being the first CSM at a software company.
They discuss: what it really means to be the first CSM, how to take control of the customer base, how to hire a team & set yourself up for the leadership role.
Gurprem Sagoo
Customer Success Operations Manager
Customer Success Operations Manager
Planhat
Gurprem is a customer success operations leader with over 10 years of experience in enterprise SaaS, spanning both frontline CS and systems strategy. At Planhat, where he has spent the past five years, he leads global CS operations—owning internal processes, tooling, and data flows to drive efficiency and revenue alignment. He previously served as a Customer Success Manager, a role for which he earnt the CSM of the Year award in 2023. Before Planhat, Gurprem spent over three years at Box, where he advanced through analyst and manager roles focused on expansion, customer ROI, and operational scale.
Lauren Cumming
Director of Partnerships
Director of Partnerships
Weel
Lauren brings over eight years of experience building customer success from the ground up in early-stage SaaS. Prior to joining Weel as Director of Partnerships, she was Director of CS at Candu—where she established and scaled the function from scratch—and previously spent four years at Fixflo, leading CS through a period of rapid growth. A champion of the CS community, Lauren also co-founded CSM LDN to foster collaboration and in-person networking among London-based professionals.
Liz Stephany
Senior Director of Customer Success & Sales
Senior Director of Customer Success & Sales
Close
Liz is the Senior Director of Customer Success and Sales at Close, where she built the CS function from the ground up and now leads the team responsible for driving customer outcomes and revenue growth. Prior to Close, Liz held roles across customer success, consulting, and cybersecurity, including founding a CSM mentorship network and co-founding an OT security startup. Earlier in her career, she led sales and account management at Thomson Reuters, consistently ranking among their top revenue producers.
Customers
© 2025 Planhat AB
Customers
© 2025 Planhat AB
Customers
© 2025 Planhat AB
Customers
© 2025 Planhat AB
