Kim Keane

After moving through several trade publishing sales positions since 2000 I was employed by Cambridge in 2011 as an Education Sales Consultant in QLD. I was part of the beginning of rapid change in the QLD region.

In April of 2017 I was promoted to the state manager for QLD and In that time have seen significant change with the great success of our EMAC series and following that Senior Maths. The new emergence of Junior Science and Humanities series now in 2nd editions are showing healthy interest where I expect we will see our next great success series' emerge.

From the release of Essential Maths 2nd edition publication back in 2015 sales have increased exponentially. The 2nd edition release saw Cambridge take just over half of the Maths adoptions in the state, by the release of the 3rd edition those numbers increased closer to 75% of the market. We are still in the selling stage of our newest series, the 4ed, and can safely say our expectation is to be 90% (possibly more) of the junior Maths market share of QLD.

I have spent the past 5 years dedicated to the continuation of this growth and have made service to our schools and the relationships I have formed within them, my highest priority.

I've dedicated time creating firm relationships with our booksellers in order to engage and build brand ambassadors for Cambridge that stretch across QLD.

I have a strong sense of sustainability and it is and has been my aim and consideration at all times to create change in an industry where there is much work that can and should be done.

In my time of management in QLD I have decreased the use of paper page proofs and brochures from often hundreds, to a handful in each subject. Over and above the 10-20 we had printed for each book, I had 12 (in total) additional copies printed locally to fill requests. I have shown that over time we can change the mindset of teachers and department heads to also start to consider how they can be part of more sustainable choices.

In 2021 I was given the additional management of NZ and in turn, the international products and syllabi. Although this is a very quiet market in comparison to the Australian list, I have shown strong growth in this market and continued to develop relationships and support for local booksellers and schools in the region.

I have been a dedicated and active member to my management team and consistently turned up to take on additional jobs in order to help others during busy times.

I supported one of our managers with Salesforce usage and the building and use of state specific dashboards.

I have run PD sessions with customers and national product Webinars during busy times. I have created templates and processes that are now used as a blueprint to the continued preparation of our now regular webinar production and presentations nationally.

My management style is one of support, inclusivity and celebration. Every drop of intention is led with positivity and a sense of belonging to those I work with whether they are under my management or not. I aim to create an environment where people are heard and supported and I'm deeply driven to create a sense of community where we are not separated by distance or left to our own devices due to isolation.

I believe whole heartedly in the creation and growth of a trusting relationship and forgive quickly.

I am morally grounded and do not shy away from difficult conversations and instead welcome these opportunities, to ensure all parts of a team feel considered and expect the same in return. The sign of good management is one who does not go back on their word and follows through with clear boundaries and direction. And when and if plans change I'm not afraid to communicate honestly and clearly in order to keep that same sense of feeling seen and acknowledged. I believe that empowering employees with trust, support and guidance is the most effective way to form a team that is based on a reciprocal respect that lasts through all seasons of any business.

I have continued to show my resourcefulness, adaptability and commitment to Cambridge and to learning all I can inside the business.

I offer my support at all times to my management colleagues without question and without any expectations in return. I offer the same support when contacted by sales consultants or colleagues from other areas in the business outside of my region and will always act in a supportive and respectful manner that draws me naturally in all parts of my career.

• Tunnel vision - I can become so focussed on the end result I don't see how my actions can affect those around me and this can be seen as arrogant where in fact it is a lack of awareness
• Quick to respond - I can be quick to respond and need to learn to resist immediate responses and take a breath
• Be vulnerable - in order to be understood I need to be comfortable to show my vulnerabilities
• Over commitment - know my limits
• Overly serious - loosen up the sky isn't falling!

I am a Yoga teacher and mentor on the Gold coast. It's no secret this is who I am at home and I aim to share the great qualities that the journey of yoga brings to my life emotionally, spiritually and physically.

I mentor new teachers and have done so for 10 years now. I run my own team of 10 teachers across Yoga and Pilates practice and currently own a studio space that I have recently sold and hand over ownership of in a few short weeks. The studio is small and intimate and not something I've had to compromise Cambridge for in any way, instead I've found it has added skills and enhanced my natural qualities toward leadership in even stronger ways - management skills, support delegation techniques to a constantly growing and changing team and continue to maintain a trusting and supportive environment with short but valuable bursts of contact time.

This has been an amazing journey that has seen me grow as a people manager and a mentor inside of a community I have developed with great care and attention. I've learnt to coordinate myself spiritually across several modalities of my life with each part adding only deeper value to the other.

• I have supported the growth of QLDs market share of Maths since my engagement with the role. We have seen only growth in Maths and it is rare to see opportunities lost in the area. i believe this is due to not only the support of incredible product but the quality and depth of support we show to our schools and teaching teams.
• We are finding excellent headway with both Science and Humanities now in 2nd editions and can see this growth despite late publications.
• I have created good supported growth in the NZ market and created strong bookseller relationships that better support our product at a local level to schools and teachers.
• I was an active member in the Health and Wellness team and now will be part of the newly formed national Wellness group.
• I start training early next year to become certified as one of the Cambridge Carbon Literacy Facilitator's who will train other regions and groups to support more sustainable and active choices to coordinate real change toward our brightest and strongest possible future.
• I've attended a conference led by the NZ country manager and supported her by presenting and supporting relationship building and product knowledge across the region.
• I have attended the Cambridge International Education conference and met many of our global community members that represent and support the International brand across Press and Assessment. This was the most invaluable experience I have had so far at Cambridge. Showing that I and we, are part of something much bigger.