Life at Cardknox
Get to Know:
Andy Gladstone
Chief Operating Officer
January 17th, 2023
Want to know what it’s like to work at Cardknox? Keep reading to learn more about our company culture from our Chief Operating Officer, Andy Gladstone. As COO, Andy oversees the operational teams that interact directly with our merchants and partners. This includes our support services — Customer Service, Gateway Support, Technical Support — and our internal Underwriting and Account Onboarding, Pricing Analysis, and Banking Services Teams.
What attracted you to Cardknox as a potential employer?
Cardknox seemed like a company where my contributions would make a difference. I appreciated how the leadership team approached the business with a startup, entrepreneurial mentality. When I first started, the company had an interest in partnering with a private equity firm and we ultimately were acquired in July 2017. This acquisition ushered in a period of accelerated growth, propelled by the fact that we had an entrepreneurial approach to our internal operations and management — which was a major contributor to the success of that investment over the past several years. With the recent announcement of our investment from PSG Equity and the possibilities this partnership opens up for us, it’s an exciting time to be a part of Cardknox!
What makes Cardknox unique as opposed to other companies you have worked for?
As mentioned, Cardknox is a highly entrepreneurial environment. Everyone’s opinion and ideas are taken seriously, and everyone can feel free to express their mind about the company’s products, services, and roadmap, regardless of the department they are in or their responsibilities. Although we have a hierarchical organizational structure, the actual practice of leadership and management is flat, and everyone is accessible to each other.
Additionally, Cardknox is designed for maximum interaction with our merchants and partners. We never refer them to the processing banks, which is why we’ve created our own internal infrastructure to provide a complete end-to-end service and support experience.
What is the office environment like at Cardknox?
The Cardknox office is a friendly environment where employees can feel comfortable and focus on their roles and responsibilities while also being collaborative, which motivates employees to contribute and get involved. We are small enough that everyone knows each other by name and face, and we always know who the key and supporting players are for each of our company’s accomplishments.
How does Cardknox promote career and personal growth?
Cardknox is always moving and evolving and looks to leave no one behind. There are constant training sessions, seminars, and webinars that focus on understanding our business and products, as well as ensuring everyone becomes a well-rounded professional.
What is the work-life balance like at Cardknox?
Everyone should expect to work hard on the clock but be able to lead their personal lives off the clock. There is a concerted effort to make this happen and allow our valued employees to know that we respect their time.
What practices are in place to motivate and make employees feel valued?
We really champion individual contributions. Even though our metrics and KPIs measure team or company output, we are constantly drilling down to see how the individual contributors are doing and make a concerted effort to acknowledge them publicly and privately.
How do you foster teamwork at Cardknox?
We maintain a number of departments that are focused on specific areas of the business. At the same time, we know none operate in a vacuum, and there is constant cross-pollination between teams. We utilize Atlassian’s Confluence solution internally to ensure there are no silos of information and processes. This way, all teams can access our knowledge, operating procedures, and best practices. We also use Slack heavily to communicate effectively and efficiently, keeping everyone on the same page.
What advice do you have for new employees starting at Cardknox?
New employees should take advantage of the breadth and depth of experience that current Cardknox employees possess. We understand that we’re in a niche industry. And even within the industry, we believe in a better way of doing things. Ask questions, be curious, observe, and learn. Don’t feel pressure to contribute on day one — everyone is invested in your success and wants to help you!
What excites you about Cardknox's future?
The product roadmap is packed! Over the past few years, the company has embraced the Agile product development methodology. It has been a game changer in terms of our iterative development process and speed to market. So many leading-edge technologies are currently in development — it’s exciting to see them evolving from concept to reality!
Interested in working at Cardknox?
View our open positions or join our talent community!
