Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Accomplishments
Timeline
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Chris Ernest

San Diego,CA

Summary

Servant leader, strategic thinker, and creative problem solver with a proven track record of exceeding revenue growth targets, I am passionate about building, scaling, and leading high-performing teams that deliver sales results and thrive in a collaborative, fulfilling work environment through a combination of technical knowledge, business acumen, and thoughtful communication.

Overview

12
12
years of professional experience

Work History

Senior Director - Solutions Engineering

Fusion Risk Management
04.2022 - 04.2025
  • Directed a 15-person team located across the US and Europe responsible for all major sales support functions including Solutions Engineering, Sales Enablement, and Channel Partners.
  • Orchestrated global presales strategy, including expansion into the APAC region and onboarding of the company’s first three (3) global consulting/implementation partners, helping Fusion’s channel partner team to exceed their targets for the first time in company history (2023 and 2024).
  • Implemented demo automation software, reducing the need for SE engagement in low-stakes / early-stage pursuits by ~25%, thus enabling an increase in Sales Rep:SE ratio and a proportional increase in resource time spent on higher-stakes / late stage opportunities.
  • Mentored 3 directors and managers, building a leadership pipeline to sustain scalability during growth to $100M+ in annual revenue and 500+ clients.

Director - Solutions Engineering

Fusion Risk Management
01.2020 - 04.2022
  • Scaled SE team to 10 members, including for the first time, the addition of full-time SEs in EMEA, an additional SE Manager, and a dedicated RFP response/technical writer.
  • Led strategic presales initiatives targeting 2 specific markets, 1) large banks/finserv (GSIB/DSIB) and 2) EMEA-based accounts, resulting in the company’s first five (5) $1M+ ACV customers and an increase in EMEA win rate of more than 3x.
  • In collaboration with Product Marketing, led the development of a series of competitive “battlecards” for BDRs, Sales Reps, and SEs to reference during sales pursuits, contributing to an increased win rate of almost 20% against the company’s top 3 competitors.

Senior Manager - Solutions Engineering

Fusion Risk Management
01.2019 - 01.2020
  • Managed a 5-member Sales Engineering team, continually implementing and refining processes to support the successful achievement of Fusion’s aggressive growth targets, leading to Vista Equity Partners purchasing a majority stake in the company at the end of 2019.
  • Collaborated with Product and Engineering to scale the management of demo environments, increasing both the SE team’s ability to successfully demonstrate new release functionality prior to general availability as well as delivering more specialized demos targeted to specific industries and clients.
  • Developed training programs for new hires, aligning team capabilities with company growth and enhancing client satisfaction metrics.

Manager - Solutions Engineering

Fusion Risk Management
08.2017 - 01.2019
  • Built and led a team of 3 Solutions Engineers, establishing initial team structure and processes leading to 50+ incremental clients and $8M+ in annual revenue.
  • Streamlined presales workflows, cutting lead time for SE engagements by ~50% and enabling faster response to client technical inquiries.
  • Mentored team members on technical and client-facing skills, improving demo quality and contributing to a ~20% increase in deal win rates.
  • Partnered with product teams to prioritize feature updates based on client needs, driving improvements that supported client growth to 100+ accounts.

Solutions Engineer

Fusion Risk Management
06.2013 - 08.2017
  • As the first and only dedicated Solutions Engineer at the firm, established and owned all technical sales support functions including product demonstrations, proof-of-concept (POC) / trial engagements, RFI/RFP responses, technical implementation project scoping, and IT security reviews.
  • Partnered with sales teams to address client technical needs, more than tripling the new logo win rate and closing 50+ deals with enterprise accounts up to and including the Fortune 10, which helped the company to secure growth capital investments from multiple PE firms and expand from 15 to 50+ employees.
  • Created standardized demo templates and technical documentation, laying groundwork for scalable Sales Engineering processes in a startup environment.
  • Provided feedback from customers and prospects to Product Management, contributing to platform enhancements that increased adoption in the market and expansion across our customer base (>115% net retention).

Education

Bachelor of Arts - Economics

University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL
05-2013

Accomplishments

  • Met or exceeded company sales goals 9 of the 11 full years of my tenure (2014-2024) during which I was either the sole/primary individually contributing SE, or the leader of the SE team.
  • Qualified for President’s Club 9 of 10 years eligible.
  • Perennially recognized among the top 3 leaders in the company for highest Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) and lowest attrition.

Timeline

Senior Director - Solutions Engineering

Fusion Risk Management
04.2022 - 04.2025

Director - Solutions Engineering

Fusion Risk Management
01.2020 - 04.2022

Senior Manager - Solutions Engineering

Fusion Risk Management
01.2019 - 01.2020

Manager - Solutions Engineering

Fusion Risk Management
08.2017 - 01.2019

Solutions Engineer

Fusion Risk Management
06.2013 - 08.2017

Bachelor of Arts - Economics

University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign

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