KORE Connections: Tess Thackston, Executive Assistant & Office Administrator

Meet KORE’s real life Fairy Godmother, Tess Thackston! As the Executive Assistant and Office Administrator, Tess is in charge of the magic behind the scenes, working closely with KORE's leadership team, managing schedules, event planning, and ensuring the seamless operation of our Atlanta office.  

Q: What does it mean to you to be an #IoTer?  
A: Being an IoTer means that we all work as one to help KORE, our employees, and our customers grow. We collaborate and reach across locations and functions to get the job done. 

In my position, I am often a go-to when someone has a question. This could be for anything. Where is the coffee? How do I submit expenses? I am traveling from outside the US, how do I navigate the office and the area around the office?

It could be simple, or it could grow to something more. I could be looped in to mail a document, and suddenly I am helping someone in sales push a contract through. It does not matter if it is beyond the job description. If I do not know how, I will point someone in the right direction. That helping hand, regardless of job function, is what it means to be an IoTer.  

Q: What is one thing that instantly makes your day better?  
A: Beyond a simple “thank you” or socialising with my office, what makes my day is when I see or hear about my coworkers thriving. This could be something in their personal lives, someone getting a promotion, a manager showing exceptional leadership skills, or someone speaking with me about how much they want to contribute and grow. When you are in a position like mine, you hear everything. It is wonderful to hear about people doing well or making changes that benefit themselves, their team, and customers. My energy charges when I hear these stories.  

Q: What’s the best career advice you’ve ever heard? 
A: If you want something, do not be afraid to ask for it. Do not let your work be the only thing that speaks for you.

I have always been the type to thrive on learning and doing my job well. If someone asks for help, I am happy to lend a hand. I have often been described as a “sponge”, absorbing info and making it a skill moving forward. Early on in my career, I would always strive and reach for things, thinking my work spoke for itself. If someone were up for a promotion, it would be me. However, this was not the case. The promotion I thought I was working towards was given to someone else.  

As a woman in the workplace, we can often feel that if we speak up for ourselves, we are rocking the boat. I did not want that, but I needed my old manager to know that I wanted that promotion. I politely pulled them aside and expressed my interest should the position open in the future. A look of shock spread across their face as if they never once thought I wanted it, and if they did, I would have been the first choice. Then they said, “If you want something, don’t be afraid to ask for it.”

I asked, continued my work ethic, and got my promotion at a better location the next month.  

Honorable Mention: Learn the difference between a complaint and valuable feedback. 

Q: If given the opportunity, what book would you write? 
A: If I ever wrote a non-fiction book, it would be called “Tales of a Corporate Fairy Godmother.”

“Tales of a Corporate Fairy Godmother” would be a compilation of true events, it would detail experiences I have had in my career and the knowledge I can pass on from those experiences to women in the workplace, managers, and those at an entry level. Inspired by some of our KORE folks calling me KORE’s Fairy Godmother, because I can always find a way to get things done. It might have something to do with my Disney background too. 

Q: Tell us a little bit about your office. What do you keep on your desk? 
A: The KORE Atlanta office is one of the more active offices in KORE. We are the Headquarters office with Inside Sales, Customer Success, Carrier, Solution Architects, and the majority of our Executive Leadership Team (The ELT).

We moved to our current location in April 2022 and finished a fresh build-out in April 2023. Since the build-out, we have gotten to enjoy our space. It is beautifully modern and KORE Branded. We have a lovely breakroom and a large Boardroom, where we sometimes host our Board of Directors and several trainings.

The office has everything you need, and the building is in a prime spot in Atlanta. Our building has a gym, a café, and a park outside leading to Starbucks. Several of us enjoy walking through the park to grab coffee.  

As for my desk, I sit at the front entrance. I keep my desk clean with all the necessities: pens, paper clips, parking validations, and most exciting of all- candy. The people in our office are candy fiends, so I keep orange and red candy throughout the office.  

Q: If you lived 500 years ago, what do you think your profession would be?  
A: 500 years ago, was a little limiting for women and their “careers”, but if we take the medieval period out of the equation, I would likely be a teacher of some sort. I love teaching and guiding people to succeed. If you want unsolicited advice or knowledge, I am your girl. Otherwise, I would probably be one of those natural healers who was banished from the village and lives in the forest with my dog and a fearsome reputation. Needless to say, I am glad to be born in this time period.  

Learn how you can make a difference #AtTheKORE by visiting our careers page. 

In a world obsessed with connections, from fast streaming services, to building personal networks, to even connected cities and homes, it is the personal connections that matter the most – that is why we are proud to introduce KORE Connections. This forum is a Q&A series where our thought leaders and innovators can share their perspectives on life, innovations, and business which could help you in building your own connections.