Zuley Clarke

As the director of user insights at Shutterstock, Zuley Clarke is responsible for understanding the company’s customers better than anyone else: who they are, what…

As the director of user insights at Shutterstock, Zuley Clarke is responsible for understanding the company’s customers better than anyone else: who they are, what they like, what motivates them, how they behave and why, and perhaps most importantly, what ails them. “It sounds cheesy, but I really do feel our customers’ pain when something isn’t right!” she says.

That’s why Zuley is especially proud of the moments where she’s able to turn customer feedback into positive change. And why parsing data, conducting ethnographic research and working to communicate with her international audience feels like much more than “going through the motions” — a result achieved by Zuley once she started following her interests, instead of her strengths. “I firmly believe if you follow your passion, you can shape a career out of something you love.”