What’s It Like to be Acquired by Progress? Part 4

As part of our ongoing series spotlighting standout team members from acquired companies, we sat down with Hope Simmons, a long-time Citrix veteran and now a key leader at Progress following the ShareFile acquisition. Hope shares insights from her impressive career journey, her experience through the transition and how her work continues to evolve in exciting ways.

What was your role at ShareFile when it was part of Cloud Software Group/Citrix? Can you walk us through your career journey?

I was with Citrix for 25 years and wore many hats during that time. Over the years, I held various leadership positions across Consulting, global Order-to-Cash, Global Support, Americas Business Operations and Americas SMB Sales.
In 2022, as Citrix went private and the decision was made to separate ShareFile, I stepped in as Chief Customer Officer (COO) to help build an independent organization and prepare for the divestiture. During this time, I had responsibility for ShareFile Business Unit operations and our Customer Experience team, which included Pre-Sales Engineering, Customer Success and Technical Support. My time at Citrix/CSG was like a good long book; it was filled with lots of captivating chapters with varied experiences and page turning adventures.

How has your role changed since joining Progress?

While my core responsibilities - leading customer success and sales engineering for ShareFile - remain, my scope has broadened significantly. I’ve taken on support for all other products in our Digital Experience (DX) portfolio, which has exposed me to a wider range of technologies and customer scenarios. I now work closely with global teams, including amazing groups in India, Bulgaria and Costa Rica. It's been an incredible opportunity to expand both professionally and culturally.

What’s been the most challenging aspect of your role?

ShareFile is a 100% pure SaaS model with a limited number of Stock Keeping Units (SKUs), one level of support and no professional services. So in some ways, it’s a very simple business model. Joining Progress introduces a much more diverse business model (SaaS plus, perpetual license & maintenance, subscription, subscription transformation, professional services, etc.). Additionally, there are also so many products to learn about! Although it can be overwhelming at times, it has also been a valuable learning experience. It's like drinking from a firehose, where the flow of information is intense and nonstop, but you gain a lot of knowledge quickly.

How did your manager and the team support you through the transition? Has Progress opened new opportunities for you?

The support has been phenomenal - from my manager to colleagues across the broader organization. Progress truly has acquisition integration down to a science. The entire company understands how hard it can be to integrate two independent businesses, and they’ve built mature, well-organized processes that still leave room for listening, learning and incorporating the ShareFile way of doing things. Being part of a larger company has allowed me to explore new technologies and connect with teams I wouldn’t have worked with before. I’ve gained exposure to a broader product set and new business processes that are helping me grow as a leader.

Have you had any defining experiences since joining Progress?

Progress Kickoff 2025 in Amsterdam was a standout moment. It was fun, energizing and a real turning point. It made me feel welcomed and excited about being part of Progress. It also gave me a deeper understanding of the broader product portfolio and culture, both of which made the transition much smoother.

What accomplishment are you most proud of since joining Progress?

I think there are two things that really stand out. First, we’ve successfully navigated the acquisition integration, which is amazing when you think about how many moving parts that entailed. And what’s even more incredible is that we’ve done it without disrupting our customer experience. In fact, we are seeing improvements in our customer experience; our Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) for both Technical Support and Customer Support have significantly increased and customer adoption continues to improve. This doesn’t happen by accident. Many people put in a lot of hard work to make this seamless and I’m very grateful! Second, as we aligned as one organization, the existing Progress team and the ShareFile team quickly came together to build a cohesive roadmap for our blended Customer Experience team. We now have a unified strategy on a page with initiatives across four focus areas. We’ll use this to guide our execution throughout the year and ensure we are holding ourselves accountable to driving outcomes to the business. In addition, we have some exciting initiatives that will really help propel us this year as we roll out AI-powered tools to accelerate our Support & Knowledge creation efforts and churn prediction models to help us anticipate customer challenges and deliver the best possible experiences for our loyal customer base. These innovations are already making a difference, and we are just getting started!

What advice would you give to someone going through an acquisition?

Trust the process and be okay with feeling uncomfortable - it’s normal. Change is hard, but if you keep an open mind, you’ll be surprised at how well things can turn out. Progress has shown that with the right structure and culture, transitions can be smooth and even exciting. Q: If you had to describe your career journey in one word, what would it be? Unexpected! I’m a planner by nature, but keeping an open mind has led me to so many amazing roles and experiences I never anticipated. And I’m certain my plan wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting and rewarding as the one that has unfolded!

What’s something people might not know about you?

All three of my kids play the steel drums. On a hard day after work, I make them play for me while I close my eyes and pretend that I’m on a cruise ship. Well, some of that is true!

Anyone at Progress you'd like to give a shoutout to?

It’s hard to pick just one person, as everyone has been so gracious throughout this entire experience. But if I had to give a shout out to just one, I’d give a huge kudos to Karen Williams, VP of Corporate Development. Karen is responsible for acquisition integration at Progress and has been a tremendous resource for us since day one. She’s helped us navigate the unique nature of change, connected us with the right people along the way and removed any blockers we bumped into. I’m grateful to have had her at the helm of the integration team. Overall, Progress is filled with genuinely kind, helpful people who are committed to making things work—it’s a culture I’m proud to be part of.