Today, as Senior Manager, Key Account Operations in the US, Shawn works at the point where client relationships, process design, and complex shipment management meet. For Shawn, key account operations are not simply about responding to requests as they come in. It is about knowing each client’s rhythm: how they communicate, how they prepare, what their pressure points are, and what they need from Convelio when timelines become tight or shipments become complex.
In this conversation, Shawn reflects on her route into art logistics, what makes a key account “key”, and why the strongest client relationships are built on clarity, preparation, and trust.
Shawn, can you tell us a bit about your background and what brought you into art logistics?
My background is in fine art. I studied art history, then worked in museums for a while and later in auction houses.
Eventually, I was working in shipping at an auction house, and that became the part of the job I really liked. When I was ready to move on, I wanted to find something that was still connected to art, but more focused on shipping directly. That’s what led me to Convelio.
What attracted you to Convelio in particular?
I had worked with companies that were more traditional in the art logistics space. Convelio felt different - it was smaller, more modern, and much more focused on technology. There was an ability to pivot quickly, make changes, and use tools in a way that many legacy companies were not really doing yet.
It can sound a bit cliché to say a company is trying to disrupt an industry, but Convelio really is trying to push art shipping into the 21st century. That was exciting to me.
How has Convelio changed since you joined?
It has changed a lot. We have grown and expanded significantly, and the way we work has continued to evolve.
That has been one of the interesting parts of the role: seeing how a smaller, agile company can keep building new ways of working while still staying close to the client experience. The technology side is important, but so is the ability to adapt quickly and make improvements when something can work better.
What does your role look like day to day, especially in the US market?
Because Convelio does a lot of shipping between the US and Europe, I usually start my day by checking in with our European suppliers. That might be for delivery confirmations, quote requests, or anything else I am waiting on.
I try to catch them while we are still online at the same time, so we can get same-day replies or jump on the phone if needed.
Beyond that, my team is sending quotes and managing shipments. As a manager, I also work on larger projects: managing client relationships, tracking how we work with certain clients, preparing for new partnerships, building processes, and organising data.
How is the US team organised?
The Convelio office in the US is based in New York, and the wider US team works across different locations.
In the US, we have a sales team that focuses more on new clients and business growth, such as visiting galleries and building new relationships. My team focuses more on key accounts: primary business accounts where we already have an ongoing relationship and where the priority is making the day-to-day work as smooth as possible.
What makes a key account “key”?
It is about understanding all of their needs and expectations. How do they like paperwork to be handled? Do they want us to communicate directly with their clients, or only with them? What kind of quote are they expecting?
The goal is to make the relationship as smooth and efficient as possible. Ideally, it should feel like we are all on the same team. If we are working with a registrar at a gallery or the shipping team at an auction house, we should feel like their colleague who helps with this part of the job.
How do you balance client expectations with complex or urgent shipments?
For difficult, high-value, or deadline-driven shipments, the most important thing is setting realistic expectations. I would rather say we can deliver on Friday and then deliver on Thursday, than promise Wednesday and deliver on Thursday. It is better not to overpromise.
With complex shipments, clients often want to understand the whole timeline. They want to know when packing is complete, when the flight has arrived, and whether the shipment is still on track. If we update them at the right milestones, they do not have to worry because they can see things are moving forward.
Wherever possible, we also build in buffers or backup plans, so we have flexibility if something changes.
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What are the biggest pressure points in key account operations?
A major one is volume.
For high-volume accounts, such as auction houses, marketplaces, or interior designers, the challenge is making sure we provide the same level of service whether a client has a few shipments with us or many happening at the same time.
Some of that volume is predictable. Auction houses have sales at certain times of year, and major fairs such as Art Basel Miami Beach and Design Miami require careful planning around tight seasonal deadlines. So we work backwards from those deadlines and prepare as much as possible.
How do you keep service consistent during those busy periods?
A lot of it comes down to process.
With high-volume clients, there are often repeat patterns. For example, if we are regularly collecting from the same location, we can set up scheduled pick-ups rather than arranging every collection from scratch. That makes things more efficient on our side and helps the client know what to expect.
During the high season, we also have to be realistic. It is not only Convelio that is busy. The whole supply chain is busy: crating partners, shuttle providers, and specialist handlers are often dealing with the same seasonal pressure. That means there is sometimes less flexibility, especially close to a major deadline.
What does excellent service mean to you?
It is luxury client service, so people expect a high level of attention. They want to know that their shipment is being handled carefully, without needing to chase every detail.
Excellent service means knowing the client’s processes, preferences, and way of working. On our side, it means anticipating problems, solving them before they happen, and keeping everything running as smoothly as possible.
What kinds of issues are best solved through process design, and what still depends on human judgement?
Customer service still depends on people. In this industry, clients want to speak to someone who knows them and understands their gallery, their processes, and their expectations.
Technology is extremely helpful behind the scenes. It can help tools talk to each other, automate data entry, and make high-volume quoting much faster. When a team needs to prepare a large number of shipping quotes, having AI support in, for example, data entry can make the process much more efficient.
That allows people to focus more on the human interaction and client service side.
Where do you see technology helping most in the future?
I am excited about the expansion of Convelio’s Inventory Management Software into more of a one-stop platform where clients can manage storage and shipping in one place.
For AI, one useful area would be customs. There are so many regulations, every country is different, and requirements change all the time. A tool that helps identify what paperwork or licences may be needed, or flags when a document looks suspicious for human review, would be really valuable.
I do not think it would fully replace people, because there will always be questions. But it could help teams review things more quickly and with less manual work.
What kind of artwork do you most enjoy shipping?
I enjoy shipping art that I like. It is nice to feel that I have played a part in moving a piece I think is cool. Prints and multiples are great because they are usually small and straightforward: you can pack them, ship them, and that is fine. But I also enjoy the really complex projects, especially enormous canvases by contemporary painters. They can be a real pain to move around, but when you have built the plan from beginning to end and watched it all come together, that is very satisfying.
Rapid Fire Questions
One word to describe your job: Complex.
Guiding principle: Set realistic expectations.
Favourite shipment type: Complex projects that come together.
When Shawn speaks about key account operations, she returns again and again to clarity, preparation, and trust. For her, great service is not only about solving problems quickly. It is about knowing the client well enough that fewer problems arise in the first place.
From museums and auction houses to Convelio’s US key accounts team, the thread running through her work is simple: the best logistics experience should feel calm, coordinated, and human, even when the shipment behind it is complex.
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