Growing Through Transformation: Christa and Arlena’s Coupa Journeys

As Coupa continues to celebrate 20 years of innovation, growth, and impact, it’s the people who have grown alongside the company who best reflect that journey.

For Christa Fritz in Product Management and Arlena Joyner in Marketing, their Coupa experiences have been shaped by transformation, collaboration, and the opportunity to continuously evolve alongside the business. While their paths and roles are different, both stories highlight what it means to grow with a company that’s constantly building for what’s next.

Adapting through Change

Over the last five years, Christa has experienced firsthand how quickly Coupa’s technology, products, and customer needs continue to evolve, especially within the Coupa Pay ecosystem.

“The Coupa Pay ecosystem has evolved over the last five years,” Christa shares. “The partnership with Bottomline, Viewpost and offering our own Coupa Card are a few examples.”

In 2025, Christa was given the opportunity to be part of a large team to develop and market Coupa Card.  “With the recent announcement of Coupa Card, we are delivering a highly anticipated solution that our corporate customers have been requesting for years. Coupa Card unifies fragmented B2B supplier payments and daily employee expenses into a single system, eliminating the need to juggle separate bank portals or physical plastic,” she said. Additionally, Coupa Cards can be loaded into Apple Pay or Google Pay, allowing on-the-go employees to instantly make pre-approved, compliant field purchases and cover travel expenses

Her perspective on change is refreshingly simple. “Coupa is ever-changing and it has been a great ride,” she says. “I have flexed along the way and it’s helped me personally and professionally.”

That adaptability has helped Christa navigate transformation while staying energized by the future, especially as AI continues reshaping how businesses operate.

“I’m super pumped by the excitement around AI and the power it brings to our customers,” she says.

For Arlena, transformation has looked more personal and leadership-focused. Since joining Coupa, she has taken on greater scope and ownership, earning a promotion to a people leader while continuously developing her skills and confidence.

“Coupa has helped me grow professionally quite a bit,” Arlena shares. “I went from an individual contributor here to a people leader with a substantial team. My knowledge of the latest martech tools skyrocketed, and I feel like a much stronger marketer as a result of my time here.”

Building Connection and Trust

While innovation plays a major role in both of their journeys, relationships and collaboration remain at the center of what makes the experience meaningful.

For Christa, the Coupa Core Value that resonates most is Cultivate Belonging.

“I strive to create a sense of equality and listening to others,” she says. “If you truly listen to your coworkers, partners, and customers, they know you care, and that ultimately builds trust.”

For Arlena, that sense of connection came to life during a Marketing team offsite in Dublin, where North American and European teammates came together to align strategy and strengthen partnerships.

“We put our heads together and gained tight alignment across all areas of Growth Marketing that really propelled our strategy forward,” Arlena reflects.

The experience reinforced the Core Value she connects with most: Build Tomorrow “I've been empowered to try so many different things. My work leaning into messaging and marketing our emerging AI portfolio has been really crucial for my development and our business,” Arlena added. As the AI portfolio expanded, she led all things related to AI in growth marketing. She also thought outside the box with the creation of new educational webinar series formats for our customers that broke record registration and attendance numbers for Coupa, driving significant pipeline and revenue. “My leaders trusted me enough to bring this idea, pitch it to the right people, get folks bought in, and then execute it and see great results,” she noted.

“I love that Coupa fosters an environment of experimentation and innovation,” she says. “I like to be creative and push the limits, and I feel that Coupa is committed to doing that as well.”

Growing Alongside Coupa

As Coupa has evolved over the last two decades, both Christa and Arlena have experienced how growth often comes from embracing change, new opportunities, and new challenges.

For Arlena, stepping into leadership came with a stronger sense of ownership and accountability.

“I feel trusted by my peers and immediate leadership to steer the ship for my team,” she says. “That gives me a sense of ownership and responsibility to continue doing my best while always supporting my team.”

For Christa, growth has come through staying adaptable and embracing the company’s evolving culture along the way.

“I haven’t worn a pair of heels and I’ve definitely increased my sneaker supply since Coupa CEO Leagh Turner joined the company,” she jokes.

Together, their stories reflect two different but equally meaningful versions of career growth at Coupa — one centered on transformation through technology and adaptability, the other through leadership, creativity, and collaboration.

As Coupa celebrates its 20th anniversary, Christa and Arlena’s journeys are reminders that growth isn’t always linear. Sometimes it’s about learning to adapt or stepping into leadership. And often, it’s about finding new ways to build, connect, and shape what’s next together. Inspired by Christa and Arlena? Explore opportunities at Coupa Careers and join our Talent Community.