Welcome back to ACE Spotlight, our weekly journey around the world to meet the people behind the expertise of the Oracle ACE community.
Each week, we discover different career paths, technologies, cultures, and perspectives — all connected by a shared passion for learning, sharing knowledge, and helping others succeed.
This week, we’re heading to Ross-on-Wye, United Kingdom, where we meet
Oracle ACE Pro Kate Mead
Kate’s career has taken her through three very different worlds — retail, human resources, and technology — but one thing has remained constant: her passion for helping people solve problems.
Today, she works with Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM and AI, helping organizations make the most of their technology investments. And outside work? Let’s just say even her dog has a rather technical name!
Let’s meet Kate!
🌍 Where in the World Are You?
I’m based in Ross-on-Wye, United Kingdom. 🇬🇧
Ross-on-Wye is often called the birthplace of British tourism.
In the late 18th century, visitors began flocking here to take boat trips along the River Wye and admire the beautiful scenery of the Wye Valley.
The publication of Observations on the River Wye by William Gilpin in 1782 is widely regarded as Britain’s first illustrated travel guide, helping to spark the country’s early tourism boom.
🎉 Three Fun Facts About Me
I’m a complete nerd — to the point that even my dog is called Spam! 🐶
I was once an HR Manager for a shopping channel, and I would often appear on screen to chat with customers.
And I’ve had three completely different careers: retail, HR, and technology.
Looking back, the common theme was always helping people solve problems.
☕ My Perfect Weekend
My perfect weekend would start with a lie-in — although, sadly, my son doesn’t usually allow that!
I love going to our gym, although I don’t actually use the gym itself. It has a lovely swimming pool with sun loungers, so my husband and son can splash around in the water while I relax with a cold drink and a good book.
My work life is very busy, so I try to slow down at weekends.
Going for walks, spending time at the pool, and meeting friends are some of my favorite ways to recharge.
⭐ ACE Since…
I became an Oracle ACE in 2025.
🚀 My Oracle Journey
My journey into Oracle technologies wasn’t something I had planned.
I came across an advertisement for a role with a JD Edwards partner. I wasn’t actively looking for a new job, but the opportunity sounded interesting, so I applied.
At the time, I had never even heard of JD Edwards!
Eventually, Version 1 acquired the organization, and I made the move into Oracle Fusion Cloud.
Since then, I haven’t looked back.
What I enjoy most is the opportunity to combine my HR background with technology, understanding not only how systems work but also how they affect the people who use them.
💡 One Oracle Feature More People Should Know About
Oracle AI Success Navigator.
Any organization working with Oracle Fusion should know about it and explore how it can help.
The Ask Oracle AI chatbot is particularly useful because it provides access to Oracle Fusion documentation and can help with a wide range of everyday tasks.
It can support the creation of content for customer workshops, project plans, test scripts, and answers to practical implementation questions.
For me, it’s a real time-saver and a great example of how AI can make our work easier.
🛠️ A Project I’m Proud Of
One project I’m particularly proud of was the University of Birmingham’s move from SAP to Oracle Cloud.
It wasn’t simply an HR project. It was a major transformation covering HCM, Finance, and Procurement, affecting more than 5,000 employees across the university.
The scale of the project brought plenty of challenges.
I worked across configuration, testing, training, data validation, and go-live support.
One of the most valuable experiences was being seconded into both the Payroll and Finance teams during the program.
That gave me a much deeper understanding of how technology changes affect people in their everyday work.
The project taught me something important:
Successful implementations aren’t just about configuring systems correctly. They’re about helping people adapt to new ways of working and making sure they feel confident using the technology.
Seeing the organization successfully adopt the new platform was incredibly rewarding.
It’s a lesson that continues to shape the way I approach implementations today: focus on the people first, and the technology will follow.
📚 What I’m Learning Right Now
Everything AI!
Oracle AI Agent Studio is evolving so quickly that it’s definitely keeping me on my toes.
There’s always something new to explore, understand, and apply.
💬 Ask Me About…
Ask me about Oracle HCM Cloud, Oracle Fusion AI, and Oracle AI Success Navigator.
I particularly enjoy discussing how organizations can use these technologies to improve processes, support users, and get more value from their Oracle investments.
🌟 Advice for Aspiring Oracle ACEs
My biggest piece of advice is to focus on helping the community, not on becoming an ACE.
Recognition follows naturally when you consistently share what you’ve learned and help others solve real problems.
Start small.
Write a blog about something you learned during a project. Answer questions in the Oracle community. Speak at a local user group. Share practical tips on LinkedIn.
You don’t need to be the world’s leading expert to make a valuable contribution.
Some of the most useful knowledge comes from people sharing real-world experiences and honest insights.
I’d also encourage aspiring ACEs to find a niche they’re passionate about.
For me, that’s helping organizations get more value from Oracle through AI, innovation, and user adoption.
Having an area of focus makes it easier to develop expertise and create content that genuinely helps others.
And most importantly, be authentic.
The Oracle community is incredibly supportive, and people connect much more with genuine experiences and lessons learned than with polished marketing messages.
🤝 Let’s Connect!
You can find me on LinkedIn:
This week, ACE Spotlight took us to Ross-on-Wye, United Kingdom, where we met an Oracle ACE whose career has taken her from retail and HR to Oracle Fusion Cloud and AI.
Kate’s story reminds us that there isn’t one traditional path into technology — or into the Oracle ACE community.
Sometimes, the skills that make us successful technologists come from experiences that have very little to do with writing code or configuring systems.
Understanding people, communicating clearly, adapting to change, and helping others succeed can be just as important.
And perhaps Kate’s advice captures the spirit of this series particularly well:
Focus on helping the community, not on becoming an ACE.
Because ultimately, the Oracle ACE Program isn’t just about technology expertise. It’s about the people who choose to share that expertise with others.
Did you miss our previous ACE Spotlights?
🇹🇷 Meet Alkin Tezuysal, Oracle ACE Pro — MySQL expert, author, and sailor whose office sometimes floats between the Greek and Turkish islands.
🇪🇬 Meet Nada Bashar, Oracle ACE Pro — Oracle Integration, Visual Builder, Agentic AI, and a love for K-dramas.
🇦🇷 Meet Gustavo Gonzalez, Oracle ACE Director — More than 25 years of Oracle experience, from Financials to AI Agents.
Next Wednesday, our international journey continues as we meet another person behind the expertise — with a new location, a new Oracle story, and a new perspective to share.
Where will ACE Spotlight take us next? 🌎