At the heart of every successful client experience is someone who knows how to turn challenges into opportunities—and for us, that person is Desiree Busi-Ramos. As Customer Success Manager, Desiree brings a unique blend of expertise, creativity, and empathy to every interaction. Her ability to build lasting relationships with clients makes her an invaluable part of our team.
Before joining us, Desiree built an impressive career in the art world, working with galleries and artists. For the past 13 years at ArtBinder, she has been a trusted partner to our clients—leading customer care and collaborating across product, sales, and marketing to deliver exceptional service. Prior to that, she worked as Gallery Manager and Sales Associate at Pace Prints, and earlier as an Exhibitions Fellow at the New Museum of Contemporary Art and Artist Liaison and Exhibition Coordinator at Andrea Rosen Gallery. Her background in both client success and gallery operations gives her a unique perspective on the needs of our clients.
In this conversation, Desiree shares insights into her journey, what drives her passion for our clients, and how she approaches problem-solving in a fast-paced environment. Whether you’re curious about the behind-the-scenes of client success or looking for inspiration from someone who truly loves what they do, you’ll enjoy getting to know Desiree.
Rachel Chaldu
Desiree, thank you for chatting with me today. I’m excited to learn a little more about you and your career in the arts! I’d like to start with a summary of your background in the art world prior to joining ArtBinder.
Desiree Busi-Ramos
I studied art history in college and then I did a master’s in curatorial studies in new media in Spain. And then after that I got a Museum Studies fellowship in City University of New York, which I then withdrew from. But that fellowship was how I got to New York and started learning more about the art world. I interned at several art galleries in different departments, was an artist liaison, registrar and did archiving. And then right before joining Artbinder, I think I have to say almost 13 years ago—don’t try to guess how old I am!
Rachel Chaldu
Don’t worry, I won’t do the math.
Desiree Busi-Ramos
Haha, so right before I worked at ArtBinder I worked at Pace Prints Gallery and ArtBinder was right across the street, and I became interested in the fantastic world of art and tech.
Rachel Chaldu
So ArtBinder was across the street and they poached you.
Desiree Busi-Ramos
Haha, no, no – I was always interested in exploring non-gallery art world jobs. I just happened to come across a listing for an Account Manager at ArtBinder. At the time, I had no idea what an Account Manager was or what ArtBinder was, but when I read up on it I became really interested.
Rachel Chaldu
So you applied for an Account Manager role? How has your role changed over the past 13 years
Desiree Busi-Ramos
It has changed greatly! I mean, even though we were a small team back then, I was strictly just corresponding with clients via e-mail, answering questions. But I think over time with the commitment that I showed, my role grew to build relationships on a deeper level and become more involved in the decision-making process for our product.
Rachel Chaldu
Within your current role, is there anything that you find particularly rewarding or challenging in a good way?
Desiree Busi-Ramos
Yeah, I’d say one of the most rewarding things of the role is how I’ve become sort of a strategic partner to the customer. It has gone pass being simply a support representative. Having that trust and creating that long-term relationship is really one of the best parts of the job. Seeing their progress and watching them meet their goals is really satisfying.
Rachel Chaldu
This is kind of on the same note. My next question is what’s a recent project that you’re particularly proud of?
Desiree Busi-Ramos
Recently, we had the chance to tackle a pretty complex challenge for a client. It was great to see so many team members jump in and collaborate to find the right solution. We were able to resolve the issue and deliver a great outcome. Seeing everything come together like that was incredibly rewarding—it’s always exciting when teamwork pays off.
Rachel Chaldu
I love that our support team loves an interesting puzzle!
Desiree Busi-Ramos
Absolutely!
Rachel Chaldu
What do you believe sets ArtBinder apart in the field of art world technology?
Desiree Busi-Ramos
I mean, I think the fact that our team is comprised of people with art world experience is huge because we’ve been in those roles, so we understand the struggles, the challenges, and their daily tasks.
We also always put the customer first, even though that sounds kind of cheesy and like, Oh yeah, we all do that. We believe in listening to our clients, following their lead. It’s important to make sure they know that they’re being heard and that we are building a product with them in mind.
Rachel Chaldu
What’s your favorite part about working with our clients?
Desiree Busi-Ramos
I love working with all types of clients, but recently, I have loved working with collectors because I have learned so much from our collector customer base, even though I worked at an artist studio and obviously had an opportunity to work with collectors when at the gallery, I found that there was still so much in their specific world to discover. I really enjoy my conversations with them.
Rachel Chaldu
Yeah, absolutely. What’s one thing people might find surprising to learn about your role?
Desiree Busi-Ramos
I would say that we are not just reactive, we are proactive. We are always thinking about our clients, we remember them, we have our notes on them. We think about their concerns and use that information when we make larger decisions. And on that note, we are always thinking about what we could incorporate or add down the line to make it a better solution for our customers. We don’t just solve solutions as they come up, then close the ticket, and stop thinking of them.
Rachel Chaldu
What inspires or motivates you the most in the work that you do?
Desiree Busi-Ramos
The combination of impact and partnership. When I’m able to help the clients reach their goals, that to me is living proof that ArtBinder is a critical tool. People depend on ArtBinder to run their business and seeing them do well is a great feeling.
Rachel Chaldu
We’re going to move into more personal questions. I want to know if you have any fun stories from your career before ArtBinder.
Desiree Busi-Ramos
In one of my business trips, I think it was to London, I got to go with our former founder and CEO to an event with collectors and I met Bjork, which I thought was really cool.
Rachel Chaldu
Amazing! I am jealous of that highlight!
Desiree Busi-Ramos
Also, I had the opportunity to work at an exhibition at the New Museum of Contemporary Art where a piece by the artist that I worked for was being exhibited and I got to work with the curatorial team from Spain. We are all still friends even after all these years.
Rachel Chaldu
That is very cool. These are the types of stories that inspired us all to join the art world! My next question is, can you share a moment where a piece of art really moved you?
Desiree Busi-Ramos
Yes! I have a work that came to mind. It’s a multimedia work by Anna Gaskell and Douglas Gordon. I’m sure you’ve heard him. And it was at Yvonne Lambert, Paris. I forget the name of the work, but it was a video of a female dancer moving very gracefully and elegantly across this space. I think what impressed me the most is I hadn’t really seen a such a large-scale video installation where the music went along with the characters’ movement. I remember to this day how beautifully it was filmed.
Rachel Chaldu
It sounds poetic and beautiful.
Desiree Busi-Ramos
Yeah, it was. It moved me for sure.
Rachel Chaldu
All right, – now, we want to know how do you spend your time outside of work?
Desiree Busi-Ramos
I’m very athletic. I practice paddleboarding. I love to cook, and I love going to the beach. I have a passion for interior design and textile design.
Rachel Chaldu
Paddleboarding is pretty cool! It has always looked really fun to me.
Desiree Busi-Ramos
I love it. It is a lot of fun.
Rachel Chaldu
Do you paddleboard in the ocean?
Desiree Busi-Ramos
Yes, but not year-round because here you can’t really do that unless you go to certain places. It’s also great exercise and I find it very therapeutic. I don’t go alone often, but when I do, I just zone out and it’s just me and the ocean. I love the silence except for the sounds of nature.
Rachel Chaldu
Are you going paddleboarding in the early morning or twilight?
Desiree Busi-Ramos
Early morning for sure. Yeah, I’m still learning a lot about wind and currents. I have an app to help but I feel like I need a master class. I have wanted to do it at sunset. I haven’t done it in at sunset in a very long time.
Rachel Chaldu
A goal for 2026!
Desiree Busi-Ramos
I know, can’t wait for the summer again.
Rachel Chaldu
All right, so next question. What’s a fun or unexpected fact about you that might surprise people?
Desiree Busi-Ramos
Well, I speak three languages. I travel a lot, too.
Rachel Chaldu
Yeah, how often do you travel?
Desiree Busi-Ramos
Well, I often travel two or three times a year to see my family. And then I’ll travel yearly on vacation too. I’ve had good experiences. I did a challenging hike in Argentina last January. I thought I was going to pass out and die, but I didn’t. I always like to challenge myself, even if it seems hard or not necessarily up my alley, I’ll still give it a shot.
Rachel Chaldu
OK, last question. It’s my favorite one. I think it’s so telling of people. Plus, it’s fun. What is your perfect Sunday?
Desiree Busi-Ramos
I’d start with an early morning walk on the beach with my dog.
Coming home to cook myself a nice brunch. Catching up with my family. I’d like to take a moment to reset myself.
I’d also love to spend the day on a boat. I’d relax and enjoy my time and then get home, eat a nice meal, lay down on clean sheets, and set my air conditioner to be very cold.
Rachel Chaldu
Yeah, that sounds great. If you don’t mind, I will join you and your dog!
We would like to thank Desiree for joining me in this conversation. It was a pleasure learning about her career and to hear about the passion she has for our product and how it serves our clients.
If you are interested in learning more about how the ArtBinder team can help improve your operations, contact us today to speak with an expert.