I made the decision to join MZD this past August as the VP of Strategic Development. It was a decision that I had been contemplating for quite some time. Over the past few months I have been asked several times why I joined. The short answer came down to timing, product, and most importantly the people.
After doing the quick math, it occurred to me that I have now been in sales for the past 20 years, 15 of those in technology sales. It really doesn’t seem possible.
I got my start slinging Allstate Motor Club via an autodialer in the ’90s. I’m sure most of you just cringed, but for a training ground on accepting no, there was no better place to start. From there I had the opportunity to work for AT&T selling both consumer and B2B solutions. My first venture in software came later when I began at CA Technology, focusing on IT Service Management and Automation. From there, I made the leap into BI and Analytics with ThoughtSpot. All of this has landed me here, with MZD in the education technology world.
Cell phones, internet, T.V., ITSM, Automation, DevOps, Business Intelligence, Analytics, Dashboards, Assessments, Certification, Licensure, Scoring, Marking, on the surface these worlds appear unique, however, the crazy thing is as different as these industries and solutions may seem, they are all trying to accomplish the same thing, improve peoples lives through technology.
From my perspective there are three common themes:
- Digital Transformation
- User Experience
- Automation (AI/Machine learning)
K-12, Higher Education, Certification, Licensure and Assessment organizations are all focused on improving customer experience through a more seamless delivery process. They want to ensure a world-class user experience, utilize technology to automate where possible, all while gaining speed and efficiency throughout the process. I know this is not new nor is it novel, however, due to the current environment and global pandemic it is more important than ever.
All of this is what made my decision to join MZD easy. Through our current technology solutions and expertise, we are able to not just be a vendor to our clients, but a true strategic partner helping to accomplish a common goal, improve people’s lives through technology.
