Six of the Best: Welcoming Our Newest Team Members

Summer has come to Vienna, and with it, people from all over the world are flocking to our wonderful home city. In the bustling center of town, Meister is developing into quite the attraction, as we grow to our increasingly-international cohort with additions from Poland, Turkey, Hungary and the USA, in addition to a brace of Austrian natives. Excited? Let’s meet them!

Six of the Best: Welcoming Our Newest Team Members

These are exciting times in our Vienna and Seattle offices: our recent hiring drive shows no sign of slowing, as we prepare to welcome our 100th team member any day now. Here to get us through the nervous nineties are six wonderful new team members — Anna, Andrew, Cagin, Eva-Maria, Norbert and Roxane — who, in this post, talk a little about themselves and their new roles. 

Sounds like you? Check out all the open positions at Meister on our new, improved website.

Anna Ksiezarczyk – Customer Success Manager

Quick facts

Age 29
Nationality Polish
Previous Job Customer Support Supervisor at Women’s Best
Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. I help Meister customers get maximum value from our products.
What about Customer Success fascinates you most? 

The American author Seth Godin once said: “If failure is not an option, then neither is success.” I guess, if you believe that, then Customer Success really is a fascinating challenge. When you’re dealing with users, there can be no half-measures: either you give 100%, or you may as well stay in bed. Without commitment to excellence, you will most likely fail.

What’s your favourite way to unwind after a busy day? 

I always have a couple of relaxing rituals prepared. I love eating out in the city or preparing some comfort food at home. Alternatively, I like to relax with a long walk or some sporting activity: gym, home workouts and squash would be my go-tos there. However, these don’t even come close to my absolute favorite: a hot bath with a good book. 

If you could pick up a skill in an instant, what would it be? 

Aha, that’s a good one! There are so many things I could wish for, but if I had to pick one, I’d like a photographic/eidetic memory like the one Mike Ross from Suits has. Just imagine how much more you could get done if you could remember every detail from each book you ever read, every place you ever visited, or every sky you saw. What wonderful things you could create. 

Andrew Erickson-Lapidus – Community Manager

Quick facts

Age 31
Nationality USA
Previous Job Instructor of Modern and Classical Languages at US University
Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. I grow, engage and support our community of Meister users.
If I visited your hometown, what local spots would you suggest I see?

I come from the Pacific Northwest of the United States, a region renowned for its natural beauty. I always recommend visitors take at least a few days to hike through our ancient, old growth forests or take a trip to the beautiful Cascade Mountain Range. But my absolute favorite spot is the Oregon coast. Colder, rockier and less touristy than the California beaches, the Northwest Pacific Coast is a more peaceful, quiet and relaxing way to experience the ocean. Check it out!

What is one thing you look forward to doing as a Community Manager?

Meister products are endlessly customizable and reward user creativity. I’m looking forward to building a platform for users to interact and collaborate with one another, share their ideas and learn.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received since starting at Meister? 

Several of my new colleagues have stressed the importance of taking 10% of work time to pursue innovation and interesting new technologies. The ideas and topics we’re passionate about can serve as a “north star” to guide us when we’re stuck, or in need of some new energy.

Cagin Cecen – Full Stack Developer (MN) 

Quick facts

Age 29
Nationality Turkey
Previous Job Frontend Developer at Bitmovin
Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. I use my knowledge to add new features to MeisterNote.
What was the Meister onboarding experience like for you? 

Great! I was given quite a thorough introduction to Meister and the company’s unique culture. It went very smoothly and provided some great insights about different aspects of my new working environment. I particularly enjoyed the chance to connect with the team at such an early stage. 

What would you like to do in the next year that you’ve never done before?

Well, I’ve always liked being outdoors, so I think I’d like to try something along those lines. Living in nature for a week (at least) would be a good place to start.

What is your go-to productivity trick?

Although the cliché is that developers stay up late and work ridiculous hours, I’ve always found that sleeping well is the first step to a productive workday.  Once I’m there, I like to listen to deep, smoothed brown noise while coding.

Eva-Maria Schützeneder – Product Marketing Manager 

Quick facts

Age 27
Nationality Austrian
Previous Job Junior Product Manager within the Marketing Department
Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. I help plan, implement and analyze marketing strategies and activities.

 

What is the atmosphere like in the Product Marketing team at Meister?

I, like the other new colleagues who started at the same time as me, can confirm that we received a very warm welcome to Meister.  In the Marketing Team in particular, I had the feeling that everyone was looking forward to starting to work with me. I would describe the atmosphere as very uplifting, helpful and fun.

What class did you take in school that helps most with your job?

An obvious one, given my job, but the class I was most curious about in high school was definitely “Marketing and International Business”. I knew from quite a young age that I would love to deepen my knowledge in this field: in the end it helped me choose my studies and my job.

What current fact about your life would most impress your five-year old self? 

I have the ability to buy sweets whenever I want. All by myself!

Norbert Kertmegi – Digital Marketing Manager 

Quick facts

Age 34
Nationality Hungarian
Previous Job PPC & CRO Manager at Lottoland
Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. I manage digital marketing activity for Meister’s key product verticals.
What sort of duties do you have as Digital Marketing Manager at Meister?

I am going to be in charge of planning and managing marketing campaigns that promote Meister as a brand. This covers all our products and services in all the countries we are available in. I will also analyze traffic and performance metrics, optimize conversion funnels, and keep an eye on behavioral trends. My focus areas will be SEA, display, video, app promotions, and CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation). So, quite a lot.

How do you prefer to end your day at Meister?

After a long and productive day, I like to hit the gym or have a nice walk to stretch my legs on the beautiful streets of Vienna. I find my inner peace in cooking and sharing food with my loved ones. On less physically-active days, I try my hand at logo and UX/UI design, or just switch off in front of a movie.

You moved to Vienna for the job. How are you settling in?

Switching countries during a pandemic is not easy. However, Vienna is super-organized (as well as stunningly beautiful), so the relocation experience was less exhausting than expected. I’ve never lived in the city before, but I am already in love. I am really grateful to Meister for creating such a friendly and welcoming experience for all of the new starters. 

Roxane Huber – Product Marketing Manager 

Quick facts

Age 33
Nationality Austrian
Previous Job Marketing & Communications Manager
Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. I’m the strategic and coordinative link in the Marketing Team.
What personality trait do you attribute your success to, and why? 

I am a very open, curious person, who likes to approach others and understand their points of view. People take a lot of things in life far too seriously, which is why I often involve a decent amount of humor when communicating with others.

What is one thing you learned about Meister that is worth sharing? 

The people here absolutely love the Meister tools. Everyone uses them, which means that they know the products inside and out and are passionate about making them better.

What was your favourite place of all the places you’ve traveled so far? 

I went to Madeira several years ago, and I was completely fascinated by the variety of landscapes there. One moment you’re in Scottish-style highlands and the next you’re swimming in lava pools. Incredible.

We’re still hiring! Check out our current open positions and kickstart your career with Meister!