Locations
This week, we were lucky enough to have our first official UK employee, Ray Street, in the Seattle office for orientation and training. I managed to snag him between lunch and coffee meetings to ask about his background and what he’s looking forward to at Projectline:
What’s your background?
My immediate background is with Lenovo and doing some independent consulting. I had the opportunity to follow IBM’s PC division to Lenovo when I managed their marketing function for Europe through the transition. That really broadened my understanding of how the rest of the organization worked, as well as showing me the differences between a really large corporation and a somewhat smaller organization.
Before that, I worked for IBM’s PC division on the whole spectrum of marketing collateral as well as on IBM’s printing division for UK & Ireland. And even before that, I worked on the technical side of IT as a programming manager—I’ve really gotten to experience the full spectrum of a career in the technology industry.
Tell me more about your marketing degree – what does a postgraduate diploma in marketing involve?
Well, it’s somewhere between an American BA and MA. It’s more hands-on than a Bachelor’s. You focus on four subjects within marketing, with three-hour examinations for each of the four subjects and a case study to bring it all together. After that, I developed the foundation to become a chartered Marketer, which means continuing professional development and submitting evidence of that to maintain accreditation. It’s a great way to stay current on industry developments and new technology.
What are you most excited to bring to Projectline?
I have a lot of knowledge of the European technology marketing landscape. I managed relationship marketing at Lenovo, so I have a good understanding of the UK and European marketplace and how Projectline can approach it.
And I’m excited to join Projectline because we’re growing and lively—I can see a future here.
What do you do when you’re not marketing?
My wife and I live in a house that’s an ongoing renovation project, so there’s always work to do there! This year, we also signed up to go on a charity bike ride in Northern France. I’ve been borrowing my son’s old bike for years, but I just bought a new road bike for proper training. It’s going to be a 300 mile ride over 5 days, so I need to be ready. My wife did it last year, but the whole family will be doing it together this year.
Also, while at IBM, I was one of the founding members of the IBM volleyball tournament, which I still participate in every year. I play cricket and support the local cricket club. Between running their website and the local village website, there’s plenty to do!
Thanks, Ray—and welcome!