On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .

One memorable achievement from the early days was when I was at a conference and I started to describe to someone what I did , and a person recommended our product to me . It was the first time that I had come in contact with a stranger who had heard of and used Lucidchart and loved it . It was a sign to me that what we were doing was working and we were gaining traction .

A memorable achievement from my career prior to Lucid was moving to China and building Google ’ s China presence . I really enjoyed the chance to go see a new market and make a difference there . At the time , China was a new frontier for Google and this would be its first full-fledged office away from headquarters . It was an incredible time of growth for the company . During my time in China , the company went from 2,000 to 10,000 employees and I enjoyed the challenge and adventure .

What first made you think of a career in technology ?

My dad was actually an engineer and I grew up always liking science , engineering and technology . I initially thought I wanted to be on the academic side of technology as a research scientist and engineer , but in

the end , I found more interest in being involved in the action instead of studying it .

What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?

I very much operate with a people-first philosophy . We are dedicated to hiring people that share and believe in our values and can contribute and add to our amazing culture . The people you bring in are so important to maintaining your values and fostering a great environment . But it ’ s also important that the people you hire can perform at high levels in their roles . That ’ s the combination I look for when we bring new members into our team .

What do you think is the current hot technology talking point ?

Hybrid work is here to stay . Companies must adapt to being able to be productive and innovative no matter where employees are . Visual collaboration technology will be key as companies seek out sustainable , efficient practices that will help hybrid teams over the long term . Our visual collaboration suite is a critical element in the future of work and we are excited for the opportunity ahead as visual collaboration becomes an even more

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