Choosing Hortonworks

When considering the next step in my career, I really thought through what I’ve learned and what’s most important to me.   I jotted down a list of criteria and wanted to make sure I could check all the boxes. With Hortonworks, I did.

Growth Company

A company of any size (pre-IPO, public, small-mid or large) must have a vision and strategy for growth.  Whether the company is looking to grow its marketshare in its existing market, or expand to an adjacent market, I was looking for a company that could articulate key milestones for growth such as, “we want to double the number of customers in [timeframe]” or “Our goal is to reach [dollar figure] in revenue in [timeframe]”. A key imperative for any marketing team is to be able to help the company drive the business forward by aligning with sales at every opportunity.

Technology

I want to have passion for and believe in the technology and products that I will market.  I have to want to shout from the rooftops the cool things a company is doing.  The marketing team needs to believe. I had this with Java at Sun Microsystems and also with HANA at SAP.  I have a passion for Big Data and IOT and all of what Hadoop can bring to our new world of All Data.  I also have a passion for Open Source projects, Open Community Innovation and developers.  When all those blend, it is great for me.  If I love the technology and ability for it to change the world, the marketing ideas will flow!

Customers

I recently attended Hadoop Summit in San Jose a few weeks back to do my final checks for my decision.  The customer stories were inspiring.  Customers from established industries told of the great value they had realized from working with Hortonworks.  It was clear that Hortonworks has the best technology in the space.

Cool Company Culture

The people you work with are very important.  I had to feel like I could fit in and make a difference.  I have met some of the smartest people at Hortonworks in all disciplines from Finance, Engineering, Sales, Marketing and HR.  Everyone was sharp, open to new ideas and wanting to collaborate to make a difference.

So, it was easy to join Hortonworks.  They met all my criteria and then some.   I see their potential as a growth company and believe in their strategy.  I love the technology space they are in and even more so, I am thrilled about the convergence of developer, open community innovation, great technology and customer enthusiasm.  It feels great to be part of a winning team.