At Nutanix, we love to celebrate our talented teammates and to recognise the positive impact they each make on our success. I was lucky enough to interview Vasilina Vasileva from our team in Russia about her career journey, her time at Nutanix, how she is dealing with the pandemic, and more.
Vasilina truly embodies our Nutanix culture with her hungry, humble and honest approach which is clear to see. Here is our conversation.
How long have you been with Nutanix and where are you located?
I have been with Nutanix since November 2019. I am based out of Moscow, Russia. However, that’s not where I was born. I was born in a far eastern region of Russia which is about 6000 kms from Moscow or 7.5 hours by plane.
I moved to Moscow to study Philology at a university called Peoples' Friendship University where I received my Masters degree. My career has been a bit different than philology, but the digital transformation has influenced my life directly.
Tell me about your role at Nutanix.
I have always been involved in the channel. I am a Channel Sales Manager and I cover Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). I drive the entire channel sales business and some channel marketing for Russia and CIS, and work with our Nutanix sellers, distributors, and partners. I am the go to person for all our partners and distributors here in Russia.
And how is the team set up in Russia?
We have a team of 12 people that all work remotely. We have been continually expanding for the last year or two.
Vasilina and some of her colleagues
What made you want to join Nutanix?
I have always known that Nutanix is the leader in Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) and cloud. I followed Nutanix for a while before I decided to apply. When I saw this opportunity, I had no doubt that it was the right time to go for it!
I have always wanted to be among the leaders. In fact, when I was 16, I flew from my hometown to New York on a Future Leaders program scholarship to study for one year. Ever since then I have wanted to be a leader and work for an industry leader.
Tell me more about your scholarship in New York.
The scholarship program that I took part in was for talented high school students. I passed a few stages, almost like a competition, and I was selected to participate.
The plane trip to New York was my first time on a plane! The scholarship program was a great way to experience a different culture.
Vasilina in New York at age 16 for her Future Leaders scholarship
Speaking of culture, how have you maintained your team culture during the pandemic?
We have been ensuring that we stay connected weekly with the team. Sometimes we meet for a coffee catch up. We have become more motivated to communicate with each other more than ever. When the lockdown was not in place, we would aim to meet up weekly in person.
What is your favourite aspect of working for Nutanix?
I enjoy working with our partners to help drive growth. I like to see the development and growth with numbers and upgrading their expertise. I can track our success and see that my activities are making a difference. I find that very rewarding.
Talking of growth and development, I saw that you won an award. Congratulations! Tell me about the award.
I was very honoured to be recognised as the Top Channel Sales Manager for my region. It would not be possible without the support of my team here locally in Russia and also the Channel team across EMEA. We had a successful quarter, and the growth of the Russian market has been huge too. This is also with the support of the channel and bringing new logos to Nutanix. We had a record breaking quarter!
It has been a challenging year globally, how has the pandemic affected you?
With the pandemic, all of our onsite meetings came to a stop. We are now returning to some sort of normality. Initially, everything moved online including enablement. We have done a huge number of conferences and webinars. We have become more creative as time has gone on. It was crucial to adapt to the situation quickly. We have all certainly gained new skills!
The breakfast from home with partners was particularly successful and we also drove our first ever local, virtual .NEXT event!
Have you developed any new skills during the pandemic?
I started making my own chocolate. With a bit more practise I might be able to start gifting it to people!
This year I became a .heart ambassador for Nutanix, .heart is our Corporate Social Responsibility program at Nutanix. It is a way for our employees and our company to give back through charity work and donations. As a .heart ambassador I am planning a number of remote activities to benefit charities over the next quarter.
Last, tell us about your go to lunch while working from home?
I always go for dessert—chocolate and cake every time!
Thank you to Vasilina for sharing her journey and experience at Nutanix. To learn more about our team and culture, follow @LifeAtNutanix on Twitter and Instagram or visit our Careers page to see open roles at Nutanix.
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