UiPath has built a workplace environment that employees say feels less like a job and more of a professional playground, encouraging creativity, innovation and, most importantly, fun.
Felt across every department in thanks to concerted efforts led by CEO Daniel Dines and his leadership team, this approach to office culture has especially impacted the robot automation company’s sales team.
As the team continues to grow and an upcoming move into a bigger Austin office space approaches, we caught up with three UiPath “unicorns” to learn more about their success.
FOUNDED: 2005
EMPLOYEES: 2,792; 50 locally
WHAT THEY DO: UiPath’s robotic process automation and AI platforms automate millions of mundane tasks for more than 3,000 global enterprises, including HP and NASA.
WHERE THEY DO IT: Austin
YUM TOWN: Unicorns enjoy catered lunch together daily.
AUTHENTICITY WANTED: Sales is often described as a science, but what will really help you succeed on UiPath’s sales team is connecting with buyers in an authentic way.
Bojana Bowermon, Leader, Inside Sales
A veteran in tech sales with more than 20 years of experience, Bojana oversees three teams for UiPath’s Americas velocity sales division, including its SMB sales, sales development and inside channel teams. Together, the three groups work to accelerate the adoption of the UiPath platform across all industries and channels.
BIGGEST FAN: Bojana, a mother of two and former collegiate tennis player, admitted her kids are her hobbies — which includes being their biggest sports fans. Her daughter has also taken up tennis, and the two play together from time to time. Bojana said she loves getting her “butt kicked by a 15 year old.”
How would you describe your approach to leadership? What makes this approach successful?
I am a servant leader. As Robert K. Greenleaf coined this term, he also perfectly defined it: “The difference [between servant-first vs. leader-first] manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served.”
The psychological safety of my team is my top priority. If you are able to authentically show your team that you care and that your primary focus is their career growth and success, you do not have to ask them to work hard for you. They will just do it.
What’s onboarding like for new reps?
The first couple of days for every new employee in the Americas starts at our New York HQ office. After that, especially for sales team, the employee will spend the next four to six weeks learning about our technology, our sales motions, and messaging through our online learning academy. Each week, they will check in with their manager and check off boxes on our well-defined milestones. After the online training has been completed, the employee will attend a sales new hire bootcamp, where they will be introduced to other departments they will collaborate with, as well as doing real-life role-playing with their peers.
In essence, the ultimate goal of the velocity sales org is to ‘bring up’ the next generation of UiPath sales professionals.”
What career growth opportunities are available for ISRs?
There are many opportunities for movement at UiPath. We have created a competency matrix for each of the three roles. Continuous communication and feedback are key to getting the ISRs ready for their next endeavor. A more obvious one would be for ISRs to move up to the commercial team as a field rep. In essence, the ultimate goal of the velocity sales org is to “bring up” the next generation of UiPath sales professionals.
Nadia Malik, Pre-Sales Engineer
Prior to UiPath, Nadia worked for IBM for three-and-a-half years. When the opportunity at UiPath came up over a call with a recruiter, she said she still remembers saying, “This sounds like my dream job.” As a pre-sales engineer, she shows customers how their platform works and builds proof of concepts to provide a technical deep dive.
FLAVOR FEST: Self-described as an “absolute foodie,” Nadia loves to cook and experience new foods.
How has UiPath supported your career growth?
By asking what I want and adjusting as I’ve changed. When I told my manager of my goal to enter management, he recommended that I take part in a Harvard Leadership Training that UiPath was supporting. I’m actually in the course with him, and it’s been an amazing experience. It also helped me realize that I’m not ready for management.
The reason I go to my manager with questions is that I trust him. And the reason I trust him is through his experience — I’m about to complete the course and have communicated my thoughts and am going to be working on more customer opportunities to gain the foundation I need to hopefully be the manager I’d want to have.
What challenges are you faced with, and how do you overcome them?
Time management. My calendar has no white space, and most days go by in a blink-of-an-eye. It’s been a learning curve for me. I now block off my calendar for time to work on my non-customer facing tasks and book travel and file expenses more in advance. Still a work in progress, but I’d say I’m getting the hang of it.
I’m on the road a ton, but when I come to the Austin office, I feel like I’m coming back home to see my family.”
How do you collaborate with other departments?
Our pre-sales and sales teams go hand-in-hand. Unless its an internal project, I’m working with a sales rep. We collaborate over Slack, and I host a weekly sync with the velocity team so that the two teams can share anything going on that week. We share new product updates, lessons learned and big wins, and welcome new hires. I’m on the road a ton, but when I come to the Austin office, I feel like I’m coming back home to see my family.
Jacoby Lewis, Account Executive
Jacoby specifically sells to the mid-market segment for the banking and financial services industry. With a substantial amount of opportunity in this vertical, Jacoby said UiPath is currently only scratching the surface. He and his team hope to change that.
AUSTIN LIVIN’: You can catch Jacoby enjoying the outdoors via running, biking, playing and coaching tennis, playing soccer and hiking.
For a sales rep in the tech sector, the opportunities are endless. Why UiPath?
When I made the transition from college tennis at the University of Texas to be in the corporate world, I knew I wanted to work for a company that was the best at what they did. It was important for me to be part of a company that was leading their market, disrupting the technology landscape and providing true business value. This is UiPath in a nutshell.
What’s the sales team’s culture like?
This team is the most collaborative sales team I have ever been a part of. Everyone wants to succeed, and everyone will help one another do so. The collaborative culture enables our team to be successful because we all learn from each other, whether it’s good or bad. Being able to share ideas and best practices creates an educational environment, which makes it easier to ramp up and sustain long-term success.
This team is the most collaborative sales team I have ever been a part of.”
What are you motivated by?
I’ve always been motivated by helping others reach their potential. Whether it’s mentoring, coaching, or selling software, I love being able to impact the outcome of an individual or business for their benefit. It’s very gratifying when a customer is excited about how UiPath can impact their business. I recently had lunch with one of my new customers, and it was inspiring to hear his story and continued success using the platform. Conversations like these are what motivate me every day to share the UiPath story.
