Our Meet the Hiring Manager series allows you to get to know the people who grow teams at VMware. You’ll learn about our hiring managers’ career paths and what they look for in candidates during the interview process. This week we’d like you to meet Amy Appleyard.

Snapshot

Job title: Vice President of Sales VMware Carbon Black
Years at VMware: 1 year and 4 months (this is post-acquisition – if including the time with Carbon Black prior it would be 2 years and 5 months total)
First job: My first “paying” job was working as a lighting technician for theatrical productions on the UNC campus. As a high school student with an interest in studying Lighting Design in college, this was a great step towards my first career – and helped me to understand the value of finding work that brings you joy.
Fun fact: I am an avid hiker – it’s an activity my husband and family enjoy doing together. A few years ago, we set a goal of hiking all 48 of the New Hampshire 4000’ footers (it’s thrilling to be above treeline!). We now have completed eight of them and 40 more to go…
Favorite social distancing activity: Zoom-cocktails, of course! I’ve reconnected with more colleagues, friends, and family over the last year than I had in probably five years prior. Sharing a drink or meal while winding down at the end of the day has truly been a highlight.

VMware Careers: Tell us about your career journey to date?

Amy Appleyard: My first career was as a Theatrical Lighting Designer and I ran my own design company, based out of New York. I then went to business school and studied corporate finance, as well as non-profit management, with the intention of heading into producing theatre afterward. But, upon graduation, I ended up launching a venture with a B-school colleague and did the entrepreneurial thing for a few years, but eventually settled in the private sector. I was at Staples for eight years and held roles in finance, strategy and marketing before moving into sales leadership. I transitioned into the tech sector after that and was a VP of Sales at LogMeIn before joining Carbon Black. Carbon Black was acquired a little over a year ago by VMware and I am now enjoying being part of a large organization again.

VMware Careers: How is VMware different from any other tech company you have worked for in the past?

Amy Appleyard: The size and scale of the company are much bigger, but the agility and the excitement of working for a technology company remain. The Carbon Black team has been impressed by the agility and the entrepreneurial spirit that is alive and well at VMware, and we are thrilled at how our solutions combine with other offerings in the VMware tech stack to solve a wide variety of customer needs.

VMware Careers: What has been the biggest lesson you have learned as you moved upwards in your career?

Amy Appleyard: Always stay connected to those on the front lines as they are closest to the customer and have important knowledge to share. Also, take time to understand the specific details of everyone on your team’s jobs — the day in and day out. Seek to understand what is frustrating and challenging, so that you can help to remove obstacles and create a better work environment — one that is more conducive to creating positive employee and customer experiences.

VMware Careers: Your team is hiring. Can you tell us more about your organization’s charter?

Amy Appleyard: Carbon Black’s mission is to help keep customers safe from cyberattacks. Our team embraces having a growth mindset – every day presents new challenges, and new opportunities to get smarter and to improve our skills and abilities. The cybersecurity industry is incredibly fast-moving, and as a technology vendor, we have to keep up. Our products and services are always evolving, and as sales professionals, my team has to be able to effectively communicate to our prospects and customers how our cutting-edge solutions help them to solve their pressing business needs and keep their organizations safe.

VMware Careers: If someone reading this was coming to interview with you tomorrow for a role in your org, what interview tips would you give them?

Amy Appleyard: Do your research — on the company, the products, the backgrounds and experiences of the people we’ve hired. Then, be ready to communicate how you can add value. VMware is made up of an incredibly diverse group of people, not everyone had years and years of tech experience before joining, think about what your specific life and work experiences will bring to the role you are applying for – it will be welcomed.