One thing that Ute especially loves about working at Altium is that she sees the work that she’s been such a part of everywhere. One thing that hasn’t changed? That start-up feel that made Ute’s first years here so exhilarating. Now, everyone is part of a global support team, and we can still respond locally whenever needed.” Bringing consistent, high-quality support services to customers worldwide is one of Ute’s proudest achievements. “My role was to create a global organization, where every team member was responsible for all customers, no matter where. Every region was its own silo then,” she says. “I was responsible for the EMEA support group, and then the US and APAC teams as well. One of the best changes, one that Ute helped bring about, was transforming the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), US, and APAC (Asia Pacific) support groups that she led into a unified global support organization. Very good changes”.Ĭompanies always change as they grow, Altium no exception. “As a woman in technology with family responsibilities, I am grateful for the opportunity.”Īs Altium Grew, “Good changes. Of course, I knew I had to deliver on everything expected.” And she did, devising new and more efficient ways of working, which is the Altium way. “It let me compete on a more level field. They let me take over management roles with a reduced schedule and working from home long before Covid made it essential,” she said. One of Ute’s best surprises in working here was the flexibility and support to advance into management roles while working a modified schedule to raise a family. Growing a Company, a Career, and a Family Every conversation teaches you something.” I’m connected to the customer side and the product development side. “How amazing to be on the pulse of how our products are used. I was able to de-escalate critical situations with customers very quickly.” With that rare ability, along with many others, she is now Senior Director of Customer Engagement, and the tech/people intersection is now global. “I spent time with customers who needed special care. She often found herself at the intersection of Altium’s technology and customers. As her understanding grew, so did her roles and opportunities, like taking on more management responsibilities. You have to learn how everything works together and stay tightly connected,” she says. “You’re taking over tasks not in your job description. To Ute, the act of learning, no matter its source or reason, is the very essence of growth. She didn’t see a task, but an opportunity to start her Altium education by mastering our products and teaching others. Why shouldn’t she be proud? To write a handbook that explains a product clearly, Ute needed to understand that product fully. Starting in our office in Karlsruhe, Germany, “My first task was to write a handbook in German for a product called ‘Protel 2.8,’” (now much enhanced and rebranded as Altium Designer). She had just left her first job (“too boring!”) and was considering going back to school for computer science. When Ute joined Altium in 1994 as an Application Engineer, the company was less than 10 years old. Ute and Altium: 28 Years of Growing Together