Magnificent Seven: Introducing Our Latest Team Members

At Meister, constant growth is part of our philosophy, which is why it’s always such a pleasure to be able to welcome new members to our rapidly-expanding global team. 

With another seven new recruits joining our teams in Seattle and Vienna, the time has come to introduce our latest crop to the world. Introducing Marcia, Billie, Rostyslav, Peter, Khaled, Kevin and Yinyin!

Marcia Hightower – Demand Generation Specialist 

Quick facts

Age	30
Nationality	American
Previous Job	Marketing
Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words.	I generate demand and brand awareness for the US market

Hi Marcia! What is your defining characteristic? 

My heart. I try to treat everyone with kindness and think about how I would want to be treated in any given situation. I think this serves me well at work and in my personal life.

What has been your favorite job to date? Why? 

This one, of course! In all seriousness though, I love the freedom to be creative and the amazing work culture we have here at Meister. It’s simply a different type of working environment.

What single aspect convinced you to join Meister?

During my interview, I realized that the people asking the questions were truly happy with their jobs. They explained their dedication to work-life balance and their desire to help every employee grow professionally. The feeling of joining a team that genuinely cares was the biggest factor in convincing me to join Meister.

Billie Postlymayr – Machine Learning Developer

Quick facts

Age	26
Nationality	Austrian
Previous Job	University Tutor
Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words.	I’m Meister’s first and only Machine Learning Developer (so far).

Hello Billie! Why do you love doing what you do?

That’s simple — because working with machine learning is amazing! It allows me to solve problems, read up on the latest cutting-edge research, and write code — three of my favorite things. It is an incredibly fast-moving field that is very much en vogue right now, and it never ceases to spark my curiosity.

How would you describe your working style?

I think I’m quite experimental in my methods. I love combining skills from all kinds of areas in order to come up with interesting ideas and new ways of doing things.

What are you hoping to achieve in your first six months at Meister?

Right now, at the beginning of month three, I am about to finish my first feature. It’s a really exciting time, because I developed the feature all on my own, Naturally, I’m really proud of it. My status as a one-woman team means that being able to manage myself is really important, both in terms of working successfully on projects and teaching myself new skills. 

I’m also trying to push the concept of a company culture in which people are not hesitant to suggest possible (and impossible) machine learning solutions. I hope I can do my part in bringing this fascinating technology into the limelight. 

Rostyslav Khoptiy – Backend Developer

Quick facts

Age	24
Nationality	Portuguese
Previous Job	Backend Developer
Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words.	I help ensure that user login and signup work properly.

Welcome, Rostyslav! When did you decide you wanted to be a developer?

I always enjoyed working with computers, so I think a career as a developer was a pretty logical choice for me. Before starting university, I played with the possibility of becoming a game developer, but I eventually decided against it. I prefer a job with a little more variety. 

What would you say is your greatest achievement to date?

I completed a half-marathon in a respectable time. I’m still training, so hopefully I will soon be able to participate in and complete a full marathon.

What was your biggest concern before you joined Meister?

I agreed to join Meister during the real peak of the coronavirus panic, so I wasn’t exactly sure how it was going to turn out, especially as I had to relocate to Vienna to take the job. When you’re on the move, outbreaks and shelter-in-place orders are pretty catastrophic. It all worked out in the end though.

Peter Rengstorf – Customer Success

Quick facts

Age	34
Nationality	American
Previous Job	Customer Success Manager at Raken Inc.
Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words.	I help our western hemisphere customers succeed with Meister products.

Hello Peter! Describe yourself in 50 words or fewer.

In my career, I have worked with customers for over a decade. Away from the office, I met my lovely wife in the Peace Corps in Turkmenistan. We have a two year old daughter who is mostly delightful. I also love skiing, hiking, travelling, eating, reading, learning, and biking.

How has your education helped shape your career so far?

I would say that my education helped me to become a lifelong learner. There is always  something, some element of new or existing knowledge that you can grow and develop. Where you choose to work is a big part of the process: I love being at a company that pushes me to improve myself.

Why is Life@Meister different to working at a different company?

Meister seems to really care about its people. I already feel very welcomed, and everyone I have met so far has been incredibly supportive. They all, without fail, said I could reach out if I had any issues, which makes me think that this is a really special place. I’m happy, relaxed, and excited to contribute to the success of Meister and the success of our customers.

Kevin Ciarniello – iOS Developer

Quick facts

Nationality	Canadian
Previous Job	Java Backend and Build Engineer
Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words.	I am developing the iOS platform (or platforms) for MindMeister.

Hey Kevin! What is the thing you are best at?

Mobile Development. I’m something of an early adopter, having been in this sector since the first iPhone came out. As soon as I left university, I started working for app development companies and I’ve done so for my whole career. I’m the best because I believe I’m the best. Additionally, because I once worked at Apple, my understanding of their ecosystem is a big asset.

How did you prepare for your interview at Meister?

I went through a bunch of HackerRank questions and worked on writing a weather app, which helped me to get in the right frame of mind. I wrote the app by myself: it includes things like weather, calendar information and other useful automations for day-to-day activities, as well as local news feeds and podcasts. The experience of working on that helped me prepare for the interview questions.

What is the most important aspect you look for in a new job?

I always look for a place that has good tech and is willing to adapt to new changes. I was looking for a company that understands the importance of teams in the quest for success, and I think that Meister fits that definition very well.

Khaled Hassan – Backend Developer

Quick facts

Age	26
Nationality	Egyptian
Previous Job	Backend Developer (Ruby on Rails)
Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words.	I am developing the backend for our upcoming accounts project.

Hi Khaled! What would you say is your most valuable skill?

Software development generally, but also versatility within that field. I’ve worked primarily as a backend developer for the last few years, but I can turn my hand to a few other things too (frontend, devops, etc.) I love being involved in every aspect of the work I am doing.

Did you do a lot of preparation for your interview at Meister?

Quite a bit. I prepared myself by studying database design and system design concepts. Some of this was very specific to Ruby on Rails, but there were more generic topics too. The MeisterLabs website was very helpful as a learning resource: it gave me plenty of insights about the culture and working environment here at the company.

Why is your new job special to you?

It’s vital to me to be considered part of the family. Here at Meister, I can feel the warmth and happiness all around. I think everyone would like a job where they can feel exactly at home, so to have that is a great privilege. I feel happy when I wake up every morning to start a new working day.

Yinyin Li – People Management Assistant

Quick facts

Age	22
Nationality	Dutch
Previous Job	Assistant Manager at Umaimon restaurant in Amsterdam
Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words.	Helping make Meister a great place to work for everyone.

Hello Yinyin! How would you explain your job to someone you’d never met?

As People Management Assistant, I support Rabea (People Manager at Meister) in anything  HR-related: employee relations, training and development, recruitment, and maintaining our company culture. I’m also involved in employer branding.

What is the most important aspect you look for in a new job? How does Meister do that for you?

I value companies that keep things simple, which is something that Meister prides itself on. We communicate clearly with each other, which is reflected in the user-friendliness of the tools and technology we offer. This love of simplicity connects us: from the designers, to the developers, to teams like marketing and sales, we aspire to make teamwork easy and work fun.

Had you used any Meister product before you applied for your current job?

I had, albeit only really for personal use. I studied International Business and Management in Amsterdam, and I used MeisterTask to organise my study activities. It’s great to see the other side of that process now that I work here.