Have you met Adam Rakich yet? Adam joined DataBlend in December and is our Senior Director, Strategic Alliances. Read more about Adam below.
Where are you from?
I’m from Auckland, New Zealand, but my home is now the UK – currently in Brighton, which is about an hour’s train ride south of London.
What’s your background?
I studied Economics at the University of Auckland, and I fell into sales when I first came to the UK at the height of a recession. I quickly ended up in software sales, and ultimately presales (software demos!), which I loved, learning about different customers’ businesses and helping them see how the software I was demonstrating could deliver them real benefits. Most of that has been to the office of finance, including a long stint at Adaptive Insights and then Workday, where I first came across DataBlend.
What are three fun facts about you?
- I have a GoPro on my desk that I sent up into near space (about 33km/20.5mi) under a weather balloon. Amazing footage showing the darkness of space and the curvature of the Earth.
- I wrote a Kindle book as a joke one lunch break that was briefly a #7 bestseller in the category of writing guides. It’s still on Amazon, but I wouldn’t buy it! See Adam's Kindle book >
- I once had holes cut in my sock by leafcutter ants.
Tell me about your role.
My title is Strategic Alliances, and my main focus is building up DataBlend’s partner network, with a focus on Europe since that’s where I am. In practice, that means doing whatever needs to be done to get partners putting DataBlend into customers’ hands – getting in touch with prospective partners, showing them what we do, helping them onboard, helping them with initial sales. I’ve never been so busy but I’m enjoying the ride.
What are you most excited about working for DataBlend?
When the founder of DataBlend approached me about joining I was hooked fast. I’ve spent a LOT of time over the years telling people to “integrate” systems with spreadsheets, not because it was the best solution for the customer, but because the alternative was simply not affordable. More or less every customer I’ve worked with could benefit hugely from what DataBlend can deliver at a really affordable price point.
How has automation changed the way you work?
I love it when some grunt work goes away because you think of a better way; nifty keyboard shortcuts and the like. I think a lot of people in finance are so used to messing around with spreadsheets for shifting data – and/or been scared by high costs of integration – that they’ve stopped looking for an automated way. It’s great to see the real impact that DataBlend has on people’s lives – getting back to doing the work that is useful to the business, and that they enjoy!
Connect with Adam
If you want to say hello or book an appointment, here are a few ways to chat:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rakich/
Email: arakich@datablend.com
Book time: https://meetings.hubspot.com/adam-rakich