David Karel
Vice President of Product Marketing
Born:
Chestnut Ridge, NY
Prior Experience:
Instill Corporation - Director, Product Marketing & Inside Sales
Siverion - Director of Marketing
MBAVision - Founder & CEO
Siebel Systems - Senior Manager, Alliances
Thomson Corporation Japan, Account Executive
Education:
Tufts University - BA, International Relations; Asian Studies
The Wharton School - MBA
What I like to do outside of work:
When not spending quality time with my family which is my #1 passion and distraction, I steal away time to run, play golf, tennis, and I’ve recently reignited a hobby from my teenage years - racquetball. I also play alto sax and have played in bands from NY to Philadelphia, Tokyo to Osaka, and back in the Bay area where I live now. As I’ve entered fatherhood, most of my performing time has been limited to playing kids tunes for my two biggest fans - my two little girls!
Q: Where in your background did you learn the most?
A: Two experiences really...
- My time living and working in Japan for 3 years provided a strong dose of insights into the value of diverse ideas and how to bridge different viewpoints to get to a better place - in work, and in life.
- Starting up MBAVision, an online recruiting/career portal, gave me a crash course in all elements of what it takes to get a business off the ground, and a humbling awareness of the daily challenges you need to overcome.
Q: If you could meet one person in history, who would you meet and why?
A: Ben Franklin - Talk about playing a pivotal role in a start-up! It would be great to get a first-person account and insight into the fears, doubts, aspirations, and hopes of Ben - and/or any of the other founding fathers for that matter.
Q: What's been your biggest surprise during your time at SuccessFactors?
A: This company can execute with a level of passion, focus, and energy I have not experienced anywhere else.
Q: If you had 20 seconds to tell a new client about why they should use SuccessFactors, what would you say?
A: Your organization’s success relies more than anything else on the collective contributions and success of each of your employees. The key to getting the most out of this very large, and critical investment in your business is aligning employees with what matters, rewarding performance so that your best people stick around, and making sure you have the right people in place to execute strategy, as it evolves. This is where SuccessFactors comes in. It’s truly inspirational to hear about the transformational impact we’ve had on some many of our customers businesses, and the relationship they have with their employees.
Q: Why are you proud to work at SuccessFactors?
A: I feel privileged to work alongside so many smart, passionate people, all focused on truly making a difference.
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