- Most recent athletic accomplishment:
- Running the Athens Marathon with a co-worker after only one month of training. He convinced me that if you’re going to run a marathon in your life, you should do it in the birthplace of the marathon. My colleague isn’t even a runner, but he sets a lot of creative goals for himself. I believe setting goals is the best motivator, and I am often surprised by what I can achieve if I just set a seemingly unreachable goal and work toward it.
Started with computers:
Before I could walk, probably at the same time I learned to ski.
Chose programming as a profession:
By flipping a coin. I’m glad I chose it. I have so much fun. While most other professions I considered—such as math and economics—are often quite abstract, working with computers is not. Seeing the results of your code right away makes it easier to be creative and flexible and makes one more product-minded.
Became interested in Medallia:
Met the head of Medallia’s Oslo office competing at the 2000 International Math Olympiad and wanted to work for a start-up. Unlike at large companies with thousands of employees, your voice counts and there is so much at stake in everything you do.
Other companies considered:
Google, Yahoo, Fast.
Likes about Medallia:
Everything is challenging. There are really, really smart guys working here—you learn a lot from them and bring yourself up to even higher levels. I’ve learned—and contributed—a lot since I started.
Example of contribution:
Module for receiving, processing, and integrating high-volume data files into our system. I’m proud of the system we developed. It's very flexible and can handle everything, which is critical because different clients follow different standards. When a client suddenly changes its data format, we can handle it without code changes. If we receive a new type of data file, now we only have to add a small part to the system; most of the code is generic and reusable. It will be one of the modules that will help us scale rapidly in the future.
Extracurricular activities:
Sports: hiking, cross-country and downhill skiing, biking, off-road biking, soccer, climbing, squash, tennis, running, and snowboarding. Basically, I’m a computer nerd and a sports nerd. I also manage the Medallia soccer team, which, so far, has only won one match. It really does amazing things for teamwork in the Oslo office.
Big dream:
Climb up on top of a large, ungroomed mountain in Alaska or Canada with a snowboard. Take a moment to enjoy the view, before riding down the hillside. I like going off-trail because it’s peaceful and exciting at same time. You’re in nature, far away from computers and cars, but still get the rush going down the slopes as fast as you can.
