Scality’s leaders have created Le Club in order to recognize and reward team members selected each year for their exceptional contribution to the company.
Together with this acknowledgment, Le Club members are also offered the opportunity of taking a trip together, to rest and enjoy the Scality spirit outside the workplace.
For the year 2016, 16 employees have been chosen. Scality will publish a portrait of different team member once a week.
JENNY BELAK
30 years old
Works at Scality San Francisco
“Batting a Thousand”
In every company, there are people in the spotlight and yet others who are more behind the scenes. Jenny Belak is one of the latter. As sales operations manager at Scality, her job is to support the sales team, making sure that they have everything needed to ensure their sales success every step of the way, whilst checking all the details of the purchase orders that they receive from clients. This role, which demands both patience and listening skills suits Jenny to a T. “Jenny does her job in a very quiet and controlled manner; she has a very calming influence,” describes one of her colleagues.
At Scality, Jenny’s kindness is well-appreciated. “Most of the sales reps are remote, so I always let them know that I’m here to help them and that they can reach me all the time regarding any questions that they have,” she shares. Often, Jenny is the first person new team members meet when they are onboarding and she pays particular attention to ensure that they are trained properly, that they’ve been introduced to everyone they need to meet, and that they have all the tools they need. “Jenny is so easy to work with, so reliable and displays such a calm, positive attitude: she is instrumental to our sales team,” reveals her manager, who’s been working with her for five years. “The best is to watch her skills grow and develop along the years.”
However, it seems that Jenny wasn’t particularly destined for this career. During her college days, whilst enjoying political and American studies at the University of Maryland, she became really passionate about sports. She played Division 1 softball intensely – a sport she still plays every week – for her school, she coached it and even did an internship at a satellite radio station specializing in baseball. “I could have continued going down that path, as I love the sport, the activity itself and being with my team mates, but it wasn’t a clear path,” she says. Instead, when she had an opportunity to take a more steady job in sales operations, she took it.
After spending four years at her first company, and two years at Scality, Jenny doesn’t regret at all the choices she’s made. At 30 years old, she feels really fulfilled in her position. “What I like the most about my job today is that as I’m in between different departments (sales, marketing, finance, executives), and I’m able to meet a lot of people,” she confides. Being very sociable, Jenny likes to be with her colleagues not only at work but outside the office too. Twice a year, she organises the Sales Kick Off meeting, which includes fun activities for all the sales people from Scality who meet up for a three-day conference. It could be a scavenger hunt in Paris, a baseball game in Washington, or dinner on the Seine.
Open-minded, Jenny also really enjoys the fact that she is part of a worldwide team, working in a true international organization. “I like to get to know other people’s cultures, their food, what they like to do for fun or for sport,” she says. She even took some French courses last year to be able to pick up some words here and there from her French colleagues. It’s hardly surprising therefore that Jenny is really into travel. She’s already been to several countries in Europe, to Costa Rica and Mexico, to Morocco with Le Club, and she’s now planning a big trip to Asia.
Regarding her future, Jenny prefers to take things one day at a time. “My mom, who has a great career in business, would like me to go to business school but I don’t feel the need to do that right now,” she says. “I’m learning a lot in my job and I’m really happy where I am today.”
Story by Julien Bourdet
Photo credit: Frank Roesner