After the recent changes in the ownership structure of Serengeti, we invited the relatively new co-owner of Serengeti and sales director Ivan Milas for an interview.
In addition to his previous responsible position, it's been almost two months since Ivan became a member of the Management Board. There was little time to celebrate (although there was some) as the scope of his duties, activities, and responsibilities increased.
How Ivan copes with everything, what the Serengeti before and after look like from his perspective, read in the interview.
Ivan, to start with the inevitable - congratulations. The effort and commitment of both you and your entire team brought the company new clients, new projects, and entering the world's most competitive markets of the USA and Western Europe. What are your thoughts about the past three and a half years since your arrival?
From the beginning of 2019 until now, like most IT companies, we have faced various challenges. As you said, I will once again thank my colleagues from the sales department and highlight the enthusiasm and support they gave me, which resulted in my promotion. I also want to thank all my colleagues from other departments because with such synergy, sales could grow.
What is most important, regardless of the nature and number of challenges we faced, we reacted and responded very well. During that period, I would say that the company developed quite well and, of course, with the company I developed.
On the other hand, concerning more specific information, Serengeti is going through a good and successful year. Our work has resulted in large and serious projects and contracts; I am referring to customers and projects in the UK and USA markets, which we consider a special category. We will end the year by meeting the planned goals in the context of the financial results.
Why IT? Why was the job in this sector more attractive to you?
Since my junior positions, I have been connected to the IT industry for the last 12 years. It is a job that fulfills me in all respects. It is very dynamic, and there is little room for searching for the status quo. Personality is very important not only for working in sales, but also for working in this industry. In the IT sector, persons who cannot listen and adapt to various situations are in much bigger problems than those who are.
As a sales director, you know the importance of 'live' interpersonal contact. How much did the remote work mode affect Serengeti, given that the company achieved admirable financial results even working in such a way?
Serengeti is a company in the IT industry, so remote work mode was familiar to us even before the corona crisis. During all those months and years, our biggest problem was how to adapt our partners and customers to it.
It is logical that the sales were in a very sensitive situation, especially in acquiring new customers. In sales, the social aspect is the most important. That was the part we were left without during that entire period. We were forced to react very quickly and create a new framework enabling sales, the driving force behind the entire company, to operate successfully both within and outside the company. As already stated in the question, we rearranged, regrouped, and defined a new direction and structure that made Serengeti even stronger, and we got excellent results.
Serengeti grew organically into a respectable company but kept a family touch. Possibilities of flexible work, good interpersonal relationships, and balance between professional and private life, among many others, have always been the top benefits of working in the Serengeti. As someone with sales experience in a corporation, how would you compare those two approaches?
Serengeti grew organically into a respectable company but kept a family touch. Possibilities of flexible work, good interpersonal relationships, and balance between professional and private life, among many others, have always been the top benefits of working in the Serengeti. As someone with sales experience in a corporation, how would you compare those two approaches?
In May, you attended the IoT Solutions World Congress in Barcelona with the director of development for industrial manufacturing, Zoran Kovačević. How was your experience in Catalonia?
The conference in Barcelona was an excellent experience for me and my colleague Zoran. The conference was very well organized, and the presenters were leading global lecturers from the IoT sector. During those few days, we met a lot of new people, which for me is the most important thing in sales.
Serengeti regularly attends the world's biggest tech conferences, from the aforementioned IoT gathering, FinTech World Forum, to QCon, HITEC, and ACAP... As a salesman, how much do you value conferences as places that provide an opportunity for live networking?
Since its founding, Serengeti has participated in various conferences in various roles.
Given that our strategic goal for this year and next year is the US market, we are currently focused on conferences in that market.
We recognized them as a good direction for sales and all other departments. Some conferences are more technically oriented, while some are more sales oriented, and in my opinion, the conferences that are comprehensive and cover both fields are the best for us.
I believe that your perspective of working in the Serengeti has somehow changed. How did you view Serengeti as a sales director, and how do you view it now as a member of the Management Board?
Although the previous roles and positions were quite responsible, the current one is much more responsible since it is, in a word, strategic. The current position carries a serious amount of trust and structure.
Some of the projects the Serengeti's developers are currently working on span multiple industries, and what they have in common is that these are large and long-term projects. Does this prove that Serengeti is a reliable service provider with great expertise?
I would point out that as our great strength. We span across all industries, our customers are serious and large global companies, and this was largely the reason why we overcame challenging times less "painfully" compared to other companies.
One last sentence: Serengeti's strength is its people. As a company, we are focused on developing and promoting our staff in positions within the company. We emphasize loyalty and trust, and people recognize it and give it back to the Serengeti. I am proud of all my colleagues from various departments for creating this story with me.
