Only a year after Marc Zionts joined Automated Insights as CEO, the company has seen amazing growth in all areas. We’ve opened new offices in New York, Portland, and Seattle, have grown our partner network tremendously, and have made enormous strides in our NLG technology and customer base. We wanted to catch up with Marc to get his thoughts on the past year he’s been part of the Ai team and get a glimpse of his vision moving forward.
You recently moved from Chicago to Chapel Hill, NC. How’s it going being down South? Do you have a favorite aspect of living in NC?
My wife and I love living in Chapel Hill, spending time in Durham and the other immediate areas, as well as getting to know all of the great places around the state-from the ocean to the mountains and everything in between. The people in “the Triangle” are so smart and interesting, and there are unlimited opportunities to get involved in the community wherever your interests lie.
In your opinion, what has been the biggest change at Automated Insights since you joined a year ago?
Automated Insights has always been recognized as a company that has an outstanding team of people with great product development and creative innovation, but now I think we’re also starting to be known for our sales, marketing, and business development prowess as well.
Has anything shifted in your focus as a CEO in the past year?
My focus over the past year was on getting to know the team, customers, and partners while laying the foundation for significant growth going forward. As I start my second year, I plan to build on this momentum and focus my energy on working closely with the entire Ai team to ensure we maintain our product development, innovation capabilities, and culture all while expanding the sales, partner, channel, and marketing capabilities and resources.
What are some of the biggest company successes you’ve seen at Ai in the last year?
The company over doubled in 2017 and is set for triple-digit growth annually as we move forward in 2018 and beyond. Adding an intense business focus while continuing an aggressive product development and innovation roadmap has been very rewarding for our entire team and will ensure that we maintain a competitive edge.
At the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit 2018.
Any personal highlights in the time since you joined Ai?
Winning two fishing trophies at my first Vista CEO event was really fun, especially because I was able to bring home another addition to Ai’s trophy case (winning trophies is a big part of the Ai culture-be it hackathons, dodgeball, or fishing!). Also, building relationships with the team and being considered an Ai-er was the most rewarding part of my first year.
What are you most excited about or looking forward to in your second year as CEO of Automated Insights?
I’m really excited about building our product development efforts, growing rapidly with our business intelligence and system integrator partners, and continuing to grow our team. I’m also really pleased to see all of the training and development our team is getting through Vista on their best practices summits, accelerate programs, and Vista University.
How do you envision Automated Insights a year from now?
By this time next year, Ai will likely be twice the size we are now in headcount and will be growing around the world with an awesome set of partners. Supporting and developing our partner network and our team, while delivering continuous product enhancements and innovations, will make for a very exciting 2018.
Do you have a personal motto or inspirational mantra heading into year two as CEO?
In many ways, my personal motto(s) revolve around six of Ai’s core values: think like a customer, choose to be positive, enjoy the journey, always innovate, be accountable and stay agile. I believe these will continue to drive Ai’s culture and business as we expand in 2018.