It has been 15 years since Jiří – at that time a third-year university student – joined IXTENT as a junior salesman. Since then, he has worked his way up through various positions in the company – marketing, support, project management – to finally put his experience to good use in his current position as the Head of Sales and Marketing, where he leads a team of five.
What did you do before you joined IXTENT?
Since I started working for IXTENT during my third year at the university, everything before that could be described in three words: study – sport – fun. I really wouldn’t comment on what was more. 😊
What was your career path to IXTENT?
A great coincidence, as it often happens in life. You meet the right person at the right time and suddenly things start to fall into place.
How has your position at IXTENT changed since your first day?
In my mindset, not at all – the motivation and loyalty have not disappeared, so sometimes I feel like I did 15 years ago. From the organizational perspective, I went more or less through everything IXTENT does. I started as a junior salesman, helped marketing where I could, experienced support, directly helped in projects, and now I am responsible for the sales and marketing department.
What do you like about IXTENT?
People and success. The truth is that we are probably not a group for everyone, but I am very happy that we have maintained some sort of “start-up” team spirit even after 20 years on the market.
What do you enjoy most about your current position?
Probably the combination of account management and managing function – it’s very nice to have the opportunity to switch from one to the other any time. And it is even necessary to maintain the competence.
If you had to pick 1 or 2 projects that you/your team are really proud of, which ones would they be and why?
Ugh, only 2? Today, we manage to make a new deal on average almost every working day. And I am actually happy about all the projects. As the saying goes: “He who does not appreciate small things does not deserve the great ones.” And I am really proud of the fact that we have nothing to be ashamed of and that we have not bent our backs on our journey. The older I get, the more I don’t take this for granted.
What is your biggest achievement at IXTENT?
The success of a salesman is measured in terms of money, it could certainly be calculated accurately. But I will answer in a different way – for me personally, the biggest achievement is that I have managed to pay back the company’s investment into me over the years through my activities (at least I am really convinced of it 😊).
If you were to recruit a newcomer to your team, how would you introduce the team and IXTENT as whole?
I’ve been telling every candidate the same thing for years – even a smaller company can be the best at what it does in the European scale. You don’t need a corporate environment for that. IXTENT combines the benefits of both worlds.
From the IT perspective, where do you see the future?
There are many trends and innovations in IT, with new ones appearing every year. I generally believe in rational innovations, betting on the long-term sustainability and profitability of IT concepts. If I look at our business, the world of digital documents is specific – in many ways it sticks to established and proven concepts, some things cannot be changed overnight. On the other hand, new technological challenges enter the market and create opportunities for competitive advantages. I see the future in the ability to connect the two worlds and create an added value – whoever does it faster and better will be the winner.
What makes you happy in life?
When the people around me are happy. And lately the “small” achievements of our children.
How do you relax?
Sometimes on Mondays at work 😊… but otherwise I really like to go for a bike ride sometimes, have a sauna or go out on the golf course. My family and I go to the mountains quite often now – all year round. The important thing for me is the ability to “switch off”, so to speak, so I can relax in different ways, for example, when I’m building a Lego.
What is your life motto?
As Jaroslav Hlinka said: “Don’t get your knickers in a bunch.”