Marketing Technical Writer
While Averna is dedicated to help global customers produce market-leading high-tech products, this could not be achieved without their talented team of employees. Averna understands that each group and department are linked, and every individual is required to make the company a success. In this series, Averna will chat with one of these individuals and understand their point of view on their contribution.
Amy Share joined Averna in 2008 and has worn many hats throughout her career. Having started as an Inside Sales Representative, her role changed drastically as Averna evolved. She had the opportunity to really get to know many colleagues and customers in different countries and roles, and understand their needs. That’s why she was excited to join the marketing team and help showcase the true extent of what Averna can do.
Q: Where were you before Averna and how did you get here?
A: Actually, my background is a little unique. Before joining, I was running bookstores across the city. At the time, I met someone who was just joining Averna and trying to build their new inside sales team. They were looking for someone who wasn’t afraid take initiative and support building something from the ground up. Obviously, the industry was new to me, but the job was really a perfect fit. It’s actually kind of a cool metaphor for what Averna does. It was a creative solution to make sure something would work really well.
Q: What attracted you to Marketing Technical Writing?
A: Ha. Well, at first, I didn’t believe it. Many years ago, I got myself involved with a fundraiser that Averna supported called Kurling for Kids. The goal was to raise a bunch of money that would go to children’s hospitals in Montreal. At the end, there is a curling tournament. While I am a terrible curler (with many pictures to prove it ), I got weirdly competitive with the fundraising portion. I started sending out weekly, then daily emails to a growing list of Averna employees. Clearly, I am very charming 😉 and a lot of people were very very generous. This went on for a couple of years and eventually down the road, this position opened up. As a joke, I threatened our Marketing Director with an application and amazingly she took it.
Writing those emails for K4K was a ton of fun, and again, it turned out to be a transferable skill that I ended up loving very much. I am incredibly grateful that this can get recognized even when you aren’t looking for it.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of your current role?
A: Ai ai ai…I don’t know. It’s as if I was in marketing at Averna long before I actually joined the team. When I talk about my job, my friends get annoyed because I am too lovey-dovey. I suppose right in this very moment I am most excited about how my field is evolving. Averna has invested in different trainings and workshops for me to learn more about both test engineering and marketing. They are both such dynamic fields that it’s cool to be involved and have the opportunity to learn so much. There are so many ideas that I want to try, and it’s pretty much never a no.
That said, 2 weeks ago I probably would have said that I just have a lot of fun my colleagues. It’s hard to choose.
Q: Is test engineering a more challenging field for your job with the range of technologies that must be addressed?
A: OMG, yes. In marketing, it is pretty much impossible to cover the breadth of what we do. All our customers or potential customers create completely different things. They work in different industries, and they work through different parts of the product lifecycle. Someone who works in manufacturing needs something completely different than someone who works in R&D. Their products are new things with evolving requirements, often for technology that doesn’t exist yet. So, the thing is, we have the experience and all the required expertise, but the message we need to send must be tailored to each need. Those needs are pretty much limitless.
Q: Have you had any key mentors or people who deeply influenced who you are, what you believe in and what you’re committed to in your work and life? Tell me about them.
A: Another long answer I think. I have had a lot for so many different reasons. Back at the bookstore I had my first boss who really taught me that it was important to love your job and have fun at work. When I started there, I just thought it was a means to an end. Down the road, management switched and so did the entire culture. Everyone was coming into work, looking forward to the day and we all performed better. This same mentality transferred to Averna and while there have been deadlines and frustrations and challenges, every day was good.
Another mentor is our current CEO. He taught me that it is most important to be human first. If you don’t know him, his professional achievements could be intimidating. His accomplishments are pretty mind-blowing, but he speaks (and listens) to everyone with the same amount of respect and consideration. By being accessible it’s allowed me to take risks and feel good even if they fail.
My last mentor, which I’m hesitant to bring up because I know she’ll read this, is my current boss. She is a silent weapon that after speaking to her for 5 minutes, you know she has got it all together. In her role, I watch her manage 100 different projects with 100 different personalities, and she always gets the job done.
Q: Do you feel you achieve a good work/life balance?
A: Yes, I do. Very much so. Again, it helps that I love my job, so it never particularly feels imbalanced regardless of the amount I work. Since starting at Averna I’ve had two kids and it turns out, there is something I love more than my job! There’s definitely enough of me to go around.
Q: What are you most proud of?
A: Wow. Depends on the day. I suppose I am most proud that both of my kids are funny and kind…and I made those! I just can’t take full credit for that.
I am extremely proud to have the ability to keep up in an industry that is constantly changing. I am not always the best at adapting (particularly to new software 
) but I’m thinking after 15 years I should probably give myself more credit.
Q: What have you learned from Averna that will be a takeaway for the rest of your life?
A: That is easy, actually. There really is a lot…I mean a lot, that has happened between the time I started at Averna and today. The number one takeaway I will keep forever and hopefully pass on is that life is much better when you lift other people up. The reason I have been successful here is that I have gotten to work with amazing people. These people (myself included) make sure that you are aware of your value and they’ve got your back when it’s not your best day. This applies to the sales team, the engineering team, the support team and most recently my marketing team. We do a good job of celebrating successes, which leads to wanting more. A success today in my case may be a great webinar, or an exciting idea to try on our website. What we don’t do is dwell on what didn’t work. We take it, we learn and then work for the next success. Reminding people of why they are awesome never gets old, and I plan to keep doing it well into retirement.