Location: I work from home in the UK which means I get a good balance between work and family life – a rare thing for the British!

Name: Lesley Dawn Ford  (“Dawn” as in “dawn of a new age,” as I was born the day that man landed on the moon and it obviously inspired my father! Hippies!)

Age: Well I’m at that age where you shouldn’t ask.  But, if your history is any good you should be able to work it out.

Position: Global Product Manager for Education, focusing at the moment on Netop School, Vision and MyVision

Educational background: Degree in Computer Science

What are you working on?

My ‘big picture’ goal is to give our Classroom Management Solution Portfolio focus on educational value, on beneficial features, focus of markets and focus on implementation.

What’s good about working at Netop?

I tell all my friends (and this is true) “it’s like working with grown-ups” meaning there’s more focus on business value and innovation and less negativity about personality conflicts, petty politics and bitchy gossip. 

What do you do in your spare time?

What spare time? I work full time and I have a three-year-old; if I have spare time I sleep!

Location: HQ Birkerød, Sales Department

Name: Anne Birthe Fricke

Age: 54

Position: Partner Manager, EMEA (Others)

Educational background: Copenhagen Business School: Commerce and language

What are you working on?

I am working primarily with Partners in the so-called “Others” area: Russia, Africa, Middle East, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Eastern Europe as well as Brazil. I am quite excited and enthusiastic about it, as this huge market is overall quite profitable with a lot of potential even though many of these countries are still suffering from the financial crisis, as well as instability and political unrest.

What’s good about working at Netop?

As a genuine team player, I enjoy the informal atmosphere and attitude among my fantastic colleagues. Working with partners, especially the ones I have known ever since the Danware days,  is great.

What do you do in your spare time?

I am a family person and fond of almost all kinds of sports. I used to be a pro volleyball player, so I am encouraging my two kids to pursue their talents (hockey and tennis). Skiing trips to the Alps, listening to all kinds of music, watching a good movie, seeing friends and having fun is what I really like.

Location: Bucharest, Romania

Name: Nicolae Pavel

Age: 30

Position: Quality Assurance

Educational background: BS, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania

What are you working on?

I am working as a Software Quality Assurance Analyst in the Netop MyVision development team. My focus is on software development process and also on delivering Netop products at the required quality. I am also working as a ScrumMaster in various other software development projects, the main responsibilities being oriented towards the adoption of Scrum by the development teams.  

What’s good about working at Netop?

It’s a creative environment, there are challenging technical problems to be solved and nice people. I strongly believe it is a positive thing that the new ideas are encouraged to be revealed and there is a huge desire for learning from mistakes and improve our way of doing things daily.

What do you do in your spare time?

I spend most of my spare time playing with my little son and travelling in the mountains. I also work on training materials for High Quality Software Development courses, which is both a personal and a professional challenge. As a Certified Trainer, I trust that I can help others to get better competencies and positive attitudes related to software development at very high quality standards.  

Location: Portland, Oregon

Name: Brook Videtich

Position: Education Sales Manager

Educational background: BA in History and Secondary Education

What are you working on?

I am busy helping teachers and schools take advantage of our grant program.  I want to help all teachers trying to purchase our software for their classrooms because we know that it can make a big difference in how students learn and teachers convey their messages.

What’s good about working at Netop?

I am lucky to work with a terrific group of people, who not only work hard, but make it a fun and positive work environment.  We work together in a very cohesive way, which benefits both the employees and customers.

What do you do in your spare time?

When I am not running after my two-year-old, I try to spend my time gardening, doing yoga and curling up with a good book and a glass of wine.  We travel quite a bit as family, enjoying the beautiful outdoors of Oregon as well as going back to Chicago to see family and friends. Don’t let the Oregon rain fool you; we know how to have a great time here!