In our ‘Introducing Altum’ -series, we’re introducing you to the people behind the scenes taking care of our different operations. Today we’ll learn more about our Director of Services, Shabana, who’s also our CTO for the Americas.

Read on to find out what different tasks her job entails, the highlights of working at Altum, and how she’s been able to expand her knowledge recently.

What is your title?

Director of Services, CTO Americas

How long have you worked at Altum?

I’ve been here since the beginning, so almost 7 years.

What is your educational background?

I’m a physicist.

What made you want to work at Altum?

Altum’s ultrasound technology was originally developed in the laboratory at the University of Helsinki where I was working and studying at the time. There were multiple other startup ideas developing around the laboratory as well, but I was drawn to Altum: the possibility to see concrete results to our research and work, and the opportunity to see how research and technology turn into a designed solution for a specific problem from the beginning is a rare one, and I wanted to be a part of that journey.

What tasks does your role entail?

I wear many hats, but my main responsibilities lie in designing and implementing the solutions our customers need: my workdays are very customer focused, with respect to the technology we provide, and contain customer meetings, project planning, solution design and service discussions. I also do site visits and occasionally my time goes into writing different reports.

What are your favorite things about your job?

The people I work with and the technology we provide. Ultrasound and using it to clean or optimize processes is not new, but the way we are able to do it is one of a kind and very innovative. My position between the technological and commercial sides of our business is very interesting, and the type of information I gather in this position is unique.

What are the most challenging things in your job?

It depends on how you approach this question. I would say the biggest challenge is that my position requires me to have multifaceted knowledge about different processes, both internal and our customers’. Catering to different industries and processes brings challenges, and solving them requires collaboration, prioritization and taking it one day at a time.

What makes you enjoy working at Altum?

I’m repeating myself, but definitely the opportunity to learn fascinating, often unexpected, but very relevant things. I also get to meet amazing people, both within our internal network and on the customer side.

Is there something you have recently learned on the job?

As I mentioned in the beginning, I’m a physicist, so besides expanding my knowledge on technology, what I’ve learned and continue to explore is the commercial aspect of our work, as well as project management. I’ve recently researched agile project management and look forward to implementing that in our team.  

What makes Altum a trendsetter?

I would say it’s the way we do process optimization: the uniqueness of our solution stems from both its power and external application, and the control we have over it via advanced software implementation, which sets us apart from other solution providers. We are able to mix technology and human interaction so fluently, that it almost feels like you cannot even think of process optimization without our solution.

Would you like to share something funny or interesting that’s happened to you during your time at Altum?

Well, there is never a dull moment on the job. One interesting thing that I’ve gained a surprisingly in-depth knowledge of is how ketchup is made!

Thank you Shabana for the interview! 

Don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn so you won’t miss our next employee interview or industry insights. If you want to find out how Altum can help you make your company more efficient and sustainable, don’t hesitate to contact us.