Humans of Zinier: Introducing Doug

Welcome to our Humans of Zinier series! Meet the people building the new era of field service automation. ‍

Doug McCullen, RVP Sales Europe at Zinier 

‍Location: London, United Kingdom 

‍What is your typical day like for you (personal + professional)?

Is any day ever typical? Anyway, the first thing I do when I wake up is open the blinds and stare into the horizon. We overlook a park that was once a Roman city and I am comforted by the ghosts. My teenage daughters are united in their disdain for any parental advice or encouragement early in the morning, so thankfully they are quick off the mark and out the door. Sometimes I walk our dog (Hungarian Vizsla hound) through the woods or go for a run or to the gym. But otherwise, I slink into the home office and crack on with the job.

We're an international business so I could be on calls from early morning into the evening, but mostly the days are spent in calls and meetings with prospects across the UK and Europe. I still love meeting directly with prospects and I don't think that will ever change, but certainly, the days of flying to Rome for a 1-hour meeting, returning home, and then doing it again the next day are gone ... rightfully! Zinier is at a very exciting stage of its growth. There is never a dull moment and I am lucky to work with such a wide range of talented, creative, and fun people. The days go by way too fast.

In my spare time, I love seeing live music (the more obscure the better) and as we're on London's doorstep, I'll sometimes pop down for a gig midweek. I'll try to run and hit the gym 3 times a week. And seeing live sport of any kind is always on the agenda.

‍Where is one place you’d like to visit once it’s safe to travel?

‍Japan. I've been there on business but it's just not the same as being a tourist, where you aren't on a schedule and you make the rules. I've traveled globally throughout my career and there are many places that I would like to go back to as a tourist. Japan is right up there on the list.

‍What is a favorite quote or motto? Why?

‍"90% of life is about showing up" or words to that effect. I overthink a lot of things, so this is my go-to mantra as it reminds me that just being present - being there for family, friends, and co-workers - is the ultimate statement about your sincerity and commitment toward them.What’s a fun fact about you?Probably more funny than fun, but when my youngest daughter was 7 she wanted to play football and I took her down to the pitches to see if there was any training for her age group. The local club had an extensive youth program but had never had an under 8's team, so they asked me if would be interesting in starting one. I thought 'how hard could this be' ... how little did I know! I didn't grow up with football but I learned, with the help of a few good mentors and going on to get my FA Level 1 coaching award. Opposition managers were very encouraging from the off. We lost every match in our first year, but 3 years later won the county cup ... probably in spite of me as much as anything else.

‍What was a recent work project you enjoyed working on?

‍Although like most companies we have been doing all of our meetings and workshops remotely for the past year and a half, we recently held a 'live' 3 day meeting with a company we are working with. I not only was able to meet the brilliant people in that company, but also it was the first time I met some of my colleagues since joining Zinier in January this year. Nothing can replace it ... I'm still buzzing.

‍Doug’s Quick 3:

Top 3 most used mobile apps:

Other than business-specific ones, I'd say:

• WhatsApp - obvs.
• Evernote - has kept me organised for the past 10 years.
• Deezer - they've had HD sound for a couple years now, and I prefer the UI over Spotify

3 things that you wish were automated:

• Finding available parking spaces
• Responding to tenders (in a direct, non-salesy way)
• Taking out the rubbish

Thanks for sitting down with us and sharing your story, Doug!