Inside Illumio: Genesa Poggioni

Inside Illumio is a monthly series that highlights the exceptional individuals behind Illumio’s world-class products. Each post will take a peek behind the scenes to spotlight a member of our team. Come get to know us a little better and learn more about what makes Illumio’s culture so unique.

This month, meet Genesa Poggioni, Illumio’s senior director of customer success, who’s based in Colorado. Hear about what she does at Illumio and about her love of camping.

Tell us about yourself. What do you do at Illumio?

I lead the customer success organization for the Americas. We focus on making sure our customers achieve value and help them meet their business outcomes once they purchase Illumio. We guide them through best practices and adoption with our solutions. We work hard to make sure customers find success with our products.

What made you interested in working at Illumio?

I had several former colleagues who came to work for Illumio in sales and customer success, and they were really excited about their work here. I knew the position would bring me back to my technical roots, since I first started in IT. I also wanted to be part of building a company and Illumio gave me that opportunity.

What does a day in the life of Genesa look like? What are you working on that excites you?

My day is split between customer-facing meetings and internal meetings. When I’m working with customers, I’m helping them advance their deployments, overcomes hurdles, and navigate challenges. Internally, I collaborate with other teams to improve our practices and make sure we’re focusing on the things that will make our customers successful.

I get really excited when customers have a huge win or achieve some great milestone. When our customers win, we win. And, I love mentoring people and watching my team grow – it’s so rewarding.

How do you stay illuminated during the workday? How do you stay connected with your team while we’re working remotely?

I’ve been a telecommuter for 14 years, so my world didn’t change as much during COVID. That being said, Slack is my lifeline. I hate the phone (just ask my family!), so I try to video-call whenever possible. I really appreciate the connection you get from seeing someone’s face!

I also like Slack because communication can happen more organically, almost like it would in an office. Not everything has to be scheduled and not everything has to be about business. I can check in with people about their weekend and see how they are doing. It makes sure we stay human.

What’s your favorite book?

My favorite books is The Prophet by Khalil Jibran. It’s a long poem. When I was 17, a family friend was reading it while we were on the train in New York City. He gave me a copy, and I’ve been revisiting it ever since. It talks about life, love, marriage, and children – I even included quotes from it in my wedding vows!

What career advice do you have for your younger self?

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You’ll always learn and grow from these mistakes if you’re smart about it. Also, don’t chase titles and instead, always try to use your gifts and follow your passions.

What are you passionate outside of your career?

I’m passionate about my family, cooking, yoga, and camping. More like boondock glamping, really: I have a camper with solar panels and everything.

Which Illumio core value resonates most with you and why?

Run to challenges. What makes this value so special at Illumio is that we truly practice it. It’s never about finger pointing or who did what wrong. We will come together to find a resolution to the problem, no matter what.

I also gravitate toward onwards together. If you look at where we are right now – in the middle of a pandemic – we’re all stressed, so it’s really easy to react from a place of emotion. When you assume the people you’re working with have good intentions, it helps you stay grounded and come from the right place, too.

What do you want people to know about working at Illumio?

At this point in my career, I want to work for a company that is doing something new and progressive, where I can leave behind a legacy. For me, it’s all about adding value and how I meaningfully contribute. At Illumio, I feel appreciated for my contributions – it’s really special.