It’s easy to grow up loving computers when your dad works in electronic media. That’s how Martin Zahumensky, our CPTO, started messing with programs and circuit boards while the other kids were still playing hide and seek.
As early as elementary school Martin was already writing programs, moving on to working on his own microcomputers in middle school. By the time he was a teenager, Martin was already gaining industry experience by programming custom apps for real businesses, including an ERP for a production company and invoicing software for his father.
Logically, he then went on to study at the Slovak Technical University’s Faculty of Information Technologies, majoring in telecommunications.
“I knew technology would be a way to change people’s lives, and I wanted to be part of it. So I continued on this technical journey.”
At University, Martin spent his free time developing video games and entering (and winning) tech competitions in Slovakia. Right at the start of his studies, Martin landed a job at Accenture, where he realized that he wanted to be a leader.
“I wanted to be part of the teams that are creating bigger things.”
This meant exploring and learning more about the technical landscape, which led to him working with a German consulting team.
“I started to be involved in system architecture or big companies, how they integrate, how they work with data, how the data needed to automate things. And that’s where my journey with data management essentially started.”
As we explored in previous blogs, Martin went on to later found his own companies, one of which evolved into today’s Data Stories. He joined Ataccama as Chief Growth Officer and acting Chief Marketing Officer, and now serves as our CPTO.
Martin’s journey to Ataccama was long and winding, and things could have looked a lot different had he chosen otherwise. His days at university forced him to decide how serious he was about playing professional hockey, or indeed which career path to go down. At this crossroads in his career, Martin says things probably would have turned out more or less the same even if he didn’t end up at Ataccama.
“I’d probably be starting different types of companies. The biggest question for me would be if it should be another software company or something else. I can’t imagine myself in a big corporation or anything like that anymore. I like working with very smart, cool people, creating something interesting.”
Many Ataccamers know that outside of his busy workday, Martin enjoys pushing himself — he’s partial to IronMan triathlons.
“I’m a really goal-oriented person, in work and sports. I always try to set some unachievable goals for myself, which I’m trying to reach in a very focused manner.”
In addition, endurance competitions and athletes taught him to power through challenges and inspired him at work and in life.
“I was never the kind of guy who had somebody I’d call my role model, who I’d want to be like. But there are people who inspire me–obviously people like Elon Musk who are changing the world, or Obama.”
Today, Martin is an established leader with a passion for passing down his knowledge and experience to anyone aspiring to break into the field or go down a similar path.
“I think it’s not that complicated to enter the tech world. It’s like with anything else. If you tell yourself that you will be good at something, and you want to be part of the tech world, there are so many opportunities available now to get there.”
“Besides all the school programs available, there are so many courses you can take online. So many people offer mentoring. There are so many meetups organized by companies like us and so many programs at schools guiding you through how you can enter the field.”
All this hard work and preparation is key to succeeding at Ataccama as well. According to Martin, setting goals and daring to try new things can produce unexpectedly great results.
“It’s an unlimited playground, so just try to do your best. I really believe that Ataccama is the kind of company where you can shine in any kind of role you want. If you show interest and you show the skill, we try to move you forward. We have a lot of examples of this. So just be persistent.”
Even though he’s now the CPTO of Ataccama, Martin still works alongside his former Data Stories team in our Bratislava office.
“I know most of them personally because I hired them. I really like these guys. It’s a young team with very smart people, and the core team who started the product is still there. I learn a lot from them and get continuously inspired, not only from the Bratislava team but from the whole of Ataccama. Now we are getting some additional muscles who are bringing it to the next level. Like the rest of Ataccama, they’re funny, and have a good culture.”
Want to join Martin’s team? Want to see how far you can grow in an #UnlimitedPlayground? Check out our job openings at jobs.ataccama.com!