DCN October 2016 | Page 15

meet me room

MATHIAS GOLOMBEK – EXASOL

Mathias Golombek is the chief technology officer at Exasol . He joined the board of Exasol AG in November 2013 and is currently in charge of the company ’ s technology department . Mathias began his career as a software developer for Exasol in 2004 . He first headed the data optimisation team before taking charge of research and development in 2006 . Mathias has a degree in Information Technology at the University of Würzburg , specialising in database management systems .
What made you decide on a career in the IT industry ? Growing up , my dream was always to play football for the German national team , and I modelled my game on Lothar Matthäus . However , I was also interested in computers , and I got really hooked on them at the age of nine , when my older brother was learning how to program BASIC at school . So it was around that time that I started learning more about programming myself and I wrote my first program for my little brother . Unfortunately , I suffered a cruciate ligament injury while playing football when I was 16 , which put my dreams of being a professional footballer to rest , so I decided to fully focus my interest on computers instead . I was always talented at mathematics but I preferred applied sciences , so I decided to study computer science at university and I haven ’ t looked back since .
What has been your proudest work related moment to date ? There have been many great moments since I started working with Exasol as a software developer back in 2004 , so it is quite hard to pick out the best moment . We did have an international user conference recently though and I think that could be singled out as the moment that made me feel extremely proud of what our team has achieved over the years . You could feel the positive spirit and gratitude from the community of customers and partners at the conference , which was fantastic . It truly made me feel like we are working with customers who love to work with us as well , and who think our product is amazing , so that really was a moment to enjoy .
In addition to earning a living , how else has your career created value in your life ? I spend a lot of time at work , so I was always keen to make my job meaningful . I ’ m not so much talking about business success necessarily , but rather making the company a place of creativity , inspiration and fun for everyone . That ’ s why I enjoy every single day at work , and that ’ s why I regard my team like family members . I have learnt so many things through my work life , from how to interact with individuals , and how every single person can influence the direction of a corporation , to how business and markets work .
What are the biggest pressures involved in your job ? During the first few years of working at Exasol , I felt many kinds of pressures , such as time schedules , product quality , competition and business targets . But after a lot of ups and downs , I came to realise that these pressures are not really created by external people , but by yourself . I have since learned to regard these kinds of pressures as positive sources
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