Okay, let's be totally honest here. Printers are so booorrriiinngg. I mean, what else is a printer but
a large, plastic box (usually white) with its sole reason for existence being to print large volumes of
memos, presentations, and other documents that will find themselves in a trash can sooner or later?
You've got inkjet printers, laserjet printers, all-in-one printers, mobile printers? heck, some businesses
(like banks) even use dot-matrix printers! No self-respecting company would survive without one. In fact,
I'll bet the average small business has more than two.
But let's meet the face that's launched a thousand printers, one of which probably occupies space in
your office right now. She's Anabelle Co, HP's Country Category Manager for Commercial Imaging and
Printing Group. That means she's "responsible for revenue contribution, demand generation activities,
and inventory workflow for HP LaserJet printers, as well as keeping top market share for these products."
She also takes care of the digital projectors and the versatile inkjet products like the mobile printer.
And that's after quickly establishing her capabilities with stints in Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi right after
college in De La Salle University, then in Integrated Computer Systems, and then with Canon Marketing Philippines.
Saucy, sexy, and brimming with dynamism, she may just change the way you think about printers. In fact, we take
back everything we said about printers being boring.
How long have you been with HP?
I started working for HP last Nov 16, 2000. I will celebrate my 3-year anniversary this November.
How did you get started with HP?
I was invited by Irene Catane (then a Country Manager in IBM and now at IBM) to look at opportunities
inside HP. And that started it all. My first position in HP was as a final tier manager. I took care of the
second tier partners, and was able to help grow the SMB business through partner development. It was an exciting
experience, meeting the partners, handling nationwide coverage together with my team. HP is a really great company.
After a year of taking care of the channels business, an opportunity came up, and I was encouraged by my managers
to take it.
It's an exciting job, and it has given me a whole new opportunity and challenge. I was able to meet lots of new people,
both local and foreign. I was also able to meet new kinds of groups like the press and the different agencies (PR,
advertising, logistics) we had to work with.
What are the highlights of the job?
Well, firstly I was able to get to work with the press people. That one is an experience in itself.
Aww, shucks! (Good thing I took a bath today...)
Being able to get early information and demo units for the newest technology is also a highlight. We get the first sneak
peak of the great stuff that HP is producing. We're fully equipped so it makes us more efficient. We get to work
mobile or off-site, and we can dial up anywhere in the world. I have very updated equipment, which makes the job
more interesting. Being able to travel every now and then can also be a highlight. If the travel entails going to somewhere
I haven't been to, then it makes it more exciting. It covers both local and international travel.
What about the low points?
It's not an easy job working for such a great company, a leader in the industry. With the highlights, it comes with
low points too, like pressure and deadlines. We need to meet revenue targets and forecasts. The low point would
be when the economy is down, making it a bit difficult to meet the desired revenue.
