Magdalena Gamisheva is a Director of Sales at CLICO Bulgaria. She is an experienced Product Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. Magdalena is skilled in Business Planning, Sales, Enterprise Software, DC Products, and Partner Management, as well as a strong project management professional.

Magdalena Gamisheva, a Director of Sales at CLICO Bulgaria, is a remarkable lady who loves the sea and fulfils the culinary desires of everyone around her. She thinks that success depends on many factors. Regarding the problem of gender inequality, Magdalena says that it is not so relevant in Bulgaria. She thinks that every manager running a company should evaluate the qualities of her/his candidates and employees, based on their competencies, and not on their gender. Magdalena adds that although we have grown as a society, we still define certain responsibilities as typical female or male hence we should work towards developing and stimulating professional characteristics in people, regardless of their gender. According to her, a woman’s vision and charm sometimes help. However, she definitely can’t say that someone would make a key decision just because a woman is standing in the front. She shares with us that it is difficult for her to separate personal from professional life because she is constantly considering everything. In addition, she says that this characteristic attributes to the fact that she enjoys her work and accepts it as a constant inspiration. Magdalena is a professional, but also a perfectionist – she wants everything to be impeccable in the best way possible. She adds that for her the working day has no time frame. Her advice is to find something that takes us away from the daily routine for a while and makes us live in the present. Magdalena shares that she is pleased to work with such a great team and can’t wait for the numerous exciting days that await them.

“Closing a deal is like a game of chess – you think a few steps ahead.”

Share something about yourself that we can’t find on LinkedIn.

I have a dog – a Czechoslovakian wolfhound, who has recently become part of our family and fills our lives with lots of laughter, games and smiles. I love the sea, I love to drive, and I don’t want to sound immodest, but I am a good driver;)… And last but not least once a week I fulfil the culinary desires of the team 🙂

Have you ever faced challenges in your career regarding the fact that you are a woman?

It sometimes happens during the initial contacts with foreign companies. There is a lack of trust, even a hint of underestimation, but once you respond with professionalism, experience and knowledge, you can very quickly change this attitude.

Do you know how many women work in your position?

Yes, and this motivates me, even more, to develop myself as a professional to improve my knowledge every day. According to Eurostat, 42% of the management positions in Bulgaria are held by women. Another study on “The best countries in Europe for women’s work”, assessing economic equality, women in leadership positions and attitudes towards motherhood, ranks Bulgaria first. I believe that success depends on many factors, so the second study is more comprehensive. There is still work to be done as a society, but we are in the right direction and we will achieve it step by step.

Read More Inspiring Stories for Women in Tech in WRTech here.

Do you think that the problem with gender inequality still exists in Bulgaria and globally?

In some regions of the world, it is especially relevant. Perhaps, in Bulgaria, not so much. In my opinion, every manager running a company should evaluate the qualities of his/her candidates and employees, based on their competencies, and not on the basis of gender. And although we have grown as a society, we still define some responsibilities as typical female or male. We should work towards developing and stimulating professional qualities in people who have a passion and desire for development, no matter if they are men or women.

Do women’s vision and charm help you be successful in a professional way?

You know what they say: “By clothes, they welcome, by mind they send.” Viewed in this light – yes, sometimes it helps, but I definitely can’t say that someone would make a key decision just because a woman is standing in front.

What policies does your company follow regarding encouraging diversity?

We are definitely looking for diversity in appointments because we want CLICO to be a place where different people build a team and work together without prejudices and dividing lines between them. We want to have freedom for personal and professional development.

How do you get along with men in your company? Do they treat you differently?

You have to ask them. 🙂 I don’t feel any different attitude.

How do you balance your work with your personal life? Are there any rules that you follow?

Perhaps combining personal and professional life would be easier if I could switch off from work during my spare time. It’s hard for me because I’m constantly thinking about everything. But I attribute this to the fact that my work brings me inspiration and I truly like it. Also, the perfectionist in me wants everything to be perfect.

Which sources would you recommend to us? (podcasts, webpages, influencers, YouTubers, etc.)

Darknet Diaries, the blogs of our vendors, and they are not plenty, given the rich portfolio of CLICO, Gartner (both the rankings for various solutions and analyzes for future focus solutions), SANS Institute, of course, and Bulgarian – Internet speaks, The voice of Capital, Money speaks. In the rest of my free time, I prefer to be accompanied by a good book.

“My work brings me inspiration and I truly like it”

What does the profession of Director of Sales in a company offering IT security solutions look like? How does your workday go? What inspired you to focus on the technology industry?

It is the combination of many qualities, some of which are responsibility, initiative, diplomacy, organizational and commercial skills, finding new customers and maintaining the satisfaction of the current ones, supporting the team. We need constant updating of knowledge and awareness of new trends – “lifelong learning” is our daily routine. This is one of the reasons to focus on the technology industry. It is undergoing rapid development and there is a constant need for new solutions that support the business, as well as those that protect it and contribute to its security and smooth operation. A successful cyberattack inflicts a lot of visible and invisible damage on the company and sometimes leads to direct losses for the business, which are recovered, if at all, for months or even years.

What qualities are required for someone to “close” a deal successfully? Do these qualities depend on gender?

Not by gender, but by experience. Closing a deal is like playing chess – you should think a few steps ahead. You anticipate all the factors that could tip the scales and make timely decisions. But the most important thing is to prepare your homework and be sure that what you offer to the client is the right thing for them. So they will have one less headache and be calmer with the investment he has made. Of course, sometimes you may not succeed, but analyzing everything that happened and went wrong will help in the future.

“We need constant updating of knowledge and awareness of new trends – “lifelong learning” is our daily routine“

How and where should boundaries between the working day and the life after that be created, when everything happens in one place? Can you give some good practices and tips as an example?

Personally, I can’t set a limit, but I don’t want it anyways. When work excites you and is close to your nature, you have no desire for putting any boundaries. The working day has no time frame, but you should think of different ways to achieve your goals. Tips and good practices… um… I would tell everyone – find something that takes you away from the daily routine for a while and makes you live here and now, to quench the storm of incoming thoughts and worries. For some, it’s sports, walking, spending time with loved ones, reading, music, or doing anything (dolce far niente). For me, yoga turned out to be a practice for unloading – time for myself, time without thoughts, time for the here and now.

What does it mean to be a director at CLICO Bulgaria? How does your workday go?

The CLICO team is growing, even during the last difficult year, we hired several new colleagues. The results of the company and the trust of our customers are a marker for the success of the whole team. My working day is constant – getting up before 6, going to bed late at night (and sometimes it haunts me in my dreams). You are constantly thinking in different directions – both over the common goals and the way to achieve them, and in-depth for a specific challenge you are facing. I am pleased to work with such a cohesive and purposeful team and I am sure that many more exciting days await us.

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