Introducing Megha Bhattacharya, Senior Solutions Engineer at HubSpot. When she's not helping customers solve tough challenges, she’s most likely traveling, doing improv to learn Dutch in her new homeland, or reading a good book. In addition to her role on the Solutions Engineering team, Megha is heavily involved with diversity, inclusion, & belonging (DI&B) initiatives within the Women@HubSpot community. Continue reading to delve into a day in her life.

Can you tell us a little about your background and journey to HubSpot?

I am an engineer at heart, but a salesperson by choice. I began my career in business development and sales roles at startups in Singapore. And then moved into the tech industry with Tableau in Singapore, followed by OutSystems in Dubai. I was obsessed with HubSpot from the time they opened an office in Singapore in 2016, but the third time's the charm in interviewing with HubSpot. I finally joined HubSpot’s sales team in Singapore in 2020, switched over to presales in late 2021, and finally made the move to Amsterdam mid 2023. 

Describe a typical day in your role.

A typical day in my role involves engaging in calls with customers to understand their challenges and current tech stack to determine if HubSpot aligns with their needs. I host several internal discussion calls with sales representatives to strategize solutions and plan effective HubSpot demos for prospects. Additionally, I engage in learning calls with team members to share product updates, explore new partner tools, and enhance our skills in emerging technologies. I try to do one task every day which is focused either on DI&B or on team culture to feel a sense of belonging since I work remotely with my teams. 

How are you solving for the customer?

A big part of what I do is spending time with businesses to really understand what they're struggling with, even if they're not fully aware of it. I draw from my experience with other customers to help uncover hidden issues. And if HubSpot isn't checking all the boxes, I look for other tools that could work or suggest custom solutions with the help of our partners to ultimately help them solve their challenges. 

Tell us about a challenge you're working to solve right now. 

One of our prospects is looking to manage their post-sales process which includes invoicing and reminders for their customers periodically based on payment status. I’m exploring how Commerce Hub in conjunction with their existing invoicing tool can help streamline and automate this process. Not all parts of this can be done with HubSpot, so I’m working on finding the right flow of information across the tools so that revenue and cash flow reporting is more accurate for the prospect.

Are there any industry trends or topics that are exciting to you right now?

Did we go 5 minutes without mentioning AI?! But yes, AI is definitely exciting to me because I am experiencing first-hand how the early adopters of the AI features of HubSpot are already seeing significant speed in their content journeys and prospecting. Along with that, the release of Commerce Hub in the EU is another big one as it brings HubSpot to a completely new industry - payments. 

In your own words, what makes working at HubSpot unique?

Working at HubSpot is special because we emphasize collaboration over competition, even within our sales teams. Despite being a large company with over 7,000 employees, we maintain agility to explore and implement new ideas irrespective of who comes up with them. Our management team exemplifies humility, making it easy to approach anyone, including leaders like Yamini, for a chat or discussion.

Describe your involvement with HubSpot's Women@HubSpot community.

I plan and host a lot of events for WISE (which is a sub-group for women in solutions engineering). I love having a safe space to be able to discuss my ideas, concerns, and questions with my colleagues. On a particularly difficult work day, I derive a sense of community or accomplishment depending on whether I'm attending an event or planning one.

As we celebrate Women's History Month, what's the best career advice you ever received from a female leader?

Choosing a good partner in your life is one of the most important career decisions you will ever make. 

When was the last time you left your comfort zone - personally and professionally?

I constantly push beyond my comfort zone professionally working with businesses in unfamiliar industries, being asked curly questions on calls about HubSpot products or their specific industry that I have no prior knowledge of. 

Personally, being able to pick up and practice Dutch has been really difficult - especially as someone who always has a lot to say, learning to share that in my very limited Dutch vocabulary has kicked me out of my comfort zone. 

Outside of HubSpot, what do you like to do in your free time?

Doing improv comedy - I'm currently taking classes to learn Dutch by doing improv in Dutch. I love traveling and eating (in that order). I'm on a mission to explore a new part of the world every month and try at least five new cuisines this year. When it rains (which is very often in Amsterdam) I cuddle with three of my cats and watch murder mysteries.

What's something that nobody would know about you?

I can't go to sleep without reading a book. I'm a huge fan of fiction and I think more adults should add fiction to their reading lists to broaden their minds and strengthen their imaginative muscle.

Learn more about HubSpot’s culture on our careers website and follow HubSpot Life on Instagram as we continue to share employee highlights, internal celebrations, learnings, and more this Women’s History Month and beyond.