China Trip update

I finally have the opportunity on this whirlwind of a trip to share some updates!?

This month, I had the privilege of traveling to Asia and meeting my team in Hong Kong and Shanghai. I also visited the Ingram Micro team with whom I closely work on our SMB accounts. It has been an absolute joy and privilege to meet my teammates in China and finally spend quality time with them.

We've faced challenges this year, dealing with a slowing economy, domestic trends of localizing technology, fierce competition, and price wars for legacy RPA tech. Additionally, we have a smaller team with limited capacity to drive new business.

Despite these challenges, we've weathered the storm and grown closer and more confident in the value of our platform, commitment to our customers, and our corporate culture.

Due to this trip, unfortunately, I won't be spending Thanksgiving this year with my family. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's about being with family and loved ones, reflecting on all that has been given to us, and enjoying turkey! Or as they call it in China, "火鸡" (Fire Chicken). What better time than now to thank everyone in the corporate world who has made the last 19 months at UiPath an incredible journey.

I want to express my gratitude to Robin Wang, Nichole Tao, Xiao Hua Li, Fu Fangyuan Fu, Deng Hua, James Zhang, Andy Wang, Vincent Zheng, and YueHua Long for being the most gracious hosts and making me feel welcome, supporting me despite my limited skills in business Mandarin and renewals.?

For those who don't know, I lived in Shenzhen, China, for nine years before moving back to the States in 2020. My experience in language and culture, along with the support and encouragement of Phillip Springer, John Holinka , and Sean Groberman, allowed me this unique opportunity to join the China team and contribute this year.

It's not easy to come back from a decade abroad and try to build something new from scratch. When I joined UiPath in April 2021, I knew it was an industry leader in AI enterprise automation. What I didn't know was that I would be surrounded by the most talented and caring teammates and leaders I could have hoped for. They helped me find a niche for myself in Austin, build a community, utilize my strengths, and challenged me to never stop learning and pursuing excellence.

I'd like to extend my thanks to Stacey Goldman for helping find me a place at UiPath, Phillip Springer for his belief in me, his inspirational leadership, and coaching. Patrick J. Boland for being my first friend even though we're a generation apart. JT Seelman for being the ultimate motivator, counselor, friend, and manager. Sierra Fitzgerald and Grace Widner for teaching me how to use Salesforce (and Gen Z slang).?Alexander Lathrop for being my mentor and friend. Crystal Gayle Lewis for answering thousands of my questions. John Holinka and Sean Groberman for always making time to listen, teach, and support me in this unique role. Seel Team 10 BDR SLED crew for the camaraderie. My enablement trainers, Kate Bowman and Nick Wagener, for going easy on me during hot seats. Finally, I'd like to thank the whole EM sales team and our fearless leader Sean Kay for an amazing 19 months at UiPath.

It's been a wild ride so far, and I'm thankful for every bit of it. I'm looking forward to finishing out this quarter with my team in China and transitioning to a more customer-facing role as an Account Manager for the American team. I’m forever grateful and I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving and happy holidays!