People at Statista

Hi Rikky! Let’s start from the very beginning. Would you like to give us a quick introduction on who you are and what your role at Statista is???

My name is Allarik Curtis, though most know me as Rikky. I work as the Sales Enablement and Operations Manager for the APAC region, which essentially means I have two major roles. In operations, my focus is on ensuring our sales pipeline runs seamlessly and sharing my expertise in the tools our sales team relies on. On the sales enablement front, which is more on the training side, I make sure our salesforce is up to date on product knowledge and equipped with the skills to excel in their roles.?

Why did you join Statista???

Basically, I was looking for a job. I previously participated in Model United Nations and served as the club president during my undergraduate studies in Prague. I visited Hamburg for an international Model UN event and really loved the city. This influenced my decision to leave my job in Prague, pursue a master’s degree in Hamburg, and establish a life here. I then finished my master’s degree in management which meant I needed a job. After completing my master’s in management, I began searching for employment. A friend working at Statista informed me of a position suited for someone experienced with Asian cultures and CRM. With my previous experience using CRM tools at SAP, the role seemed like a perfect fit for me. Next thing I know I was offered the position.?

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What is some advice you would give your younger self??

To make more mistakes. When I was younger, I've always been so afraid to do things because I was so worried that I would fail. And as I got older, I realized that one way or another, you'll find a way. So, make those mistakes, take those risk and then figure out the rest later.?

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What is the best part about your job??

On one hand, I'm really happy that I get to help a lot of my colleagues with their day-to-day work and also empower them so that they become better at doing what they do, which is very fulfilling. From a more selfish perspective, I really get to see a lot of organizational problems or process problems, and I get to find new ways to fix or improve them. I feel like I have a very big impact on performance and the kinds of changes that can come about in how we do things.?

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Tell us something about your team.??

We are around 50 people, and it is very international because I handle the APAC region and it's not just the fact that we're so international, but we also sit across the globe. For example, we have an office in India, Singapore, Hamburg, Japan, Australia, and colleagues sitting in remote areas. It's almost day and night that I am working, so to speak. I'm always in communication with someone. This morning, I have calls with people in Singapore and tonight we have meetings with our tool provider who is based in the US.?

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Do you have a podcast or book recommendation??

I have no specific podcast that I listen to, but there is a book that I have recommended to so many people to read. It is by Seth Godin, who is a marketer. He's very old school, to be fair, but he has written a lot of entrepreneurship books. One that I read when I was 17 was “The Dip”. It’s very short, and you'll finish it in one café sitting, but it's such a valuable book. It teaches people about when to quit because the thing is, in life, we're always told quitters are losers and that you should never quit. And this is actually one of the most harmful things we've taught people. Because what ends up happening is people stick with bad decisions and try to pull through bad decisions when sometimes it's a better idea to stop.?

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If someone asked you if they should apply for a job at Statista, what would you say??

Obviously, I would say do it. If there are roles that interest you, Statista would be an amazing place to work at. You would meet some cool people here; the company culture is super amazing and one of the things that I really liked was the family vibes. I know, it's kind of a red flag in recruiting, but for me it is true. You will definitely meet people you can see yourself spending time with out of work. One of the biggest things that made me stay was the people.??