Continuing our era of incredible growth, we’ve hired twelve new people to join our engineering, infrastructure, business operations, sales and marketing departments. Together, they will embark on a mission to learn all about improving workplace productivity, efficiency and collaboration, delivering a continuously improved Meister Suite. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this very well-rounded cohort.
Interested? We’re still hiring. Take a look at our current open positions.
Blerta Zeka – Quality Assurance Engineer
Quick facts
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Previous Job | QA at Grape |
| Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. | Try to break the Meister Suite (and report any bugs). |
Why did you choose Meister?
Everyone was very friendly and helpful from the start. It’s a welcoming environment full of talented people I’m looking forward to both working with and learning from.
What would you say is your biggest achievement?
I stopped smoking (cold turkey) this year. I also rediscovered sports to keep me away from ever starting again.
What are you most looking forward to at Meister?
I can’t wait to work on maintaining the Meister Suite’s exceptional quality by being part of the development process and collaborating with the team on fresh ideas.
Robert Miron – Front End Developer
Quick facts
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Previous Job | Front End Developer at iamstudent |
| Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. | Improving MindMeister by adding fantastic features that’ll make working easier. |
Which Meister product is your favorite and why?
My favorite is MeisterNote because it has perfected a combination of intuitive features and beautiful design. It always feels great to look at my notes (although I should probably write more rather than just admire).
When and where did you first hear about Meister?
I used MindMeister for some academic projects at university, but I didn’t make the connection with Meister until I attended the ViennaJS Meetup, which took place at the Meister office.
How did you feel on your first day?
Impressed by how much effort and planning went into the onboarding process – it was the best onboarding experience I’ve ever had.
Dave Cottlehuber – Tech Lead
Quick facts
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Previous Job | IT Contracting – from distributed systems in Elixir and Erlang, to getting massive ARM64 servers up and running in the cloud. |
| Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. | Understand everything. Find the right levers to accelerate Meister’s potential. |
How was your onboarding?
Delightful and comprehensive. I met so many interesting and motivated people from all backgrounds and walks of life – I can’t wait to work alongside them.
What do you miss most about New Zealand?
The outdoors – especially the smell of the forest, and the tangy sea breeze. While I grew up near the coast (it’s hard not to really), my heart is in the mountains. The beech forests of the South Island have a very unique atmosphere; I spent most of my holidays wombling through these forests, crossing rivers, climbing peaks and skiing down them.
Describe your ideal Saturday.
A short lie-in followed by pancakes and coffee and later, skiing. I’m a telemark skier so there’s a lot of knee bending going on: at the end of a day on the slopes, I’m ready for a break. I also love to cook, so I’ve always got an eye on what’s for dinner. An ideal Saturday would finish with homemade spaghetti bolognese, or maybe a Kiwi-style roast lamb with peas and kumara. And of course – red wine.
Muhamed Isabegović – Back End Developer
Quick facts
| Nationality | Bosnian |
| Previous Job | Senior Lead Engineer at Experfy |
| Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. | Making sure that Blerta doesn’t always succeed in breaking MindMeister. |
What’s your favorite thing about MindMeister?
It’s great for idea visualization and brainstorming. So many product meetings I have attended at previous jobs would have been improved if we’d used MindMeister. Sometimes, words don’t really get the job done when communicating an idea to a large group of people. Comparatively, mind maps can save hours of meetings and many headaches because they translate information more efficiently.
Tell us about your hometown.
Tuzla is rather foggy in winter – we actually wore masks before Covid-19 made them trendy. It is the only city in the whole of Bosnia with artificial lakes: they are filled with salt water and are always full during the summer. Actually, “Tuz” means salt, so Tuzla is like our version of Salzburg. If you ever visit, don’t hesitate to ask a local if you need anything – people are super friendly.
What’s your biggest goal for the next year?
Recently, my life has changed quite a lot – I got married, moved to Vienna and joined Meister. I am looking forward to dedicating some time to integrating properly into the company and gaining a stable rhythm in daily life. I’m also excited to be enrolling in a master’s degree, which I’ll complete alongside my work at Meister. Ultimately, my goal is to learn, improve and explore.
Riccardo Salzer – Back End Developer
Quick facts
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Previous Job | Head of Engineering at Grape |
| Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. | I convince machines to do what we want them to. |
What are you most excited about with this new role?
Obviously a load of nerdy stuff I don’t want to bore with you. Aside from that, I can’t wait to work with people who prefer one supreme feature over several mediocre ones: a standard of excellence is what drives most engineers.
What do you do in your spare time?
I am mostly found on, or with, bicycles: riding them, fixing them, washing them or watching others ride them, fix them (sometimes even wash them..). If I’m not cycling, I do trail running, rock climbing or swimming. When I need to relax, I am a big fan of Open Source Software, Open Data, Open Knowledge and DIY of any kind, ranging from electronics to building furniture or renovating houses.
How did you find the onboarding period?
Stellar – six days of well-organized sessions aimed at helping us get to know Meister and its products. Fair to say, it was the best onboarding experience I’ve ever had.
Barbara Leuschner – General Counsel
Quick facts
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Previous Job | Global Head of Data Privacy and Compliance |
| Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. | Provide Meister with legal advice and drive integrated legal strategy. |
What was your favorite thing about living in America?
There were so many amazing things that it’s hard to pick just one, but I guess I really loved the sheer scope of opportunities to just go out and do things.
Did you enjoy onboarding and why?
Yes! Everybody was so welcoming and engaging – I immediately identified as a “Lobster”.
What excites you most about Meister?
The energetic atmosphere and “can-do” attitude of every single colleague.
Stefan Kröner – Security Manager
Quick facts
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Previous Job | CTO at Grape |
| Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. | Make sure everything is secure and implement the ISO 27001. |
What do you think makes Meister different?
From a user perspective, the focus on detail – Meister products have a usability level way above the norm. As an employee, the warm environment – everyone is so friendly and down-to-earth. Plus, a healthy work/life balance is actually valued, not just used as an attractive buzzword.
Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
I cycled from Austria to Athens in 2021.
Which Meister tool do you think you’ll use most in your daily life?
MeisterNote – it’s super useful for efficiently documenting ideas and collecting thoughts. Previously, I used Notion but I find MeisterNote superior in subtle ways. I’ll also use MeisterTask – in fact, I’ve already put my to-dos in there and joined some internal projects. I love it!
Want to help us develop these fantastic tools? Read our current open positions and apply today!
Doris Reiter – Accountant
Quick facts
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Previous Job | Sales Administrator and Accountant at Varioform PET Verpackung G.m.b.H |
| Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. | I will do Meister’s accounting and contribute to financial projects. |
What was your favorite holiday?
Two years ago I went to Cape Town. We did a road trip and visited the typical tourist spots, such as the Cape of Good Hope, and hiked to the top of Table Mountain. Of course, we couldn’t resist visiting a few vineyards too.
What was the most important thing you learned during onboarding?
That there will be so much more to learn after onboarding, and that I’ll always find someone who is more than happy to help me. Oh, and how to work with MeisterTask, MindMeister and MeisterNote.
How was your first day at Meister?
I was very excited and a little bit nervous because “first days” can be scary. Despite some nerves, I experienced a very warm welcome and enjoyed a wonderfully organized day (and onboarding week). Although I was worried about speaking English all the time, I’ve already noticed a vast improvement both in my language and confidence!
Neethu Thomas – Data Engineer
Quick facts
| Nationality | Indian |
| Previous Job | Data Engineer |
| Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. | Collect and convert raw data into usable information using pipelines. |
How does Vienna compare to Berlin?
The cities are close geographically, in appearance and in atmosphere. Both Berlin and Vienna are fantastic cities: Berlin has a lot to offer for culture and history lovers, while Vienna also boasts a beautiful city center and incredible historical buildings!
Why did you choose Meister?
It’s a privilege for any aspiring individual to find a fruitful career with a growing organization. I really appreciated the way in which the People and Culture team at Meister engaged with me – my friendly and professional colleagues have been central to a productive start at Meister.
What do you hope to achieve in the next three years?
Provide data as a service to other teams and help them in making data-driven decisions. I strive to become a domain knowledge expert on the Meister Suite.
Ana Moreira – Sales Development Representative
Quick facts
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Previous Job | Sales Expert |
| Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. | Make sure no one misses out on the Meister Suite. |
When did you move to Austria?
About 3 years ago, but it feels like yesterday.
What’s your favorite thing about living in Vienna?
Probably the fact that nature is so close by (for example, the Wienerwald). But maybe also something to do with the coffee and cake culture…
Tell us about your first impressions of Meister.
My first impression was over the phone – I was pleasantly surprised by how organized, detailed, professional and friendly everything was. My first in-person experience was also positive – I had such a warm welcome from everyone, including the office dog!
We’re still hiring. Take a look at our current open positions and apply today.
Meenakshi Bhattacharya – Senior Product Marketing Manager
Quick facts
| Nationality | Indian |
| Previous Job | Senior Brand Leader at McCann Gurgaon |
| Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. | Demonstrating that the Meister Suite is the next big thing. |
How do you think the Meister products will help you at work?
I am a huge fan of planning ahead and jotting down random thoughts. As a rigorous note taker, MeisterNote will help me finally move away from my beloved pen and paper. Regarding task management, I am looking forward to using MeisterTask because of the level of transparency the tool offers. Being able to see who is doing exactly what in a project isn’t only efficient, it’s also effective – you can be certain that nothing will slip through the cracks.
What’s your favorite restaurant in Vienna?
I’m not sure if I’ve tried enough restaurants yet to have an absolute favorite. But Bros Pizza is my favorite go-to pizza place – their sourdough crust and innovative toppings lift my spirits every time. One of the perks of joining Meister is being just five minutes away from Bros Pizza Monday to Friday!
What do you miss most about your hometown?
Most definitely the food – Delhi is known as India’s culinary capital. While I love Vienna, munching on my favorite Indian street food, comfort food, spicy food and fried food is a void no other city can fill, ever.
Patrick Prokesch – Chief Commercial Officer
Quick facts
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Previous Job | Senior Director Strategy and Growth at i5invest |
| Describe your role at Meister in exactly 10 words. | Leading and supporting Meister’s very talented commercial and growth teams. |
What does Meister do better than other companies?
Meister’s focus on simplicity and the user experience in creating one of the most modern and effective software and productivity solutions is supreme.
How was your experience of the recruitment process?
The People and Culture team is incredible. I felt both welcomed and professionally challenged at every stage. This, among many other factors, made me decide to join the Meister team.
How does Vienna compare to Berlin in terms of sustainability?
Vienna and Berlin are among the cleanest and greenest cities in Europe, and I’m grateful to feel like a citizen of both. We all have a lot to learn on how we can contribute to the health of our planet, and a long way to go with little time on our hands – against the belief of some, my hope lies with the people and communities to make a real difference. I’m happy to see that Meister plays its role and we hope to motivate other employers to follow suit.
Sounds interesting? We’re hiring – take a look at our current open positions.