In observation of Women's History Month, we had the opportunity to sit down with Marie Peterson, one of the key players in international marketing at Geek+. Marie is the Marketing VP at Geek+ and is in charge of the overall direction for marketing initiatives, leading a team that represents countries from all over the globe.
As a student, Marie's upbringing from bi-national parents lead her to a fascination with world history, curious to learn how nations rose to prominence and how some of the most powerful empires fell from grace. But when Marie wasn't reading about 19th-century history, she found time to hone her skills on the basketball court, taking a liking to football, skiing, and other sports.
These days, the mother of two doesn't have much time to practice her 3-point shot between being a full-time marketing VP. But whenever she does watch politics, sports, or AMR industry trends, she's able to do so from a unique perspective shaped through years of working with teams of varying nationalities.
In this interview we had a casual conversation about Marie's experience in Geek+, her interests growing up, and what Women's History Month means to her.
Q: Hey Marie thanks for joining me... I remember you mentioning being French and American. Are you a dual citizen?
Marie: Yes. I'm a dual citizen. My dad's American. My mom's French.
Q: How does being a French-American influence your perspective at work?
Marie: I think it's more than being just French and American. Living in different countries has opened me up to other cultures. As a result, I'm more willing to take risks creatively. With more experience, you tend to see the world as more approachable, and you find commonalities between people much faster.
Q: When did you first get involved with smart logistics?
Marie: Just under three years ago. Smart logistics are still a very new concept. I had never heard of smart logistics before joining Geek+. But, getting to see the impact of our solutions first-hand is impressive. We've revolutionized how companies in retail and manufacturing move things in the world.
Q: What's something you find fascinating about our industry?
Marie: What is incredibly fascinating to me is the impact tech has on real-life scenarios. While robotics and AI are still relatively early in development, the current tech has already drastically influenced traditional logistics. Today, It's no longer about solely looking into the future but shaping the present in real-time.
You can already see our technology's impact on the retail industry: Same-day delivery, Omnichannel strategies, fast scaling of warehouses, micro fulfillment centers-- these are all powered by smart logistics and wouldn't' exist without it.
Q: What's something about your role at Geek+ inspires you?
Marie: In my current role, I am constantly surprised and inspired by the common outlook and shared values we have across regions and teams, regardless of nationality and background. When a fast-moving, new industry brings many different people together, some truly magical things can happen.
I'm inspired by passionate people in all types of fields. From engineers to logistics and warehouse teams to technical sales and finance, we all understand different cultures and methods, but we still speak the same language.
Q: What's a piece of advice you would give to someone joining an international team for the first time?
Marie: It's really important to over-communicate. Don't assume that other people know. I think it's better to express yourself too much than to keep things close because you assume that that's not what other people want to hear or that they already know. Create dialogue as much as possible. So talking to people, but also listen to people. Respect the way they put forth ideas and try to understand their point of view. Before expressing your own ideas, try to ask questions first.
Q: How has being involved in the industry enhanced your professional skillset?
Marie: New technology within a new industry means the future is still open for interpretation. And while this reality is certainly exhilarating, it can also be a bit scary because there is no benchmark or standard operation to fall back on. Everyone needs to be adapt, listen, and stay strategic in every situation.
Q: What does Women's month mean to you?
Marie: While I'm glad that there is a highlight on women's contributions to society, it's also important to highlight the disparities. Women contribute so much to society and make up much of the population yet get one month to be recognized-- I think there's still a lot of work to do. Unfortunately, women's voices have often been erased from history. It's crucial to the point that fact out as well. We need to figure out why that has happened and how humanity can make progress in all areas of social life.
Q: How does your experience before joining the world of smart logistics influenced your work today?
Marie: I could have been a historian, but I decided to specialize in international relations. These experiences have given me a unique perspective on global development and an analytical, "big picture" approach that is useful in my daily work. Always keeping the broader goal in mind is essential in a fast-moving company and industry. My experience working and living in several countries and being a bi-national, French-American has also considerably influenced my decision to work for a multinational, multilingual tech scale-up. My work at Geek+ ticks all the boxes.
Q: What's one thing you've learned since joining Geek+?
Marie: I've learned that innovation happens fast. New technologies are developed whenever there is a fundamental human need. The whole process is incredible to witness.