SEATTLE, USA – For the last two years Andrea Rakowski has been working on Mail for Exchange and she reckons the best is yet to come. And that’s after today’s announcement that Mail for Exchange will be available on more Nokia devices than ever before, giving Nokia users as much choice as they really could want. This latest move, and the next steps, is in response to customer demand, Rakowski maintains, and, the demands of keeping to the Nokia masterplan.
Of course, in true Nokia tradition, even our finest charm couldn’t eek out of the Mail for Exchange product manager a sniff of what’s coming next. Other than an assurance that “its’ good” and “we’ll be continuing to give our customers what they want”.
Rakowski is based in Seattle, rather conveniently, given that’s also home to Microsoft. “It works that I’m down the street from Microsoft” and there’s no doubting her enthusiasm for her job “I love this product, I’m really passionate about it, but I’m lucky because I work with a great team”. Not that they see much of each other face to face. Her manager, Petri Asunmaa, is based in Helsinki whilst the Development team work out of Dallas.
And that’s how it should be, according to Rakowski “We’re a global company, developing and selling the idea of mobile working, and employees being able to do their job from anywhere”. It makes sense then that employees live that life. Add to that a global and connected team, which is something that’s long been developed by Nokia, and allowing people from different teams and disciplines mix it up in the same space. “Right now I work from home, but in a couple of weeks I’ll be moving into the new office in Kirkland, sharing space with another, different, team”. A sniff of what’s to come?
Perhaps, but Rakowski won’t take the bait. She might have only been a product manager for the last nine months but she’s well aware of when to stop with details. “You’ll have to wait and see” is her only offer.
Meantime, whilst she’s off to plot the roadmap, there’s an opportunity to get your thoughts on Mail for Exchange to the people who can make a difference. What would you like to see in it next? Answers below,
please.