Wondering how professional growth actually happens at Oxylabs? Take it from Nedas Višniauskas, our Lead of Commercial Product Owners, who shares his journey of developing his skills, collecting knowledge, and progressing in his career throughout almost 6 years with us.
Tell us a little bit about your current role.
As a Lead of Commercial Product Owners, my main responsibility is to make sure our product portfolio is competitive in the market: reasonable pricing, all the necessary features, well-tailored product presentation to our target audience, and so on.
How did your journey at Oxylabs begin?
At first, I applied to be a Data Analyst but was offered an Account Manager role. The company itself intrigued me, so I took the opportunity.
My initial responsibilities were mainly resolving product-related issues, selling and cross-selling products, and maintaining relationships with clients. Then, I became the Account Managers' Team Lead.
In account management positions, I've learned how to effectively communicate and negotiate — both with clients and colleagues.
Here, we have an environment that encourages you to explore and achieve a lot.
The web data collection industry is very niche, so you need endless curiosity to grow — I was always keeping up with the ins and outs of the market.
Also, web scraping (which is basically a technology for gathering public Internet data) knowledge was very helpful. By exposing myself to the problems our clients face while using our products, I've gained valuable insights for product management.
What happened next?
I'd say that my most important career shift was becoming a Commercial Product Owner. In this position, I've rapidly developed my analytical skills. Then, I had to take my communication skills to the next level to constructively discuss and resolve complex problems with my team.
And, of course, a lot of development in the project management field, balancing problem-solving while keeping all the stakeholders on the same page.
Our company leaders trusted me to make this big leap and motivated me to grow inside the organization.
What internal factors fueled your professional growth here at Oxylabs?
Here, we have an environment that encourages you to explore and achieve a lot.
First, there are the people of Oxylabs — everyone is very approachable and helpful. A huge part of my knowledge came from the product team — product owners, developers, admins, and managers — who would always lend me a hand and share best practices, product knowledge, and client cases.
Thanks to all of them, I could effectively communicate with my clients and deal with various challenges.
And when it comes to my biggest career shift at Oxylabs — becoming a Product Owner — these are the most important things. Of course, I was very driven for more — I've been developing my project management skills and collecting knowledge about clients, products, and the industry.
But, it was also my manager who noticed my abilities and encouraged me to go for a new role. As well as our company leaders, who trusted me to make this big leap and motivated me to grow inside the organization.
Any words of encouragement for those who want to join Oxylabs?
If you have the drive, you'll find support within our company to achieve your professional goals. Take it from me. So seize the opportunity and apply!