DISQO Profile: Getting to Know Anna Aladadyan

Efficiency and organization is key to staying on track with project goals. Just ask Anna Aladadyan, Director of Product Management at DISQO. From constructing a game plan to ensuring the success of deliverables, Anna has her hands full. Read more about her role plus more in this week’s DISQO Profile!

The Day-to-Day

Most of the day, Anna can be found in meetings, working with teams to ensure everyone is aligned on the right initiatives and that the delivery roadmap is drawn as efficiently as possible. When Anna isn’t in a meeting, she can be found pouring through the information collected by her agile & data driven team, identifying both pitfalls and opportunities.

Life Before DISQO

Before joining DISQO, Anna worked for an agency with “a lot of heart and drive in the non-profit and global tourism space.” The agency worked with country leaders to promote positive recognition in underrated or misrepresented countries while also organizing humanitarian missions. These missions were to provide sustainable relief of all forms, empowering the recipients to live self-sufficient lives.

Reflecting on the impact of this experience on her life, Anna noted, “This position taught me about leadership, partnership, and relentless dedication, all of which are critical to my role at DISQO.”

The Perfect Fit

What made DISQO the right fit for Anna? In her own words: “I need constant stimulation so the business, people, and energy make it the perfect fit. I get to collaborate with intelligent and fun people, then see immediate positive results of what we’ve produced, and repeat. It’s very rewarding!”

Continuously Improving & Uplifting

At DISQO, we strive to continuously improve our skills and create positive change. Anna joined the team very early, and so she took advantage of the flexibility available to her, wearing multiple hats and learning rapidly. As our company grew, she took a more focused approach. “I recognized the most important trait leading multiple teams is to encourage learning, collaboration, and confident decision-making in others, in turn amplifying my own impact.”

Anna also works to lift her team and colleagues around her: “It’s important for people to feel connected and aligned across the company. I ensure the people we work with understand how important their contribution is to us as a team and to the greater organization. Their successes are big wins for all of us. And if saying it isn’t enough, we couple it with something fun, like an apple piñata.”

Acting as a Resource

How does Anna act as a resource for the rest of her team? She shares as much of her knowledge as she possibly can: “I consider my role to be a supportive role, empowering and enabling others to drive what I possibly couldn’t do alone.”

On the flip side, she also turns to others for advice. Anna’s go-to support system includes her older siblings: “They provide a lot of guidance personally and professionally. I leverage their shared experiences and knowledge to accelerate my learning and growth.”

Favorite DISQO Moment

One of Anna’s most memorable moments with the team was one of our holiday parties, where we celebrated our year’s accomplishments with the entire DISQO family and concluded with the Mannequin Challenge, the viral video trend where participants freeze in action while the song “Black Beatles” plays in the background.

Outside the Office

Anna loves finding new places to venture, especially if they’re close to nature. In particular, she enjoys waterfalls, hikes, Japanese gardens, and temples.

Favorites

We asked Anna to share a few of her favorites:

• Favorite animal: “Horses – My father used to take me riding growing up and I’m still obsessed. My next goal is to learn English riding and hope to own my own horse someday.”
• Favorite app: “Hate to admit it but Slack. It gets tough having conversations with the team when I’m busy in meetings all day. Slack helps me keep connected.”
• Favorite show: “I haven’t figured out how people find time to watch television. The few instances I’ve had the luxury of time, I watched The Grand Tour and it’s definitely my favorite! It’s also the only show I’ve seen in years.”
• Favorite music: “Lately, I’m really into 60s-70s English rock and blues – Eric Clapton, The Animals, etc.”

Fun Facts

Anna is addicted to thrills and learning. She even has a bucket list of all the licenses she’d like to obtain. The most recent ones she’s acquired have been her pilot and scuba diving licenses!

As her bucket list is full of travel, perhaps it’s not surprising that Anna believes the next ad she’ll be targeted with will be for suitcases and travel items, which she has admittedly been shopping for lately.

The Future of the Industry

We then asked Anna to point out 3 things that she thinks will change in our industry in the next 3 years. Here’s what she had to say:

1. “As quality concerns increase, researchers will find more reliable and direct ways of sourcing panelists.”
2. “Research will incorporate a blend of data types to supplement opinion, gaining richer insights.”
3. “To address escalating privacy issues, all parties in market research will have to be more explicit with users regarding the collection, sharing, and storing of data.”

Looking Ahead

In the next 5 years, Anna is looking forward to DISQO taking over the industry and revolutionizing how companies conduct market research.

About DISQO Profiles

DISQO Profiles spotlight our talented DISQO team and provide a glimpse into their lives in and out of the office.

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