Adapting and Preparing for the Future: A Conversation with an Intel Sales and Marketing Manager

We recently spoke with Peter Velasquez, a Global Sales Development and Marketing Manager, from the Sales and Marketing Rotation Program (SMRP) about how he’s found autonomy and the ability to plan his future at Intel.  

Tell us a little bit about your current role and the responsibilities that entails. 

My day-to-day is everything to do with go-to-market strategies, specifically around Team Red Hat’s AI Edge Developer program. Managing all internal and external feeds, running a certification partner program, organizing speaker series’, hack-a-thons, and curating training content for Intel’s Partner University and Red Hat’s Partner Portal, are some of my responsibilities. I also manage all inbound and outbound marketing for corporate events. 

Are there certain projects within that role, or accomplishments you're proud of? 

The biggest project I've taken on is handling a large announcement at Intel Innovation. Through cross-functional collaboration, I oversaw all aspects of the event for team Red Hat. From the creation of marketing materials to booth demos, a website launch, and a CTO video announcement, I was able to learn and experience what goes into a large corporate event from an account perspective. Getting all that wrapped together, putting the bow on it, and having it all run smoothly is something I’m proud of, and was probably the most significant thing I’ve done thus far at Intel. 

That is amazing, congratulations! Going back a bit, how did you decide on this career path? And what motivated you to pursue it and continue practicing it here at Intel? 

Being a part of the Sales and Marketing Rotation Program, for the first rotation, you get placed where the program directors think you’ll be challenged to grow outside your known experience. I did not have marketing experience prior to this role, so I was excited when I was given the opportunity. I was also excited when I found out that I would be working on a small team, giving me a lot of autonomy to drive on work with high visibility. This allowed me to be creative and utilize my skill sets, expand my network, and gave me a start-up feel within a big company.  

What would you say have been the biggest challenges in being able to adapt to new roles? 

At a company like Intel, there are so many people doing so many different things. How do you go and identify the right people to help you with your objective? I think that is one of the bigger challenges when starting a new role and why networking is so important.  

Reaching out, scheduling one-on-ones, and understanding what people do so you can identify how you can help each other is necessary and valuable. Here, people of all levels are more than happy to join a call, and that’s made adjusting to this challenge easier. I am very grateful for the connections I’ve made thus far and will continue to lean into my existing network of coworkers, mentors, and the Sales and Marketing Rotation program to help expand my network and work confidence. 

What advice would you give to someone who is just entering a rotation program or the tech industry in general? 

Be comfortable and lean into the onboarding process. It’s going to take you time to ramp and get accustomed to the company’s culture, and simply understanding, who is who and what is what. I would recommend identifying how your role fits into your team and the overall strategy of your organization as quickly as possible. And then, set expectations with your manager on what “success” looks like.  

Never stop learning, and most importantly, don’t be afraid to bring your most authentic self to work. Being transparent with your manager about your needs and goals is important for your growth and career trajectory, which I know has helped me.   

With the groundwork that you’ve laid, what are you looking forward to for your career personally and professionally? 

Finishing this rotation, I’m hoping to have a clearer idea of what position I’d like to pursue and grow into quickly. Overall, I’m looking forward to continuously learning and enhancing my skillsets. I want to continue to seek challenging opportunities and work with great leaders who will push me to grow. Ultimately, I hope to be in a position one day to pay it all forward and lead future generations to make life changing impacts, like the ones we make here at Intel.