Patricia Viado – Best Woman in Consumer Sales

The Women in Sales Awards (WISA) of North America named Adobe’s Patricia Viado (PV) the “Best Woman in Consumer Sales 2016.”

As eCommerce Sales Manager at Adobe, PV is accountable for $1B in revenue for Adobe.com. That entails working with at least 20 cross-functional teams, taking a daily pulse on how the business is doing, how it’s mapping to its quotas, and how Adobe might need to alter course to drive the business. With 4 million visitors per week, Adobe.com is much of the world’s sole experience of Adobe’s brand. “Digital marketing is the next big thing and it’s going to be critical for our next generation of salespeople,” says PV.

PV admits to having been afraid of sales before trying it. She felt comfortable in a technical capacity and didn’t think she had the skills needed for a sales role. But because of her willingness to give it a go, and her subsequent success, she is keen to encourage others – particularly women – to take a risk with a career in sales and e-commerce because “this is where the business is moving.”

PV’s proudest moment at Adobe was working on Project Cayenne which transformed Adobe’s eCommerce platform to make it more scaleable and service-oriented. As the business analyst lead, she led a team of 120 people for two years. Following that, a sales position opened up at the same time that she was going through a divorce. That setback in her life forced her to make a bold move and give sales a try.

Her Own Story

PV says that a common denominator across her journey has been persistence. She learned persistence from her parents who moved their family to the U.S. from the Philippines in the 1980s. And unfortunately, she experienced racism when she was younger. Being Asian, PV was called “sushi eater” and was befriended for her perceived skills in math.

Her family eventually settled in Alameda, California where six of them lived in a one bedroom apartment. When her father lost his job, PV’s mom worked two to three jobs at a time– McDonald’s, Rite Aid, nursing homes, to supplement their income. When PV watched how hard her family worked to create their life, she knew she wanted to contribute.

Without funds to attend college full time, PV worked in fast food, print shops, and a credit union while attending night school. It took her 7 years, but she graduated with her BA in Liberal Studies and then her Masters degree in Telecommunications Management, both from Hayward State University.

Mentors have been pivotal to PV’s success. Two key mentors include Mark Rupert, Senior Director of Marketing, and Rob Giglio, Vice President of Consumer and Business Sales. “Mark always said, ‘Know your numbers and know your business’. When I first joined the sales team, Mark told me to focus on understanding key business metrics. Since then, my strategy has been to stay on top of our metrics on a daily, weekly, and quarterly basis. This ensures my marketing, product management, and technical enablement partners have insight on what’s driving sales.” And of Rob Giglio she says, “Rob has a great way of being genuine but also tough. He’s so inspiring, especially the way he talks about his journey. This has taught me not to embarrassed by my own story.”

The Future

Outside of work, PV loves hiking, photography, and her dog Oski. She tried climbing Mt. Whitney in 2013 and was forced to turn around one mile from the peak. That disappointment taught her that she had limitations and couldn’t always get to the top, but that there’s always tomorrow to try again.

In terms of advice for new people joining Adobe, PV says, “Be confident but don’t expect that you’re going to learn things right away. Be willing to ask questions and have patience. The best thing about working at Adobe is that people are willing to help. We all have the same goal which is to grow Adobe without sacrificing its values.”

Ready to make a change? Apply directly on our website and start exploring your passion today! And if you want to learn more about PV, check out her Adobe Spark.