Lionel Lemoine’s Adventurous Career at Adobe

How many people can say they’ve changed just as much as the organization they work for? In Lionel Lemoine’s case, who’s been with Adobe since 2005, he’s witnessed the dramatic changes the organization has gone through and has always kept his career just as fluid.

Lionel, who joined Adobe through its acquisition of Macromedia, has had a variety of roles during his tenure—ranging from sales engineer, to business development manager, to solutions consultant. Today, he’s a solutions consultant senior manager for our digital marketing and digital media business in our Paris, France office, as well as an occasional filmmaker. We caught up with Lionel to hear about his Adobe Life why he would’ve left Adobe time ago if he wasn’t constantly being challenged.

What originally drew you to join Adobe?

I actually joined through Adobe’s acquisition of Macromedia. It was a big change, because we were still acting in start-up mode. But being introduced to Adobe’s broader vision really caught my interest. When any company gets acquired there’s a lot of uncertainty in the air. But soon after it was announced, my future manager reached out to me and scheduled an informal lunch. We talked about next steps, and what Adobe’s strategy was like. After that lunch, I was motivated to join and work with this organization and learn more about what I could do for the company.

And what’s kept you here all these years?

As for what driven me to stay all these years, it’s definitely the passionate people I get to work with. It’s difficult to produce creative tools without being passionate, and you can really feel the enthusiasm here. But a lot has also changed since I started. We’re now dealing with more enterprise customers and we’ve introduced the digital experience side of the market. It’s challenging work, but honestly, if it weren’t for these changes, I would probably not be here anymore. I always try to do things that push my limit and challenge me to learn new things. If I’m not in that kind of environment, I leave. In my career, every 3 or so years, I’ve been fortunate to move into a new role, so I’m always learning and doing something different.

Has it been easy finding internal opportunities?

There are a lot of opportunities here. It’s just a matter of driving your own career and communicating what you want your career to look like. The people play a big role, too. I’ve had really amazing managers who have supported and challenged me.

What are some of the challenges you face in your current role?

Right now I manage 40 people across 5 countries. What I like most in this role is the diversity of challenges and people I get to manage—from my customers to my direct reports. But it’s also the biggest challenge! People really deserve attention when it comes to their career development. I’ve had a lot of great managers in my career, and the minimum I can do is behave in the same way with my teammates.

In terms of the customers I serve, we are helping multiple stakeholders from a variety of verticals. Our products are inspiring, so it’s all about learning how we can help our customers use our solutions to evolve their business.

What’s your favorite thing about Adobe?

The people, for sure is a major reason. But the ability to innovate is also very unique here. Before we moved to the subscription service, Adobe was already doing very well in the industry. But we decided to disrupt ourselves and take the risk to innovate and change our business. Now, we’re doing better than ever

For candidates considering joining Adobe, what can they expect if they join?

Expect an adventure. If you’re passionate, if you want to contribute to something that’s changing the world, then join Adobe.

I’ve heard that you have a passion for cinema. Can you tell me about that?

It’s absolutely true! I’ve never worked in cinema, but it’s a deep passion of mine. When I was a child, my parents would take me to the theater as a reward. I often use Premiere Pro to create short movies and use our employees as actors. I do this for some presentations and during our Sales Kickoff ‘film festival.’ I always try to make the final product look as professional as possible and I try to involve different employees from all over the business. It’s fun!

What’s one word you’d use to describe Adobe.

Inspiring—from our products to our people.

Let’s create experiences that matter. Apply for opportunities on our career site.