In a career shaped by curiosity, collaboration and a commitment to building a safer world, Aliona Schaefer has found a professional home where purpose and people come first. After transitioning from entrepreneurship to UL Solutions, she now leads a dynamic sales team within the Consumer Medical Information Technologies group — helping customers navigate complex safety requirements while empowering her team to grow. In this conversation, she reflects on what drives her work, the pride she takes in developing others, and how UL Solutions has broadened her perspective on the role safety plays in everyday life.
Can you tell me a little bit about your career and your day-to-day role?
I came from running my own company where I was responsible for Marketing and Sales. I also worked on software integration. When the time came to move on to a new challenge, a friend of mine who works at UL Solutions mentioned that there was an opening on the sales team. I applied and was able to secure the position as Sales Manager in the Consumer Medical Information Technologies team.
My main responsibility is to support my team to deliver the best results for our customers and help them build a safer world. That means attending a lot of calls, always having a busy calendar!
Why is creating a safer world important to you?
I have two children aged eight and ten, and my role at UL Solutions has really shown me how important safety is for daily use devices, not just for personal use but for the wider world; hospitals, AI implementations, or everyday consumer technologies. I feel very proud to be a small part of this mission to make a safer world. I have taught my children how important it is to check for certifications. My son loves to make sure things have been certified. It makes me so proud. He might even decide to follow in my footsteps and enter the Testing, Inspection, and Certification industry!
How do the people you work with shape your experience at UL Solutions?
The collaboration between the different departments and operating units is always great. We get very complicated requirements in some cases, and we always work closely with labs, product specialists and other teams. With so many contact points, there are always opportunities to learn and grow personally and professionally.
Can you describe your proudest achievement?
I actually have two! I always feel proud when I get to help advance the careers of members of my team. I have been able to hire someone, and within the first year, I was able to promote him into a role that better suits him. It is a good feeling to be able to support someone on my team, especially as in some organizations, sales can be a difficult career to advance in. He worked hard, was really motivated and passionate, and I was so happy to be able to support his growth.
We have also been able to support our customers with services that none of our competitors are able to provide. I can’t tell you too much, unfortunately, because it is confidential, but we came together as a team across multiple departments and over three labs to provide something really unique to our customer, who now has requirements covering three more labs. It made me feel very proud to be able to facilitate this new service, and I really wish I could tell you more!
What aspect of your role gives you a real sense of meaning or purpose?
Being a people leader. It is important to not just focus on the numbers. Behind each number is a human being who has their own life and situations outside of work. Every one of us has strengths and weaknesses. I always try to focus on building the strengths of my team rather than trying to eliminate their weaknesses. The most important part of my job is to support my team and apply their strengths. I think approaching each employee as an individual is important.
What are your future ambitions at UL Solutions?
I would love to keep progressing. I don’t want to stand still and stop developing. I am always looking for growth opportunities and taking workshops outside of work. My next step would be Senior Sales Manager, and from there, I am sure there will be more opportunities!
I am really excited about the opportunities we have now. We have great market growth in the region, and our office recently renovated our lab facilities. It is always a pleasure to be able to expand the team, and the successes of the Neu Isenberg office make that possible. I am looking forward to supporting our customers with all of the new technology and capabilities that come with this renovation.
What has changed the most about you since you joined UL Solutions?
My English skills for a start! I am more sensitive around how to create a great service for a customer. Being a part of UL Solutions has really opened my eyes to the importance of testing and certification. Before I joined UL Solutions, I had never considered why the things I use every day were safe.