Swetlana has dedicated 22 years to advancing UL Solutions’ mission of working for a safer world. Over the course of her career, she has grown from a technical role to her current position as sales manager, where she leads efforts to support customers in developing safe, compliant products. In our conversation, Swetlana shared her passion for continuous growth — both for herself and her team — and explained why our mission remains deeply meaningful to her.
Tell us a little bit about your career.
I joined UL Solutions in 2003, 22 years ago. I started in engineering on the certification side of the business. Then I grew in a technical role and took on more responsibilities. Eventually, I moved into a leadership role on the engineering team that was providing certification services to customers. In 2016, a new team was created to help our global customers to get specialist technical resources, and I took leadership of this, moving into a more customer-facing role. This involved working very closely with customers and embedding engineers into their research and development. I was also able to travel around Europe including Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Italy. In 2022, I moved into sales. My technical background gives me great insight into customers’ technical needs and what service portfolio will work the best for them.
Please describe a typical day in your role.
My role is quite varied! I work as a sales manager for the Germany, Austria and Switzerland region. In this position, I engage with my team on opportunity reviews, customer visits and discussions to understand customer needs and align them with UL Solutions’ portfolio. Day to day, I support my team, visit customer sites and hold meetings to understand customer needs better.
Sales at UL Solutions is far more consultative than you might expect — we act as trusted advisors and experts on standards and regulatory requirements, playing a key role in guiding our customers through compliance and supporting their product development.
What would you tell someone is the best part of working at UL Solutions?
At UL Solutions, we’re lucky to have some of the best colleagues around. It’s a big company, which means you’re always meeting new people from different departments — sometimes to support them, sometimes to get their support. Everyone is welcoming and ready to help. Our teams are motivated and passionate, whether it’s technical experts guiding you to the right standards or support staff making things run smoothly. There’s always an opportunity to connect, collaborate and work together to deliver on our mission.
Why is our mission of working for a safer world important to you?
We get to be involved in the entire research and development process with our customers — sometimes when things are just a concept. It makes you feel proud to help show that when a product reaches the market, it will be tested to meet safety standards for the public to use. It’eat to get paid to break things to make the world a safer place!
In what ways has UL Solutions supported your career development and growth?
At UL Solutions, we have many opportunities for training. Here in Germany, the first location was opened in 1999, and I started four years later. Back then, most training was local, and having a good mentor was essential.
Today, we have many trainers that I can speak to about developing myself and my team, and I can get customized training for any issue. I have been able to develop in directions that interest me at my own pace which has allowed me and many of my team to follow career paths that we choose ourselves. You will always receive support from experienced staff. The self-led nature of development, along with our quarterly manager check-ins, has really helped to shape my career. Every employee has these quarterly check-ins to discuss where they want to go and what they need to get there.
What is your proudest moment at ULS?
For me, my role is very goal-driven. I set goals for myself and I feel proud when I achieve them. I remember being nominated for a global training program in 2015. That was a very proud moment for me as you needed to be nominated by someone for your outstanding work. That was a real “wow” moment for me!
One of the best parts of being a manager is identifying the need for more resources and hiring new team members. It is always a tough decision to choose the best candidate in terms of both competency and work ethics. We couldn’t do it without our Talent Acquisition team. It is great to see the team grow and be able to deliver more for our customers.
What has changed the most about you since you first joined UL Solutions?
UL Solutions has also grown me — not just through experience, but the training as well as the global nature of the role and the agility the organization has shown through challenges such as Covid. Unlike many organizations, UL Solutions felt well prepared for the pandemic due to our business continuity program.
After 22 years with UL Solutions, I am still very engaged and always excited to learn new things. My second role is deputy of the Frankfurt office, which means I receive feedback from new starters. There are 280 people to bring together, and I get to pass on my experiences and share the welcoming culture with them all.