For Danielle Wolowitz, Kyocera’s talented and determined VP of Corporate Marketing, the ascent has been steady and assured. Since moving to KDA in 2004, Wolowitz has held multiple positions within the corporate marketing group, beginning as the Black and White Segment 2 Product Manager, but quickly transitioning into other roles. In May of 2015 she was appointed VP of corporate marketing.
Danielle Wolowitz
In the course of her career, Wolowitz has witnessed the evolving landscape of the industry. She considers the most significant change to be the transition from traditional hardware and software offerings to a technology-driven, consultative-focused approach. She noted that Kyocera’s current marketing slogan “We see things differently” sums up their strategy of better serving their channel partners, the end customer and their employees.
“We are not a manufacturer or a sales arm of a manufacturer anymore,” she stated. “We are so much more than that.”
Wolowitz was surprised and honored when she learned she had been named a Difference Maker.
“I was very appreciative,” she recalled. “It’s been such a wonderful experience working with so many different groups of people; not only here at Kyocera, but just in the industry.”
Added Wolowitz: “The opportunities that I’ve been presented here have been phenomenal. It’s something that I could not have imagined when I started out so many years ago.”
Wolowitz wanted to extend her gratitude to two individuals who made a difference in her professional life. The first was Shogo Hyakutake, General Manager at Ricoh Company Ltd., where she began her career.
“Quite frankly, coming into a company as an intern with zero background in this industry, he really took a chance and helped to foster my career,” she said. “He also encouraged me and supported me when I moved to Kyocera, which says a lot.”
The other difference maker cited by Wolowitz was KDA’s former President and CEO, Mr. Norihiko Ina, who is now the Senior General Manager for Sales on a global basis.
“He helps foster everybody’s abilities and gives them the opportunity to prove themselves,” she said. “He did that for me and I’m forever grateful because obviously it’s worked out very well for me. He’s a wonderful person to work directly for here and I look forward to working with him now in his new role in Japan.”
Wolowitz described a “typical” day as one that is as unpredictable and evolving as the industry itself. She said it’s no longer the case where one arrives at the office, completes some tasks and leaves at five o’clock.
“It could vary drastically and that’s the exciting part of it,” she said. “A typical day is you don’t really know what it holds until you get there.”
Yes, the industry is evolving and Wolowitz is encouraged by the new possibilities. She cautioned not to be afraid of change.
“We have to think differently,” she insisted. “We have to make sure that we’re driving and helping our partners and our organization to grow. I think that’s evident in the way we’ve gone to market in the last couple of years.”
As for plans within her department, Wolowitz predicted that some subtle changes will be made in corporate marketing that will make a big impact. She said that her team is looking to go beyond the traditional mix of media and make some of those offerings available to their dealers.
“I’m really pushing myself and our team in corporate marketing to think outside that box,” she said. “I want to be back at our dealer conference next year showing all the wonderful things that we were able to do and how we’re going to take our channel even further in 2017 and beyond.”
Wolowitz remarked that she’s never been one for the status quo and she’s not complacent. She stated that she’s very loyal to her company and wants to help drive initiatives forward, either herself or as part of a larger team.
“The best thing about that is we have the opportunity to do that,” she said. “We’re never standing still around here. I can’t say that there was ever a day in my 12 years here when I didn’t want to get up and come to work in the morning.”
