Episode 132: Humans of Meraki: Rishi Korada on Building a Successful Career with EQ, Mentorship, and Resilience
03/13/25 • 49 min
In this episode of Humans of Meraki, Rishi Korada, a Senior Solutions Engineering Manager at Cisco, shares her career journey from the Cisco Sales Associate Program to becoming a Meraki Sales Engineer. She shares insights on overcoming gender bias in a male-dominated field, the critical role of emotional intelligence in sales engineering, and the transformative role feedback plays in personal development. Rishi also highlights how a strong team culture and mentorship have propelled her career, encouraging listeners to trust their instincts, pursue opportunities, and build connections to achieve their professional goals.
Learn about the Cisco Sales Associate Program (CSAP): https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/about/careers/communities/students-and-new-graduates/sales-associates.html
Host
Sammy Brenner, Virtual Sales Leader, Cisco Meraki
Guest
Rishi Korada is a seasoned professional with over 13 years of experience in the computer networking industry. She currently serves as a Senior Solutions Engineering Manager for specialist network engineers supporting the Commercial West area at Cisco, having held roles as a solutions engineer and SE manager. Throughout her career, Rishi has supported a diverse range of sectors, including global service provider, global enterprise, and commercial segments, while specializing in verticals such as sports/media, healthcare, retail/hospitality, and fintech. A passionate advocate for building high-performance teams, Rishi thrives on continuous learning and problem-solving. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, discovering new cuisines, playing basketball, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.
In this episode of Humans of Meraki, Rishi Korada, a Senior Solutions Engineering Manager at Cisco, shares her career journey from the Cisco Sales Associate Program to becoming a Meraki Sales Engineer. She shares insights on overcoming gender bias in a male-dominated field, the critical role of emotional intelligence in sales engineering, and the transformative role feedback plays in personal development. Rishi also highlights how a strong team culture and mentorship have propelled her career, encouraging listeners to trust their instincts, pursue opportunities, and build connections to achieve their professional goals.
Learn about the Cisco Sales Associate Program (CSAP): https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/about/careers/communities/students-and-new-graduates/sales-associates.html
Host
Sammy Brenner, Virtual Sales Leader, Cisco Meraki
Guest
Rishi Korada is a seasoned professional with over 13 years of experience in the computer networking industry. She currently serves as a Senior Solutions Engineering Manager for specialist network engineers supporting the Commercial West area at Cisco, having held roles as a solutions engineer and SE manager. Throughout her career, Rishi has supported a diverse range of sectors, including global service provider, global enterprise, and commercial segments, while specializing in verticals such as sports/media, healthcare, retail/hospitality, and fintech. A passionate advocate for building high-performance teams, Rishi thrives on continuous learning and problem-solving. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, discovering new cuisines, playing basketball, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.
Previous Episode
Episode 131: Unveiling the New MS150 Switch and the Future of Cloud Management
Tune in to this Meraki Unboxed episode as we flip the script on cloud-managed switching. Discover the impact of the new Cisco Meraki MS150 access switch and its role in the Cisco portfolio—enabling exciting use cases with scalability and security. We’ll also discuss the latest developments in cloud-native IOS XE, the evolving capabilities of Catalyst 9000 Series Switches, and other trends and announcements on the horizon.
- Meraki MS150: https://meraki.cisco.com/product/switches/access-switches/ms150/
- Cloud-Native IOS XE Documentation: https://documentation.meraki.com/MS/Cloud-Native_IOS_XE/Cloud-Native_IOS_XE_Overview
- Switching Community: https://community.meraki.com/t5/Switching/bd-p/switching
Host
Tanner Yehlik, Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco Meraki
Guests
Nico Darrow, Senior Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco Meraki
Korey Rebello, Leader of Product Management, Cisco
Next Episode
Episode 133: Picture-Perfect Protection: New Cisco Meraki MV Solutions
We’re back with another Meraki Unboxed episode where we unpack Cisco Meraki MV solutions and their role in blending physical security with IT networks. We’ll chat about how cloud-managed security and AI are making workspaces safe and introduce you to the new MV53X bullet and MV84X multi-imager cameras. Plus, find out how our new Cross-Camera Tracking feature is revolutionizing surveillance without using facial recognition. And sprinkled throughout the discussion are deployment strategies, industry use cases, and the scoop on upcoming physical security events. Listen now!
Products
MV84X Datasheet (coming April 2025)
Other Activations
Build Physical Security Superpowers with Smart Bullet Cameras and Multi-Imagers Blog
Host
Tanner Yehlik, Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco Meraki
Guests
Shashank Nalla is Product Manager of the Cisco Meraki smart camera portfolio, where he drives the development of cloud-managed AI-enabled smart camera solutions. With expertise in product strategy, hardware development, and cross-functional collaboration, he delivers innovative products that streamline modern physical security solutions. Prior to Meraki, Shashank worked at Osram, where he contributed to the development of advanced lighting and sensor products. His experience spans multiple industries, equipping him with a deep understanding of technology and customer needs to deliver impactful solutions.
George Bentinck is Vice President of Product Management – IoT and Edge Intelligence at Cisco Meraki. He leads the strategic direction and growth of AI-enabled products, including MV smart cameras and MT smart sensors. Since joining Cisco through the 2012 Meraki acquisition, George has been instrumental in developing new product categories and expanding into new markets.
With a background in sales engineering at Avaya and Nortel, George holds a Bachelor's degree in internet engineering from the University of Exeter. He lives in San Francisco and enjoys designing sensor systems for optimizing race car performance in his spare time.
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