PeopleFluent’s Bright Lights: Meet Andrew Huelgas, Channel Enablement Manager

As part of our employee spotlight series, we’re introducing you to key PeopleFluent team members. This time, we’re chatting with Andrew Huelgas, Channel Enablement Manager at PeopleFluent. When he’s not at work, he’s designing home interiors and wrangling his five dogs.

Hi Andrew! So what’s your role at PeopleFluent?

I’m the Channel Enablement Manager, and in my role, I provide resources and train partners on our products. I’m responsible for making sure our partners have what they need to understand and promote our products, and that means that I have to have a really thorough understanding of the products we offer. Part of my job is also managing partners all over the world, specifically in Asia-Pacific, the US, and Latin America.

Before PeopleFluent, what did you do for work?

Back in 2011, I was working as the Learning Solutions Manager for a company called NetDimensions. I was managing the Asia-Pacific market. NetDimensions was bought by Learning Technologies Group (LTG) in 2017, and in 2018, the company became part of PeopleFluent Learning.

When that happened, there was some restructuring within the company, and I left NetDimensions/PeopleFluent to join a company based in Singapore that had frequently partnered with NetDimensions. I became their Learning Solutions Manager, and my job was to manage profit and loss (P&L) for learning solutions and user adoption services. In 2018, a former coworker contacted me and asked me if I were interested in coming back to PeopleFluent. I came back as a Solutions Consultant managing the Asia-Pacific market and became the Channel Enablement Manager in 2019.

What skills are needed to be successful in your role?

It’s really important to have support from the various teams I’m working with, so it’s crucial to have strong communication skills and to build strong relationships with teams and other partners. There’s a lot of interaction with different teams within PeopleFluent, so it’s really important to be able to coordinate with different teams effectively so that we’re all able to accomplish our goals.

That also means that having patience and being flexible are important skills. I live in the Philippines, so sometimes there are major time differences when I’m having virtual meetings, and I have to be able to adjust my schedule accordingly.

How would you describe your team dynamic?

We’re very close-knit. My team is made up of three people, and we’ve all been working together for quite some time, so we’re very open and honest with each other. We’re really supportive, and we chat regularly, just checking on each other and really investing in each other’s lives in and out of work. We know we can count on each other to get things done.

What’s your favorite work perk?

Definitely working from home. I’ve been working from home for the last 10 years, and I have the flexibility to design my day the way I want and make sure I’m productive. Sometimes I’ll have a work call at one in the morning, and there’s no pressure for me to start the following workday at 8:00am. I really like that the company’s focus is on the output instead of the time spent at the desk. Another great thing for me about working from home is not having to commute. It saves a lot of time, and it saves a few dollars not having to drive anywhere and pay for gas.

What’s your favorite aspect of your job?

I love the supportive atmosphere at PeopleFluent. We have a lot of independence, and we’re trusted to make what we feel are the best decisions that we can, and I can always call my manager for advice. There are no silly questions. We can discuss anything. We’re empowered to make decisions, and there is no shortage of mentors and colleagues that are very willing to support us however they can and share their knowledge with us. It’s great to have colleagues who want to help others grow as professionals and as people. There are a lot of forward-thinkers, which I really appreciate.

What are you doing when you’re not at your desk?

I like to unwind by playing games on my phone, but mainly I’m spending time with my family and our five dogs. We thought we’d get just one, and now here we are with a shih tzu, a yorkie, a pomeranian, a corgi, and a labrador retriever. I also really enjoy home design. I think if I had a second career, I’d be a home renovation designer or interior designer. That’s kind of how I like to spend my time.

Favorite movies or shows that got you through the pandemic?

Oh, a lot of Netflix series. I’m mostly into documentaries, like BBC documentaries and Netflix shows like Tiny House Nation, Most Amazing Vacation Rentals, and other real estate type shows. Sometimes I watch things like The Witcher, Squid Games, or Downton Abbey, or occasionally some of those Avengers movies. My wife likes those kinds of movies, but I’m not really into them.

What skills do you want to develop in the future?

I really want to learn more about sales because I don’t really have a sales background. I want to learn more about managing sales end-to-end and understanding the sales process. I think having a deeper understanding of the process will help me and my team achieve revenue targets. I’m also passionate about project management and want to pursue a certification in project management or change management.

I’m also continuously developing my communication skills. English isn’t my first language, and it’s sometimes really difficult for me to get my message across, so further improving my communication skills is very important to me.

What product have you been most proud of/excited about working on?

I’m really looking forward to a lot of products. I’ve been learning the PeopleFluent Talent Management Suite, and it’s really fun! I like being able to demonstrate it for partners, but I still have a long way to go in fully understanding all of the ins and outs of it. From a personal perspective, I’m excited about taking advantage of some of the things that PeopleFluent offers employees. I’m looking forward to doing some courses in LinkedIn Learning and developing more skills.