Since the beginning, HPE has advanced the way people live and work by creating innovative technology at the heart of successful organizations and communities all over the world. We invite you inside our careers and culture through stories of the people who power HPE—our team members. Today, we’re hearing from Adrian Velez, Senior Director—Publisher and Social Media, who has worked at our Houston headquarters for nearly 25 years. In her role, she manages a team of people across the world. Adrian’s team introduces HPE to prospective customers on our social media channels globally, as well as 3rd party media outlets. She is married, has three daughters, and is a soccer and gymnastics mom. She also volunteers with National Charity League and bakes in her spare time.
Adrian’s HPE career journey
At 16, Adrian joined HPE as a high school intern; “I knew nothing about technology, couldn’t even type,” she remembers. “I previously worked in a mechanic shop and changed oil. In the 90s there weren’t a lot of females working on cars. This taught me that you can be in any industry you want, and if you listen and learn, you can succeed.” On a whim, Adrian decided to apply for the high school internship. “Who knew that application would put me on a path to a nearly 25-year long career!”
Adrian soon worked as an Executive Assistant by day and went to college full time at night, earning her a BA in Business with a focus in Management from Sam Houston State University. “I wanted to be a marriage counselor or work at an ad agency. I was going to save marriages or write toothpaste jingles! Ending up in a leadership role in marketing is kind of like the best of those two worlds.” The more she learned about HPE, the more intrigued she became. Being relentlessly curious helped her to make bold moves and led to a string of impactful roles including website designer, launch manager, executive communications, content marketing, digital media, chief of staff, and more.
Adrian’s daily work today is integral to the digital media team, who interact with top media outlets, creating and optimizing innovative content to ensure HPE stays relevant in the market. “It is fast-paced, data-driven and always gives my team and me opportunities to try new things.”
As a hybrid team member, Adrian works from home and at our Houston headquarters twice a week. “I like my hybrid schedule. I get to see team members in the office and catch up with them, which isn’t easy from a home office. The new campus is great and has a lot of amenities.” In office time also aided collaboration with other teams to drive our corporate strategy from brand to demand. “It is one of the most integrated marketing campaigns I have seen at the company in recent years, and it is exciting to be a part of the team that is helping take it to market.”
How Adrian redefines what’s next
Adrian consistently redefines what’s next for her career by staying on top of new digital trends, learnings, and insights to ensure what we take to market attracts customers and prospects and keeps our competition on their heels. “Most potential customers are not in market 100% of the time, and our job is to ensure our marketing is always-on, relevant, and has messages that speak to key pain points customers and prospects are facing.” Adrian wants to ensure our content elevates HPE to top-of-mind for customers and positions us as a thought leader and trusted business partner when they are looking to solve a problem. “HPE is always at the forefront of what’s next. I am excited to watch our aaS journey continue to grow and dominate the industry.”
Adrian enjoys being part of a creative team and her leadership position helps her embrace her inner “counselor/coach” to help others build new skills and achieve their own personal career goals. “I specifically like to help early career team members. I started here at 16 and great bosses, mentors and advocates helped me along the way and showed me key leadership qualities that I wanted to embody as well.” Her favorite belief, which is part of our culture blueprint at HPE, is “Push for better”. She is a big fan of connecting dots, across teams, people, and organizations. “I think there is always room for improvement and a diplomatic way to go about it. It is what helped me learn and grow my own skills over the years.”
Adrian’s advice for new HPE team members
“Stay curious. Be a sponge, find mentors, ask questions, and never stop learning. Never underestimate the value of building your network and get involved. Resource Groups are a great way to meet other team members that you may not work with on a daily basis.”
Ready to redefine what’s next for you? With industry-leading training, development, and cross-functional learning opportunities, you could potentially explore multiple careers without ever leaving the impactful, mission-driven work and people at HPE. Explore our careers site and apply at careers.hpe.com.
Rachel Duran
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
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As a global leader on the People team at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Rachel Duran connects with team members across the organization to learn their stories—about their career paths, aspirations and diverse perspectives on work and life. Rachel lives and works in Texas, but cherishes her visits to HPE hubs around the world.
