Our Meet the Team series showcases the brilliant and talented experts at Virtualitics who are dedicated to empowering organizations with AI-driven analytics and applications.
Not many careers in decision intelligence and AI start with a degree in Art History, but it was this unconventional path that led to the perfect career for Eugenie McBride, the Manager of the Federal Business Development Executive Team at Virtualitics.
“I ended up in this industry by chance,” she explains. After graduating, she set her sights on the Washington, D.C. metro area and began her job search in a pragmatic way—by Googling the fastest-growing companies in the region. “My number one pick was MARS, but thankfully, I ended up at a high growth tech company instead. Still, it’s fun to imagine what my life would be like if I’d gotten my start in the candy business instead!”
Eugenie’s time at that technology company taught her the fundamentals of business development and introduced her to the world of public sector technology procurement. After a few years, she joined a startup, where she worked on AI/ML solutions for national security challenges.
“That experience brought me closer to our national security mission,” she says, “and I got to solve compelling problems with incredible people, many of whom I get to work with again at Virtualitics.”
Developing Big Opportunities
Today, Eugenie manages Virtualitics’ business development team, who are responsible for driving top-of-funnel opportunities for the organization. They have the difficult task of connecting with prospective customers through targeted outreach to discuss how Virtualitics can support their objectives. Once they pinpoint a prospect, Eugenie and her team dive into researching their priorities and crafting messaging that resonates with the problems they’re trying to solve.
As a manager, Eugenie focuses on removing obstacles for her team and ensuring they have the resources they need to succeed. That means working closely with marketing and product teams to develop tailored collateral and answers to technical questions.
“No one loves getting a sales call and sometimes you catch people on a bad day,” admits Eugenie. “But when we discover we have the exact solution to solve a customer’s pain points, all that hard work pays off. It’s incredibly rewarding for everyone.”
She emphasizes the importance of her team’s proactive approach. “It’s rare—almost miraculous—for a customer to show up at your doorstep ready to buy. By reaching out, we increase our chances of finding that next big opportunity. Business Development isn’t all about cold calls and lead generation. Our team takes the time to do the market research, understand the organizations – their missions and their challenges, and identify new areas where we believe Virtualitics can make an impact.”
