Teresa Anania, B’88, MBA’96
Senior Director, Subscriber Success at Autodesk, Inc.

If there’s a lesson to be learned from Teresa Anania’s career, it’s that accounting and information systems management, coupled with a passion for selling and driving results, are a winning combination.

After graduating from Duquesne with a double major, Teresa’s expertise in accounting and information systems proved invaluable when she started working for Ernst & Young.  “I joined Ernst & Young at the perfect time.  The Big Eight were getting involved in information systems auditing.  I was able to differentiate myself from all of the other staff accountants because I had a unique mix of both areas,” she says.  Teresa received great visibility from management for her ability to interpret data, utilize technology and improve business processes, which was a solid base for networking.

Teresa goes high-tech
Teresa’s passion for business turned high-tech.  While working at Ernst & Young, Teresa was sought-after by one of her clients and a founder of Algor, a software finite element analysis business.  She started working for Algor in the accounting operations area and ultimately became the COO.  Then Algor was acquired by Autodesk, and Teresa continued on and has moved up in diverse company sectors to obtain her current position as Senior Director of Subscriber Success.

Autodesk makes software for people who make things.  If you’ve ever driven a high-performance car, admired a towering skyscraper, used a smartphone, or watched a great film, chances are you’ve experienced what millions of Autodesk customers are doing with their software.  Autodesk is truly global, with more than 9,000 employees in 100 offices across 37 countries.

Teresa drives results

“I have a passion for the art of selling, negotiating, influencing and empathizing.  At Autodesk, I am influencing and organizing resources outside my control all of the time.”

Teresa drives the Global Subscriber’s Success Organization for Autodesk, which follows the entire customer lifecycle for its volume business of over two million subscribers.  The lifecycle begins with a zero touch (digital) personalized onboarding, introduction to the basics of the software, and then continues through product adoption, and ultimately to a deeper learning where the customer hopefully becomes a loyal advocate of the technology.  “It is really about the whole journey. We want to make our customers successful and get them deeper engaged in the software so that they are more likely to renew and then buy more of our products,” she explains.

Teresa’s team develops a global framework for learning and then leverages local teams in the broader marketing organization to adapt, countrify, and localize, making the learning experience even more relevant.  “Leveraging the broader global organization in country has enabled us to tailor the programs, the content and the message to the culture.  The diversity of the people who are not only using our software—our customers—but also our employees, and how we engage with them, has really enabled us to create efficiencies of an adoption/retention program at scale,” says Teresa.

Duquesne left a powerful imprint
Duquesne’s Career Services was instrumental in Teresa’s ability to connect with others, and she continues to network with Duquesne alumni.  “Many of my colleagues that I still interact with graduated from Duquesne and started in the Big Eight, now the Big Four, like I did,” she says.  Teresa recalls participating in a company merger where a number of the participants were Duquesne alumni.  “I’m learning, interacting and doing business with these same people.”  She also compliments Pittsburgh and Duquesne for providing students with internships and networking opportunities, contributing to successful job placement.

Teresa learned sales through trial and error
Teresa is excited about Duquesne’s future Center for Leadership in Professional Selling.  “Having that kind of a Center available to students will expose them to skills that play a major role in driving a business forward.  Having resources that pull it all together—leadership, research, technology and salesmanship—are critical elements of not only starting a business, but sustaining and growing a business,” she asserts.

“For many years, I learned through trial and error.  This interdisciplinary approach to business that the Center will provide is rare in schools, yet it applies so much to the business world.”