To learn more about the daily lives of our Team8s working in different parts of the business, we created this blog series featuring some special guests. Today we sat down with Ryan Lambert, Senior Talent Acquisition Partner at 8x8, located in the UK.

8x8: Ryan, thanks for accepting the invitation. To get us started, can you tell us a few things about yourself and what you do at 8x8?

Ryan Lambert (RL): I’m a Senior Talent Acquisition Partner based in London, looking after and growing our European Go-to-Market (GTM) functions, mainly Sales, Marketing and Professional Services. I spent the last six years in the technology space and have been with 8x8 since April 2021 - so I’m not too far away from my three-year anniversary here!

As far as hobbies go, I am one of those people who have a new hobby every other week, it seems, so there is always something going on somewhere, but what has been a constant in my life is cycling - I love it! It pushes you into some dark holes, but the sense of satisfaction of getting faster, pushing more watts or climbing that mountain is unbeatable.

“What I genuinely enjoy is connecting with people on a day-to-day basis and working with VPs, Directors, Managers and more to help truly shape the future of the business.”

8x8: Did you always know you wanted to pursue a career in Talent Acquisition?

RL: For me, I've always been people-focused and fell into the world of Talent Acquisition. Prior to joining 8x8, I managed UK&I Talent for a global tech distributor and caught wind of the growth that was happening here, especially inside the UCaaS and CCaaS market, and decided it was time to make the move.

Everyone can say something that's interesting with their job, but what I genuinely enjoy is connecting with people on a day-to-day basis, and working with VPs, Directors, Managers and more to help truly shape the future of the business… That's pretty cool!

8x8: What are your thoughts on hybrid work?

RL: I am here for it. People’s lives have now changed since those lockdown years. Mine included, I moved house and now have a dog. Most evenings after work I have things going on. I typically work four days at home and one day in the office. That can change if we have events, QBRs etc., but my partner is the same. It has taken some time to sort, and to an extent I’m still working on it, but this flexibility allows for true work-life balance. Being able to control your day is a big part of that.

8x8: What do you appreciate the most about working from home?

RL: Cutting commute time. On the days when I head into our Aldgate office my usual train is at 06:41 AM. At home I would have walked the dog, jumped on Zwift, had breakfast and more, all before the work day starts. That routine energizes me. However, you can never take away human collaboration and the people here at 8x8 are awesome, so when you are in the office you can not beat that time spent.

8x8: Do you rely on any tools to stay on top of your work?

RL: There is an app called Notion. It's my go-to at the start of the day and at the end. It houses everything for me from notes, thoughts, projects - you name it, it's in there!

8x8: What is your morning routine for a good day?

RL: Low-key. I would love to say I wake up at 5 AM and hit the gym each and every day, but that’s simply not the case [laughs]. I wake up anytime between 6 and 7:30 AM. By this time Claude, our dog, is already sat staring at us with a wagging tail telling us the day has started. Then it all begins: taking Claude out for his morning walk, coming back, taking coffee and breakfast before getting ready for the day. Getting out and about is so important for me. I'm five minutes away from open fields and that time spent outside first thing in the morning is golden - rain or shine… My collection of raincoats is eclectic [laughs].

8x8: What about after work, how do you recharge?

RL: I'm a huge fanboy of the cycling app Zwift. I recently climbed Alpe d'Huez (Alpe du Zwift) on a random Thursday, not the brightest idea of mine (granted it was a last minute decision) as it’s relentless climbing, but I got it done! In short, I'm pretty active during the week and exercise allows me to switch off post work. I’m also a big rugby fan and season ticket holder at Northampton Saints.

8x8: What’s something surprising that not many people know about you?

RL: Not to bring it up again, but… It’s recent and it will stay with me for a long time. In September this year I got to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game after winning an internal contest at 8x8. The prize was an all expense paid trip to Kansas City to throw the first pitch at a Kansas City Royals game. For me it was the first time in the US. Unbelievable experience. I flew in, explored KC, threw the pitch, took some extra days off work and visited Chicago before heading home. Safe to say I'll be entering the next competition after this. Thanks again 8x8!

Read more about Ryan's Kansas City Royals first pitch experience here.

8x8: What do you most like about working at 8x8?

RL: It's 100% the people! The team I am in is incredibly connected. Not only that, but there is a true sense of purpose and a feel inside the business that we are always moving forward which for me is important. The partnerships that you build at a global level are also great. What I am getting at is that there is a true term of "Culture" here.

8x8: What would be one piece of advice you would give to anyone interested in joining our team?

RL: Do the things that excite you. We spend a lot of time at work and, in my true opinion, to keep that fire going inside you need to feel part of "something". I challenge anyone to connect with an 8x8 employee and after that conversation to not feel that "something". My advice is reach out, connect, talk and ask questions.

Our engineers are building a great in-house product, our GTM teams are out there selling it and provisioning this for customers worldwide, and we are at the forefront of AI inside our industry. That all being said, naturally we are a fast-paced software company. If you have ideas, have something to say and want to do some unreal work we're here for you.

8x8 is made up of a diverse bunch of more than 2,000 highly driven Team8s determined to shape how businesses communicate and work in today's rapidly changing world.

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Interested in becoming a Team8? See all available opportunities and apply on our career page.

Read more in 8x8’s A Day in the Life series: