• Name: Tommy Sanddal Poulsen
• Age: 34
• Nationality: Danish
• Education: M.Sc. computer science and mathematics, University of Southern Denmark
• Joined 3shape: 2005
• Position: Project Manager and Developer

I am managing development projects for our footwear design software and dental businesses. Several members of my team are located at our facility in Kiev, Ukraine, so a lot of what I do is communication. Much of the infrastructure goes through me. These are projects that involve a lot of customer contact; getting their feedback as we develop new functionality. Obviously, there is a bit of travel involved.

Also, I spend time keeping on top of the latest R&D trends here and abroad, so that we stay ahead of the curve. Still, as a developer, I enjoy that I continue to spend close to half of my time on development and being deeply involved in technological projects.

I’ve never had a more varied job than this. 3shape is the size and type of company, where you can really shape your own job and play a lot of different roles at the same time. You have great opportunities to change roles and responsibilities.

I like that 3shape is such a young company and with a young management team. It feels fresh, on the move and going forward all the time. We are constantly growing, changing, developing – and financially doing very well. I used to work in a large corporation, where things tend to be very static – not so here.

We are a very development driven organisation with a very high level of professionalism. The organizational structure is very flat, and everybody focuses on doing our work the right way at all times.

Also, I love that we are working not only with software, but also with hardware. Basically, we are producing products that even people in the street can appreciate. 3D is sexy, and we all take tremendous pride in our products. People can see what we do; it is very tangible and visual. All the 3D graphics, turning and moving – it’s just like in the games industry; only this is a much more mature industry.