This International Women’s Month, we’re proud to spotlight Paula Sanders, Senior Vice President of Pre and Post Sales and newly appointed member of the executive management team at ABBYY. With nearly 15 years at ABBYY, Paula’s journey from pre-sales to senior leadership exemplifies her dedication, work ethic, and team spirit. Starting her career as the only woman in her training class, Paula now leads a global team, fostering growth and championing strong female leadership.
We sat down with Paula and asked her a few questions about her career, success, and lessons learned:
Can you share a bit about your career, and what led you to ABBYY?
My career began with a strong focus on hardware and a love of learning, which drew me to the complexities and challenges of engineering. At a young age, I was told “you’re street smart, you’re going to figure it out, you’re going to get it” by my third-grade teacher. This drove me to push myself, never shy away from a challenge, and still resonates with me today. After completing my education, I joined a startup imaging company where I supported several competitors of ABBYY and gained broad exposure to the industry and its technologies.
Following a five-year maternity leave after the birth of my daughter, I returned to my career with a passion to pick up where I left off. Luckily for me, I applied for a Lead Professional Services Consultant role with ABBYY, a decision that has shaped the past 15 years of my career.
Since then, I’ve expanded my expertise in document imaging and professional services, fueled by a strong commitment to learning and growth.
As my third-grade teacher would say, I got it!
Tell us about your journey at ABBYY. What does a typical day in your role look like?
At ABBYY, leading global pre-sales, post-sales, and Professional Services is fast-paced, strategic, and highly collaborative.
My mornings often begin with international calls, aligning with teams across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas. In pre-sales, I partner with account executives and solution engineers to shape technical strategy, address complex requirements, and align solutions with customer business goals.
I prefer a hands-on approach. I enjoy talking to customers, creating the solutions, and letting them see the vision we have. Becoming a trusted advisor to my customers, building long-term relationships, and demonstrating everything that ABBYY has to offer is something I take pride in.
As a newly appointed leader on ABBYY’s executive management team (EMT), what was a pivotal moment in your career that prepared you for an executive leadership role?
I’m not sure anything can truly prepare you for being part of an Executive Management Team. It is something you grow into through experience, resilience, and a genuine commitment to the organization. For me, my passion for success at ABBYY has been the greatest foundation. That connection to the company, our people, and our mission is what fuels me every day.
I was once told, “Just because it’s not written in your job description doesn’t mean you can’t step in and help.” That mindset has stayed with me. It’s about ownership, accountability, and collective success. It’s about stepping up, not stepping back. That philosophy is what truly makes us, #OneABBYY — a culture where we lead beyond our roles, support one another, and move forward together.
What’s a key lesson you’ve learned about building trust with clients?
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in building lasting client relationships is that trust is never automatic; it’s earned through consistent transparency and genuine empathy. Transparency means having open, honest conversations, especially when the message is difficult. It’s about setting realistic expectations, clearly communicating risks, owning challenges when they arise, and never overpromising for the sake of closing a deal.
Clients don’t expect perfection; they expect honesty. When you are transparent, you create a foundation where there are no surprises, only solutions.
How do you define success in your role, and how has that definition evolved over time?
I define success in my role by two simple but powerful outcomes: my customers are getting what they truly need, and my team is working together effectively to deliver it. When those two things are aligned, everything else tends to fall into place.
Ultimately, success is not a fixed destination; it’s a moving target. The key is staying aligned, staying agile, and continuously adjusting to ensure both your customers and your team continue to thrive.
In your view, how is the landscape changing for women in tech and AI, and what excites you most about these changes?
When I first started my career in technology many years ago, there were not many women in the field. It was an environment largely dominated by male colleagues, and in many rooms, I found myself to be one of the few, if not the only, woman at the table. Rather than discouraging me, that reality became a powerful source of motivation. It gave me even more incentive to stay in the field, to continuously learn, to strengthen my expertise, and to prove to myself more than anyone else that I belonged there.
Those early experiences shaped my resilience and work ethics. I focused on mastering my craft, building credibility through knowledge, and leading with confidence and collaboration. Over time, I saw a gradual change, and today the landscape looks very different. We now see many more women leading technology organizations, including serving as CEOs and executive leaders. That shift represents meaningful progress for the industry as a whole.
What’s something you’re passionate about outside of work that helps you recharge or stay inspired?
Being out in the garden is always relaxing for me. It helps me recharge and stay grounded. Presently, we are growing grapes, a variety of vegetables, numerous flowers, and ornamental trees in our gardens. I enjoy spending quality time with my family.
Please share a fun fact about yourself.
I am a direct descendent of the Tico family, some of the first Spaniards who settled in Southern California.
Meet our team at ABBYY Ascend
Join Paula and the ABBYY team at ABBYY Ascend! This year’s immersive in person event, “Turning Complexity into Clarity”, will navigate attendees from AI experimentation to delivering measurable results. We'll showcase how purpose-built Document AI transforms business-critical documents into actionable insights that drive operational efficiency, enhance workforce productivity, and elevate customer experiences. Meet us in Nashville, Tennessee April 16, Brussels, Belgium May 6, or Bengaluru in Summer and Singapore this Fall.
