From Sales Floor to Distinguished Engineer: Kevin McMenamy's Unconventional Journey

Kevin McMenamy's journey to becoming a Distinguished Engineer at Cisco is a testament to determination and hard work. With no college degree, he started his tech career on the sales floor of a big box electronics retailer, where he learned about telecommunications technologies.

McMenamy's passion for video-conferencing led him to join Cisco as a Technical Marketing Engineer in 2008. He spent 10 years in technical marketing, eventually leading the Technical Marketing team for Cisco's Telepresence Systems Business Unit. The company's acquisition of Tandberg in 2010 accelerated his career, and he was promoted to Principal Engineer.

In the years since, McMenamy has held various engineering leadership roles, including a stint as Director of Engineering in London after Cisco acquired Acano in 2015. He credits his success to his ability to learn from others and his passion for understanding complex problems.