NICKY WEST

What do you work with at Hasselblad? How does a typical day look for your role?

I mainly work with our end user customers for H and Aerial Systems for sales, training and support and also introducing new customers to our X System as well. My typical day can be spent in meetings with photographers or UAV pilots, understanding their work and requirements and making sure they have a good understanding about why they should use or continue to invest in our products in order to grow their business.

What is the best thing about working within sales at Hasselblad?

I am so lucky to support the best photographers in the UK, some becoming good friends. I get to work in a variety of fascinating places, such as a shoot with the queen from the roof of Buckingham Palace, the production line at Lotus cars, to the Silverstone circuit pit lane. To support some of the world's top photographers on shoots for car ads and in the food, fashion, architecture and heritage sectors, while testing our cameras, is an honour!

Describe Hasselblad as a brand, in your own words.

Photographers do not want to own a camera; they want to own a Hasselblad. With our NASA heritage, our technology is forever locked into the iconography, genius and romance of the moon landing.

Why do you like working at Hasselblad?

As Steve Jobs said, as with all matters of the heart, you have to love what you do, and you will know when you find it. This is my second career following my work as a photography lecturer, which was very fulfilling, but this is an even better fit for me. I like to get out there and be involved in all areas of the industry, understanding the requirements of each photographer or pilot and presenting the right system to meet their requirements.

When photographing outside of work, what do you typically like to take pictures of?

I mainly shoot while on holidays and weekend walks in the countryside. I love to borrow the X1D since it’s lightweight enough for me to use and take out and about on my personal travels.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by the creativity of others in music and the arts. A personal inspiration is photographer Jill Furmanovsky; I followed her photography closely in the music press as a teenager and I now work with her through Hasselblad. I am supporting her on an exhibition about Abbey Road Studios.

Tell us something that most people don't know about you?

After working as a university senior lecturer in photography for 16 years, I took some time to travel. Along the way, I ended up buying into a restaurant on a Greek island and running it for two years with a few friends. This challenge really made me want to work in business, and here I am today – combining my passions for photography and sales at Hasselblad.