Introduction

This month’s TPU interview is with Alex Mei of OCZ Technology. Alex joined OCZ over four years ago as the Vice President of Marketing and has recently been promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Not only is he now in charge of marketing OCZ products to consumers and system builders, but he also manages customer service, strategic partnerships with other companies and has to interface with all the other departments including sales and operations. Clearly Alex is a busy man, so I thank him for answering questions for this article.

Personal Background

Alex says that he has always had an interest in computers and gaming. He grew up in California only a few miles from Silicon Valley, and comes from a family that spent time in the computer industry. A self-described tech geek, his interests led him to the University of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where he studied Management Information Systems. But when he was close to completing his course work he had a change of heart and instead stayed to complete a degree in Marketing Management.

First jobs in the Industry

Shortly after graduation, Alex sold computer services until he was hired by First International Computer to work in their Public Relations department. Over time, he moved up to become their Global Marketing Manager where he first came across OCZ. “We worked together on a combination of cross promotional activities and motherboard/memory bundles,” Alex remembers. “I became interested in OCZ because of the company’s focus on high performance and quality, as well as the organization’s target market of high end gamers and enthusiasts.” This business relationship eventually led him to OCZ where his main role today is marketing their products and keeping up with an ever expanding industry.