Image by Ed Brennen
Manning School of Business alum David Farmer '06, '10 chats with students about his career path during a recent visit hosted by the Marketing and Management societies.
Manning School of Business alum David Farmer ’06, ’10 has built an impressive career in the consumer goods industry, helping to elevate the Roomba internationally while at iRobot and now serving as CEO of North America for global home appliance maker Versuni.
When he returned to his alma mater recently to speak with students, Farmer shared that his rise might have been easier if he’d taken advantage of similar opportunities when he was in their seats.
“I worked full time so I could pay for school as I went along. Because of that, I didn’t maximize my college experience,” Farmer said. “I never sat in a room like this to hear from anybody. I did the bare minimum to get a degree. … If I’d done things like this and I found people of a similar ilk, I think that would have opened doors faster.”
Farmer’s talk, hosted by the Marketing and Management societies, drew a roomful of students eager to hear how a former commuter student from Billerica went on to lead global teams for Bose, iRobot and now Versuni, which manufactures and markets the Philips, Gaggia, L’OR and Saeco brands.
After graduating with concentrations in marketing and finance and a minor in economics, Farmer began his career in sales and marketing roles at AT&T, Bose and Hewlett-Packard before joining iRobot in 2010 (the same year he earned an MBA from the Manning School). Over the next 13 years, he played a key role in transforming the Roomba robotic vacuum from a niche gadget into a global household product.
Image by Ed Brennen
Alum David Farmer '06, '10 shared his career journey with students during a recent talk at Lydon Library.
Farmer advanced through senior marketing, e-commerce and go-to-market leadership roles at iRobot, including an overseas assignment in Europe. He eventually led global strategy and operations before joining Versuni.
At Versuni, Farmer oversees all business operations in the U.S. and Canada as part of the company’s global leadership team. His focus, he said, is on “turning houses into homes” by driving growth for a portfolio of brands that combine innovative design with everyday functionality. One of his top priorities is maintaining the company’s market leadership in fully automated espresso machines.
“It’s an exciting time,” he said. “We’re building a team, establishing a foundation and introducing new products that improve people’s lives.”
Farmer’s leadership philosophy stems directly from lessons learned at UML, he said. His marketing and finance coursework taught him to see how products, people and numbers connect.
“Marketing gives you range,” he said. “It’s one of the few disciplines that touches everything in a business — finance, operations, sales, supply chain.”
Image by Ed Brennen
Management Society President Sahana Sivarajan, left, and Marketing Society President Meghan Dearing, right, moderate the discussion with alum David Farmer.
“At the end of the day, there’s a balance sheet and an income statement,” he said. “You need that discipline to know what you can do right now and what has to wait.”
Farmer also discussed taking career risks, such as relocating to Europe with a young family, and the challenges of leading global teams through constant change.
“As a CEO, the hardest part isn’t the vision; it’s managing the phases,” he said. “Your first year is different from your second, and your third will be different again. You have to help your team understand where they fit at each step.”
Despite leading a multimillion-dollar operation, Farmer describes himself modestly as “a business manager” who loves building brands, teams and people. His passion for workforce development extends beyond his own company: He mentors young professionals, teaches part time and serves on the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Billerica.
“I’ve learned that I love helping people connect the dots as fast as they can, so they can go off and make their future as lucrative as it can be,” he said.
Marketing Society President and senior business major Meghan Dearing said hearing from an alum with such a broad career path was both relatable and motivating.
“It’s inspiring to hear from someone who commuted and worked full time, because a lot of our students are doing the same thing,” Dearing said. “Not everybody can afford college or balance everything life throws at them, but he showed that you can still have that drive and ambition.”