From diamonds in the rough to confident professionals, EAGLES is shaping the next generation of Lenovo sales leaders across EMEA.
Three years ago, 21 graduates stepped into Lenovo’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) offices for the first time to embark on their career journeys with curiosity, ambition and only a partial grasp of what lay ahead. With a 91% retention rate – much higher than the UK average of 74% – today they are established professionals, making a difference in sales roles at all areas of the business.
Their shared starting point was EAGLES – Lenovo’s two-year sales graduate program, designed to build a strong, future-facing pipeline of talent aligned to the company’s long-term needs. The program focuses on developing people early, giving them real responsibility, exposure to different areas of the business through structured learning and the space to make mistakes, learn from them and grow.
Behind EAGLES is Sudha Adjei, Lenovo’s EMEA Graduate Program Manager, who has been shaping the program since its inception.
“When I joined Lenovo four years ago, there was no EMEA program, which gave us license to build from the ground up,” she says. “We had a US template we were grateful we could use as a starting point, but essentially, we were starting from scratch.”
From those early foundations, EAGLES has grown organically into a pan-EMEA program spanning up to 18 countries per cohort, up from just nine in its earliest days. From snowy Finland to sunny South Africa, 65 graduates have walked through these doors, bringing their own unique perspectives to the program.
That mix of cultures, communication styles and different approaches to selling has become one of the program’s defining strengths – with all graduates coming together for virtual learnings, alongside an annual face-to-face workshop in the UK.
For Sudha, the opportunity to open the horizons of the younger generation is a passion. A project manager by trade, she never expected to become a professional mentor for the upcoming generation.
“It makes me laugh sometimes because I started life as a scientist, so I was destined to work in a laboratory for the rest of my life,” she says. “But I’ve been working in talent development for seven years now, and it is hugely rewarding.
“It’s a totally different ball game working with graduates. You take them as diamonds in the rough and over the course of the program watch them develop into top professionals with soft skills and business smarts.”
Milan-based Andrea Caldani’s first-hand experience offers a clear example of that development in action.
“Six months ago, on a rainy day, I walked into Lenovo for the first time as an employee,” he says. “That day may not seem so far away, but so much has changed since then. I’ve started to understand the company, its acronyms, its vast portfolio, and – most importantly – the amazing people who bring it all to life.
“Since then, I’ve had the chance to dive into real business challenges, support my team during quarterly campaigns, and contribute to the development of strategic business plans.
“Now, six months later, on another rainy day, I find myself transitioning to a new team, ready to take on exciting new challenges. This time, though, I bring with me more knowledge, more confidence and a deeper understanding of Lenovo and the journey ahead.”
Guilia Boffa, who joined the scheme from Lenovo’s Zurich office, echoes these sentiments. “My first six months as an EAGLE were incredibly varied and exciting – no two weeks were the same,” she says. “I had the opportunity to sell notebooks to university students, prepare QBRs, go bowling with our partners, organize monthly partner calls (one of which I was even on camera for) and much more.”
As EAGLES prepares to welcome its next cohort, the focus remains on strengthening Lenovo’s early-career pipeline, including broadening gender diversity within sales and amplifying the stories of senior female leaders across the business.
For Sudha, though, the motivation behind the program has always been clear.
“Nobody gets to sit at the back or hide in the corner,” she says. “We have a huge range of nationalities and personalities – and they all engage and learn from each other.
“It’s a program designed for graduates who are curious, resilient and ready to take ownership. This is your chance to learn and shine. You’re on an 18-month program. Make your mistakes now, so by the end of the program, you’ve launched your career, rather than completing a job.”
And for the graduates who started their journeys three years ago, the impact of EAGLES is already visible in the people they’ve become – hard at work and helping to shape the future of Lenovo from within.
For graduates ready to learn by doing, applications for the next EAGLES cohort open on 19 January.
Learn more and apply here.