Greg Tsarev

We sat down with Greg Tsarev, our Director of Services and hands-on IBM Maximo MAS consultant, to learn how they chose to work with IBM Maximo, MAS and MRM-EAM.

Question 2: What type of tasks do you do in your role?
My background spans roles such as IT Consultant, Senior Consultant, and Managing Consultant. As Director of Services, my work includes leading projects, supporting pre-sales and demos, gathering requirements, developing solutions, training, and mentoring the MRM-EAM team. While I do delegate where I can, I’m still very hands-on—especially when technical challenges arise. That’s part of the beauty of this role: it keeps me close to the technology, the product, and the people.

Question 3: Why did you choose to work with MRM-EAM?
I’ve known Mike for many years—since 2016 when he hired me at another consulting firm, just a few weeks after I moved to Canada. We built a strong working relationship, and over time, and when the opportunity came to support him in growing MRM-EAM, it felt like a natural next step. I chose to continue working with someone I trust, and to contribute to a company that reflects the values we’ve built over time.

Question 4: Why did you choose to work in the IT industry?
I’ve always been interested in IT and computers since school. I remember taking computers apart and putting them back together and helping family members and friends when something wasn’t working, hardware or software. I remember starting to program in BASIC (DOS-based programming language). I also made my first HTML website in high school and continued web developing as a hobby for quite a while. It was just natural that my hobbies and interests kind of led me to entering university, studying IT and project management, and then continuing to work in that field.

Question 5: Based on all of the assignments that you have contributed to since you started at MRM-EAM until now, what was your favourite/engaging project that you worked on and why?
The most fulfilling project I’ve worked on so far at MRM-EAM has been with one of our oil and gas clients. It was large, complex, and incredibly rewarding. What made it special was the mutual trust between the client and our team. There was no micromanaging—just confidence in our expertise and execution. When a client trusts you to deliver, it empowers you to do your best work, and that was exactly the case here.

Question 6: Who is your biggest inspiration/motivator in the IT industry and why?
Without hesitation, I’d say Mike. He’s been both a mentor and a friend, and I’ve learned a great deal from him. He’s helped me learn how to build client relationships, deliver value, and stand your ground respectfully. Before coming to Canada, I lived and worked in Russia and relationships with clients were often such that you’d be treated more as someone that they’re paying money to than a trusted professional. You would often have to do things the way you’re told, which doesn’t always work well in this line of work. One of the important things that I’ve learned from Mike is how to position yourself and develop that trust with clients. I’ve learned that successful projects depend on mutual trust, quality work, and honest communication.

Question 7: When you first started working in the IT industry or MRM-EAM, what was the largest obstacle/challenge that you had to overcome?
When I first started working with Maximo back in 2008, the biggest challenge was simply the lack of documentation and community. You learned through trial and error, and had to become resourceful. Today’s Maximo ecosystem—especially with IBM’s evolution to MAS—is so much more accessible and well-supported. Another early hurdle was overcoming the natural hesitation to speak up. Whether it was leading demos or speaking with senior stakeholders, stepping into those roles took practice and confidence.

Question 8: If you had to describe MRM-EAM in three words, what would it be?
Family. Team. Purpose.
The culture here feels close-knit. There’s no rigid hierarchy. We collaborate, support one another, and work toward a shared goal. It’s a place where your voice matters and where every contribution and initiative counts.

Question 9: Do you have any future goals/achievements for yourself as you continue working at MRM-EAM?
My goal isn’t about chasing titles—it’s about building something meaningful. I want to continue working  to grow MRM-EAM and help our clients realize the full potential of Maximo and MAS. If we can help more organizations love this product the way we do, that’s success in my book.

Question 10: With the amount of experience you have working in the IT industry either professionally with Maximo or personal experience, is there anything that you would like to share with our customer base?
I would say most of our clients are already Maximo users and for those who are new and are thinking about investing in Maximo, I would say absolutely do so. Especially now that it’s Maximo Application Suite (MAS) and not just Maximo, I would say just absolutely go with it. For those who are already using it, make sure that you upgrade, reach out, ask questions, ask for a demo, and just really try to make the most out of it. Don’t just give up on it, even if something isn’t working or seems complicated. It’s an amazing product that’s evolved so much, and IBM has been doing a truly great job marketing and investing into it. It’s truly great now.

Question 11: Is there anything else that you would like to share about yourself?
I’m a father of two beautiful boys that are turning eight and four this year. It’s challenging from time to time, but it’s been an amazing experience. Hopefully they get into IT as well and I will get to share with them the thing I love to do. I also like sports, the outdoors, and staying active. Some of my hobbies include playing tennis, snowboarding, and skiing. My parents introduced me to it and so I try to go when I can.

Another thing MRM-EAM is really good at is letting you maintain this balance between family and work. You know, you do have to work overtime sometimes, during go lives, and things like that, but it never feels like you’re being taken advantage of. You feel respected, valued and always treated fairly. I came to Canada in 2016, so it’ll be almost 10 years and I’m a Canadian citizen now. I’m really grateful to Canada for giving me the opportunity and inviting me. Especially work-wise, it has been an amazing journey, and I couldn’t have wished for any better. Maximo in general has become much more popular and widespread since I started in Russia in 2008, but also coming here to North America, it was like my work in Russia, but on steroids; it’s just a much larger community.