Who are you and what makes you special?
I’m Aleksandra Perko-Klomfass – married and proud mom of a four-year-old daughter named Brina. I was born and raised in Slovenia, which is why I sometimes call myself the “Lioness from Slovenia.” Why? Because I’m loyal and fiercely committed to standing up for my people and my team.
I’m a very creative person: I crochet, knit and sew – and even started a Makers Slack channel here at maxcluster. At home, I have countless projects – some finished, many still in progress. Especially when instructions are unclear, I love to improvise. That’s often when completely new solutions emerge.
I learned a lot from my father. He kept his tools in the garage and let me use anything – as long as I put it back. That gave me the freedom to try things out and gain hands-on experience.
I moved to Germany in late 2011 – originally just for a change of scenery, thanks to a friend. During that time, I worked for a company in Gütersloh and volunteered at an animal shelter, taking care of cats. To stay active, I joined a boxing club and trained with weights at home. Sports have always been part of my life – though in a very different way before: I used to do show dancing (yes, even splits!) and was a national champion with my group.
These days, I channel that energy into gardening. Whether my plants appreciate it is debatable. I recently read that trees can communicate through their roots. If that’s true, they’re probably saying: “Here comes the crazy one with the saw again.”
How did you come to maxcluster?
When I decided to stay in Germany permanently, I started looking for a job that better suited my skills. I have a degree in mathematics engineering and had already worked as an online shop developer in Ljubljana. I taught myself PHP and learned HTML while still in school.
I first encountered Magento at an agency in Bielefeld – including a certification as a front-end developer. At my next employer, I also learned about Magento 2 – and maxcluster as a hosting partner.
At the Partner Day, which I attended as a guest, I was surprised by how authentic the people at maxcluster are offline – just as they are online. When I later wanted to reorient myself, I posted "Open to work" on LinkedIn – and shortly after, Julia Bunte from maxcluster contacted me. And suddenly, I was Product Owner Customer Experience.
What is special about your work?
I see myself as a translator between our customers and our team. What I find especially exciting is that the user perspective on features is often very different from the original intention.
What truly inspires me is the close connection to our customers. Many of them actively support us in developing tailored solutions. This spirit is particularly strong in our new Customer Advisory Board (CAB) – it’s genuine collaboration, even across agency boundaries.
For me, it also means staying consciously open to truly understand other perspectives – and continuously questioning my own assumptions at the start of every new project.
What has been the most exciting project so far?
Without a doubt: the launch of our Customer Advisory Board (CAB). At first, it was far outside my comfort zone – especially since I was still new to the company. But after my talk at Partner Day 2024, I received so much positive feedback that I was able to get started right away.
Through this project, I got to know many of our customers on a deeper level and gained real insights into their work. I also finally got to meet the people behind the posts in the Magento community—like Rico, my personal “Magento god” ;-)
The entire project was strongly supported internally because everyone saw its value. That made it much easier for me to find my place at maxcluster quickly.
What does your perfect working day look like?
A perfect day starts off calmly – with cheerful colleagues and no urgent "firefighting" tasks. First, I have a coffee that I bring from home (even though we have great coffee at the office, I need one on the way…). Then I like to take a look at the stats – probably the mathematician in me. I’m just curious which features are being used and which are quietly flying under the radar.
What I enjoy most are CAB or customer meetings, where I can pitch ideas and gather direct feedback. Afterward, I document the results and share them with the relevant teams.
A truly great day is when collaboration flows smoothly, we support and value each other – and maybe even deploy a new feature we’ve worked on for a long time without a hitch.
How does it feel to be part of the maxcluster team?
Very good—almost like family. In our Product Owner team, we’re all on the same wavelength: we can rely on each other, take on tasks for one another, and give honest feedback.
But that spirit goes beyond our team—the entire maxcluster crew truly lives this sense of togetherness. Everyone brings in their own experience, helps each other out, and there’s no competition or elbow mentality.
How satisfied are you with the technology and equipment?
I used to develop on a Mac and was initially given a Windows machine here—and Linux? That was a complete mystery to me at first. I didn’t want to dive into all the technical details, I just wanted something that worked.
In the meantime, I’ve switched to Linux and I’m really happy with it—especially because I got to help choose the hardware. Having three screens definitely helps me keep track of everything.
And for working from home, I absolutely love our maxcluster backpack—I wouldn’t want to be without it anymore.
What would you not want to do without?
The respectful and appreciative way we treat each other. In that regard, maxcluster has set the bar very high, and I truly value that.
