We sit down with Giuliana Veronese, Stefanini’s new EMEA Technical Director, to speak about how the industry is changing, her ambitions for Stefanini and how excited she is to be back in Europe.
When did you begin your new role?
I joined the EMEA team in February, so very recently. However, I’ve been with Stefanini since 2010. When I first joined the company, I managed our Global Delivery Centre in Mexico, but for the last six years, I have been LATAM Technical Director.
Why did you take the role of EMEA Technical Director?
Before joining Stefanini, I lived in Portugal for four years while I was working on my PhD thesis, and I’ve always wanted the opportunity to return to Europe. I’m the kind of person who thrives off movement and new experiences. After I’d spent three years working for Stefanini in Mexico, for example, I moved to Brazil to accept the role of LATAM Technical Director.
Now, I’m delighted to have the opportunity to be in Europe again. The ability to grow and to move is one of the things that I have always enjoyed about working at Stefanini. It’s not just the prospect of a new place that I found exciting, though. I like to be challenged and I felt that this role would really satisfy that need.
What exactly will your role entail?
I have a number of different responsibilities. My work will mostly be strategic, so I am responsible for driving the research and development area to identify technology trends, the common problems of our customers and implement proof of concepts. Ultimately, we will direct all of this insight towards the innovation, introduction and improvement of our products and processes.
I’m also directly responsible for our Application Centre, working with our application delivery team to apply emerging techniques and solutions and continue delivering world-class services. Both my PhD and my masters’ degree were in system engineering, so this is very much in my sweet spot.
Finally, I’m involved with business operations. I’ll be keeping a close eye on sales, HR, finance and recruitment, as well as helping to integrate our work with that being done by Stefanini in other regions.
How is this different to your role as LATAM Technical Director?
As EMEA Technical Director, my role is much more strategic. In LATAM, I was responsible for the smooth running of our data centres and application development centres, for example. My role was about managing projects, application services and maintaining the offshore element of the EMEA operations. I had to integrate a team of 2,000 people in 12 delivery centres over six countries and ensure that our projects were being delivered to a high quality, on time and within budget.
In EMEA, I’m responsible for Stefanini’s digital services portfolio. We have a rich ecosystem of partners, vendors and affiliated companies in the region that we work with to deliver our digital services, but I plan to expand this network even further still; bringing in new solutions and even more local partners to expand our digital portfolio.
Are there any particular challenges that you expect to encounter?
My biggest challenge will be to develop my understanding of the differences between EMEA and LATAM. A lot of my experience and knowledge from LATAM will be transferable, of course, but there’s a lot of local knowledge for me to get to grips with. I need to learn how the market works here and get to grips with regulations such as GDPR.
I’m sure that there will also be cultural changes for me to adjust to, as well as settling into my new home in Romania. After all, the last time I lived in Europe, I was a researcher. Now, I’m a director in a technology company!
Has Stefanini changed since you joined in 2010?
The industry itself has changed a huge amount over the last ten years, so yes; Stefanini has changed a lot as well.
Consider banking, for example. The first banking services appeared between 1100 and 1300 AD. In 1970, we saw the introduction of the ATM; the first disruption in the baking arena in over six-hundred years. In 1994, we had the first example of internet banking, and today, we can see all kinds of different technologies and services that are disrupting the industry entirely. That’s a huge amount of change in a very short space of time, and it’s a story that we’re seeing replicated in a wide range of industries.
With this advent of digital transformation, one of the biggest changes that we’ve seen is that is the evolution of our own business model to that of a digital adviser, as opposed to simply an IT provider. We are shifting towards a culture of consuming products, whereby customers want to receive a service or experience, as opposed to own a solution or piece of equipment. As both an IT supplier and a digital adviser, we are creating a new business model that can meet these changing needs.
What are your plans for the coming years?
With digital transformation becoming increasingly important, my ambition is for Stefanini to be recognised by the market as the top digital adviser in EMEA. Over the coming months and years, I will work with customers, partners and employees to create a truly disruptive solution, focused on delivering the results that will make us the businesses of tomorrow.
