Zoe: Hi Ignacio, what made you choose a career in IT?
Ignacio: To be honest, computer science was my “Plan B” for university. I’m not going to tell you what was my “Plan A” was, that’s a secret. ☺ The day before I went to enrol for my degree, my father had a conversation with me, during that conversation, the A and B plan changed in the order of priorities. The reality was that since I was a kid, I have always been interested in technology, thanks to my father, and I remember my first computer, a Commodore 64, which I still have at my parents’ home. My interest in tech started with tape video-games and with learning BASIC, it wasn’t all playtime. Since then, I consider myself a “techie” and I am always investigating something related to technology.
Zoe: What advice would you give to those trying to secure their first IT role?
Ignacio: That’s a good question! My first piece of advice is; be open-minded, just that. I mean, you need to understand that your first role is basically to learn, learn as much as you can, and after that follow the formula LTL (Learn-Teach-Learn), always share what you have learnt with your team and peers. Also, it is important to be a team player, alone you can achieve something, but with your team, you’ll multiple that achievement.
Zoe: What has been your career highlight to date?
Ignacio: For me, at this moment, my career highlight is my current role at Veritas, being the Technical Sales Manager for Iberia was part of my own development plan and objectives that I wrote some time ago. I am pleased I developed into this role and created a new team, where we would like to be a reference in our market.
Zoe: Ignacio, congratulations on your EMEA SE of the Year Award, that’s a fantastic achievement. So, what do you enjoy most about your role at Veritas?
Ignacio: As you know, a few months ago I moved into a management position, the challenges and the new things that I am experiencing every day is probably what I most enjoy. It’s a different role, with different responsibilities, and I’m learning a lot each day from each experience. Here I would like to thank my regional team for their support in my development, especially Valentin Pinuaga, Daniel De Prezzo and Jean-Pierre Boushira.
Zoe: What leadership traits make a good leader?
Ignacio: We could spend a lot of time on this topic. From my point of view, I think that you can learn from every individual, be that a colleague, partner or customer… as I said before, LTL (Learn-Teach-Learn) is key, you need to think, and learn from everyone, teach other people, and continue to learn. Another thing is to lead by example and finally have determination, faced with a problem to solve I would say never give up, you always have another option.
I told you that I like quotes, I think that this one is perfect to mention here: “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” - Michael Jordan.
Zoe: Who are your role models and influencers?
Ignacio: Here I have two different perspectives, on one hand, in my personal life, my family without any doubt, and especially my parents, who are always an example to follow. On the other hand, in my professional life, I always think of my first line manager in a previous company, she taught me how to be a professional, and how important it is to be a trusted advisor for your customers and colleagues.
Zoe: What motivates you?
Ignacio: Challenges, if I need to choose one word that motivates me. I am an easy person to motivate, I can obtain motivation from almost anything, but what really makes me do the extra mile is to have new challenges. I cannot be quiet waiting for things to happen, I need to go for the challenge. The past two and half years have been a real challenge at Veritas, especially the end of the last year, and that’s the reason for my current motivation.
Zoe: How do you define success?
Ignacio: Ummm… probably the most difficult question that you have posed today. But at the same time, easy to answer. Success is to achieve your goals, I mean, you must be accountable and responsible, write (so important to write your goals down!) and follow up on your goals, if you can do that, and achieve your goal, you have been successful. Also, once you have achieved your goal, you need to start to think of your next goal.
Zoe: Why should people choose to work at Veritas?
Ignacio: To have challenges! We are the market leader in data management, well recognised by our customers and partners, there are lots of opportunities and Veritas is a great place to work. We’re waiting for new and fresh talent to continue learning and teaching! So, why not join our team?
Zoe: Finally, describe Veritas in one word?
Ignacio: Opportunities!
Thank you, Ignacio, for taking the time out of your busy work schedule to share your career highlights, motivations and role models. And congratulations again on making Club VIP and your award, that’s a fantastic work recognition to receive. My key takeaway from this interview is Ignacio’s Learn, Teach, Learn framework, I think this is a great tool for anyone to utilise in their careers irrespective of their level and something I’ll be adopting more of.
So, if you enjoyed this interview with Ignacio as much as I did and you’re interested in joining our team, then please check out our latest job vacancies and apply today. Finally, watch out for more #LifeAtVeritas blogs and podcasts coming soon!
