On the lighter side of things, we ask Marcel Pratte, CEO, Grupo Viceri, what makes him tick.
What would you describe as your most memorable achievement?
Looking at the professional side, it was having founded Micro Mídia (currently Viceri) 31 years ago and being here with a solid and innovative company in the market. It sounds easy but to be an entrepreneur in Brazil you need to have a lot of passion for what you do and a lot of resilience. Dreaming, believing, innovating and reinventing yourself are steps done on a daily basis. Having a company is contributing to society in many ways.
What first made you think of a career in technology?
I studied Systems Analysis and Administration and graduated in 1984. At that time, computerization was starting in Brazil and around the world. I started my professional career at Ericsson as an intern, then I worked at Telesp and Proceda and soon after I created my own company. I fell in love with the area from the beginning and after all this time, I’m still in love.
What style of management philosophy do you employ in your current position?
I’m Viceri’s CEO and I can say we’ve had an organic company for some time and with that, it becomes faster and adapts much more quickly to market movements. We work with an agile model giving autonomy to our employees and keeping responsibilities and decision decentralized.
What do you think is the current hot technology conversation topic?
I will bring up the topic of Digital Transformation, considering that we have changed our habits and today we have technology as a means for almost everything we do. In a few years, technology has changed world culture and is a rupture in the model of society. It also happened in the Industrial Revolution and happened very fast, especially with the arrival of cloud technology. Big technology companies have adapted to this new way and the costs of innovations are getting increasingly accessible to the public and companies. It makes the speed of using technology and innovations faster and faster.
How do you deal with stress and relax outside of the office?
When you are passionate about what you do, you deal with stress in a more natural way. Outside the office I have a very balanced life. I have a beautiful family, my wife and three daughters are fantastic, and we live very well – and did so even during the COVID-19 pandemic. I play sports and it helps me a lot to deal with daily stress. I also always have my moments with friends and family. I love traveling and going to the beach.
If you could go back and change one career decision, what would it be?
I don’t think I would change a thing. I’ve made a lot of mistakes but that’s part of life, of learning. I do not regret anything. I try to learn from my mistakes and always look forward. I’m a born optimist.
What do you currently identify as the top investment areas in your industry?
I think there are currently several areas and technologies and everything will depend a lot on each company’s strategy. In any case, investing in cloud and migrating or creating systems and applications in the cloud is undoubtedly one of the main ones. For companies to implement new business initiatives and have proximity to their ecosystems, customers, suppliers, partners and employees, they must necessarily use cloud computing. Investments in APIs to integrate with this ecosystem will also be quite large. Another very important investment is in information security, which according to Gartner is one of the top five concerns for CIOs.
What are the specific challenges of the region when implementing new technologies in Latin America?
Technology has democratized, so now all countries and companies can use it but we have many challenges. One of the most important is the telecommunications infrastructure and we can mention the Internet bandwidth, which is still slow and not available in most countries. Connectivity is critical for all technologies to work properly, such as IoT, self-driving cars in the future, etc.
What changes have you seen in your job role in the last year, and how do you think they will develop in the next 12 months?
If we were already having major changes in leadership roles, the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated that. CEOs are having to live with huge changes and at incredible speed. Adapting the business to the market quickly, for me, is the main change. Either we lead the change or it will be imposed on us. The difference in results and the company’s future can be significant and here we have an opportunity to reinvent our business growing through the turmoil.
What advice would you give someone aspiring to a C-level position in your industry?
First, studying hard and being up-to-date is essential. Second, it is important to have an open mind, being open to the new and having the ability to reinvent yourself. Also, accepting career changes and challenges, and going through different areas is essential. Another issue is to have patience in your career because with the immediacy of the functions and the desire for change at all times, there is no time for learning and developing your professional side. Lastly, it is necessary to understand and know how to deal with people and it is critical for C-level.
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