On the lighter side of things, we ask Eduardo Costa, CIO, Sonda Brazil, what makes him tick.
What would you describe as your most memorable achievement?
When I was invited, in 2019, to come to Sonda’s IT area, they challenged me to evaluate and improve processes and costs.
Due to my previous performance in the telecom arena, I participated in the review of the mobile telecommunications services that had its processes adjusted, making them more agile. As a result, we had a 37% cost reduction.
Also because of this, I did the Green Belt certification, which guarantees theoretical and practical knowledge of the Lean Six Sigma methodology.
What first made you think of a career in technology?
Despite being a member of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), I have always worked in technical areas, such as Clipper and Pascal programming.
In the telecom arena, I worked for three of the largest companies in the sector in Brazil. Since then, I decided to improve my knowledge and move towards IT infrastructure management and data center operations.
What style of management philosophy do you employ in your current position?
I am constantly building a relationship of trust with the team to create a prosperous, participative, integrated, and, above all, inclusive environment, enabling a natural engagement.
I also aim to get closer to the leaders of the other sectors, making the IT area able to support the development of applications for the market and not only to support its internal structure.
What do you think is the current hot technology conversation topic?
With the issue of the COVID-19 pandemic, digitization and data leakage growing at the same rate, we already have a scenario of losses related to privacy failures. With this, the alignment of IT with cybersecurity, seeking solutions that ensure service delivery and convey a sense of security assurance for users to continue with their personal and professional lives, will be a focus of current conversations about technology.
How do you deal with stress and relax outside of the office?
Stress is already part of the daily life of the IT professional. We have to know how to balance and transform it into moments of high, medium and low impact.
Out of the office, my energy comes from my family and my children, and I am now enjoying the arrival of my granddaughter.
If you could go back and change one career decision, what would it be?
I have been wrong and right in my life, but that is part of learning. Today I see that I would not change anything. I learn from mistakes, making my decisions more consolidated and having less impact on me and everyone who depends on them.
What do you currently identify as the top investment areas in your industry?
Undoubtedly, a very important investment is in information security, which, according to Gartner, is one of the top five concerns of IT leaders today.
Cloud investment with the migration or creation of systems and applications, and the development of APIs for integrations and stand-alone solutions are also on the rise.
What are the specific challenges of the region when implementing new technologies in Latin America?
With the democratization of technology, all countries have similar needs. I believe that one of the biggest challenges is creating a telecommunications infrastructure with quality and security, as all technologies depend on this, such as IoT products, Smart City, 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?
In my view, the CIOs have stopped looking only at the internal technological demands of companies and started to attend to the business. In other words, this professional is the great driver of the evolution of Information Technology and must be a business leader, just like the other executives.
What advice would you give someone aspiring to a C-level position in your industry?
It is necessary to do a lot of thinking, questioning everything you know up to that point. Having an open mind, an ability to change and reinvent yourself – focusing on improving knowledge and people – is also crucial to a C-level position.
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