Why did you decide to study telecommunications engineering? What did you know about the field that motivated you to pursue that degree?
My father was the general manager of a telecommunications company, which meant that from a very young age—eight years old—I learned about computers, networks, the internet, and so on. When I was 14, my family owned a chain of internet cafes in Montevideo, Colonia, and Maldonado, which allowed me to learn more about networks and infrastructure. At age 16, I took charge of all the technical aspects of the locations; I learned about networks, firewalls, operating systems, and other topics. Therefore, when it came time to choose a career, I looked for something in the field I was passionate about, which was telecommunications.
You've worked at well-known companies in Uruguay that also operate internationally, such as PedidosYa and d-Local. What was your role at those companies?
At PedidosYa, I served as the Infrastructure Manager for the entire region at a time when the company was taking its first steps and transitioning out of its startup phase. I led a team that provided support to Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil.
Later, at d-Local, he served as Head of Cloud Platform, where he was responsible for the fully cloud-based platform, which operates globally in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, has such as Amazon, Google, Netflix, Airbnb, and Uber, among others.
You’re currently the Infrastructure Manager at Pomelo. What are the main responsibilities and challenges of that role?
Yes, I’m currently the Head of Platform and Infrastructure. In this role, I’m responsible for the infrastructure and the smooth operation of the platform-as-a-service. Pomelo is a fintech startup that provides Banking-as-a-Service and operates throughout Latin America. The platform is 100% cloud-based and uses the latest technologies available on the market.
You have an impressive career; you've worked at many well-known companies and held important positions. It seems to me that you're always looking for new challenges.
Feeling challenged is a given in my life. Fortunately, my line of work allows for that. In any case, I have to constantly reinvent myself to keep up with day-to-day changes.
You live in Uruguay but work for an Argentine company that operates in various countries.
Yes, Pomelo was founded in Argentina, but it was designed to be a regional company, so it’s open to people from any country. has from Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Germany, and Uruguay. The vast majority work remotely, and the company has coworking spaces in the locations where they’re needed.
What are the benefits of remote work?
In my opinion, it has major advantages: it allows for optimal time management, increases productivity, and facilitates globalization—that is, hiring the best talent without any restrictions. For example, today I’m leading a team based in Argentina from Uruguay. On the other hand, it’s true that it can jeopardize the work-life balance.
Do you think it's more common in the tech industry?
Yes, there’s no doubt that this is 100% the case in IT companies, but there are other companies that have been working remotely since the pandemic began and are performing much better. I think remote work is here to stay; we’re seeing it in all kinds of contexts, from online classes and telemedicine to dark stores, among others.
What skills and knowledge you gained during your college studies do you use in your work?
Throughout my professional career, I have had the opportunity to apply many of the skills I acquired at ORT, from launching a project to designing networks, as well as adopting an engineer’s mindset to solve any problem in an iterative, straightforward, and practical way.