Maria Pereira Franco, Group Head at Wipro

Early years and where you came from?

I started as a product manager for AS/400 platform, and I have been based in Porto all the time. After a career with diverse roles (Banco Universo, Enabler), I am leading a group of really smart and effective people at Wipro Portugal.

How were you introduced to the world of the Portuguese tech industry?

Since I graduated in Software engineering field, Innovation or Development have always been part of my journey.

Walk me through your work and what you are doing now in the tech industry.

Having played different roles over the years, I am now focused on developing new opportunities for our Porto team. Most of my time spent between client interaction and team motivation.

What part of what you do, you love the most?

People interactions. That’s the best part of my work.

How do you think that your background and knowledge impact the way you approach your work in the Portuguese tech industry?

My background and knowledge provide me the required understanding of the business, the people reactions, and what solutions can be explored. There is a new degree that I call <intuition> and that I rely upon many times, helping me dreaming and performing faster. Being an engineer by education, I love solving problems!

What advice do you have for young women that want to get into tech and don’t know where to start?

Start anywhere and try multiple roles. That will give you a more complete understanding of your business ecosystem, and will help you bringing more value to the table.

Walk me through a day in your life as a Portuguese women in tech.

My agenda is always well organised and I practice punctuality, however my time schedule is not 9 to 5 at all: for a long time, I have established flexible hours to allow me to work with people around the world, and at the same time make time for my family. A third of my day, it’s spend on meetings and calls, for the rest of the time I am working on solutions and proposals for our clients and prospects. Most of the time, that implies collaboration with remote colleagues, from India or many other countries around the world.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Perfection is enemy of Good.

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

Email! Skype! Webex!

Find Maria on Linkedin.