Women In Tech: Carla Oliveira

1. What made you interested in the Telco/Tech industry
I grew up wanting to be a ballerina, but since my parents didn’t really consider it to be a sound career choice, I followed my second passion which was economics. I graduated and worked in the banking sector, but after a short period of time, the former Portugal Telecom (now Altice) opened vacancies for 100 interns, and I applied looking for a different challenge in the early stages of my career. This became the opportunity to discover this dynamic sector, with all of us receiving technical training and working in different areas within the company for 8 months. After the internship, I started working in the corporate area as an account manager and discovered that I love this market and essentially love sales. From then on, my entire career developed in telecommunications: I have over 20 years of experience, having worked for 3 of the Portuguese Operators – Altice, Oni and NOS, and almost four years ago I moved to Go4Mobility to help develop the A2P SMS business.

2. What do you like most about your job?
There are several things I love about my job. To start with, no day is the same, and every day I get to learn something different. Innovation, the challenge of generating value and positively influencing my clients’ strategic decisions are key factors that fulfill and drive me in what I do. Lastly, I really enjoy having a role that allows me to travel and work with international markets and businesses.

 3. I believe most of us are curious, what was your dream job as a child?
After giving up on the idea of becoming a ballerina, my plan was to be rich and happy! Hahahah. As a child, I remember playing for hours on end with Monopoly’s money. I was top student interested in multiple subjects, which made the decision-making process about what I wanted to be more difficult. However, I always knew that my dream job would have to involve communication, strategy, and money. I have made my choices as challenges arose, and I have no regrets. I never had a clear idea of what my dream job would be, but I had what I believe to be the required guidelines to choose my path, because I knew exactly what would make me happy.

4. What do you believe contributed to your professional success the most – was it a school you have chosen, personal drive and working very hard, the influence of the caregiver, or a combination of many factors?
Throughout life, I believe that the factors contributing to professional success are constantly changing, so for me, it’s more of a combination of factors than just one key driver or motivator. Initially, the environment in which you live, the culture, and the encouragement you receive to become a curious and attentive adult to your surroundings and others make all the difference. In my case, I also have a solid academic background, supported by a school from where people who are now in relevant political and management positions have graduated, which I consider to be an important foundation of my personal development. In parallel, being attentive to others, listening, learning from and with them is also a key contributing factor. Then, commitment, dedication, and focus are very important. Defining an objective and devising a plan to achieve it is half the battle to achieve success. Finally, this journey is not done alone, being surrounded by good people really helps. 

5. Who has been your most important mentor in the workplace and why?
Throughout my journey, there were several mentors with whom I’ve learned a lot and who inspired me to be better. There was always someone on every project I was involved in who believed in me and challenged me. Debating ideas, listening to new approaches, being able to be creative without being misunderstood is essential for you to feel like an integral part of a project as well as grow professionally and personally. In my latest challenge, at Go4Mobility, Bernardo Fonseca believed that I, coming from the wholesale data market, could be an asset in A2P SMS and now also in Voice. Bernardo, with his expertise and vision for the A2P SMS market has been key for my professional growth and trusted me to embrace the challenge I needed to continue to develop, grow and of course contribute to a sector, a business and a team I really enjoy working in.