Gustavo, the man of many journeys

About Gustavo

Originally from Brazil, I found moving to Amsterdam very exciting. I joined the Customer Success Department four years ago. This allowed me to travel a lot for work. That was something new for me. It was a big responsibility to be in front of our clients, but also lots of fun.

When I was not traveling, the multicultural and jong environment at the Amsterdam office really kept me excited. We always had something to share and learn from each other in the team.

Always ready for a good challenge

My Backbase journey was a long one. I started as a Backend Engineer. As soon as I relocated, I had to learn the product. I had the chance to work in a cool technical environment with modern technologies I hadn't used before. It was very demanding.

Then, I jumped into different projects that involved different customers in all kinds of locations worldwide. In my first year at Backbase, I was on 70 flights! That equals too many stamps in my passport now.

All the traveling and the interactions helped me grow a lot. It made me reflect on how I do things, gave me different perspectives it never gets boring… There is always something new happening and a new challenge to tackle. Sometimes it's a technical one, and sometimes it's not...

Two years into Backbase I had the opportunity to move to Singapore when we opened our office there. I always had the curiosity to explore Asia, the food, architecture, and the lifestyle, why not!

Contrasts

One of the things that surprised me the most was the lack of football culture. That was strange for a Brazilian to see. They do table tennis, hiking. They have very traditional and rich cultures, full of festivals and celebrations, yet football is not part of the mix. Even the dress code surprised me more than once, with men wearing skirt-like garments and all sorts of face creams, my horizons broadened.

In my team, I had the chance to become a Senior Backend Engineer and later on a Principal one and mentor our new joiners. I am responsible for a team of seven people now.

Being a manager to me means giving people the possibility to explore, making sure they have all the tools they need to work. Help them when they are stuck. Most importantly, always be there supporting them. I like having open discussions on their personal goals and seeing how the company and personal interests match.

Culture-wise, I also notice hierarchies are stronger here than in other places. In my team I strive to cultivate critical thinking, if you see a problem, fix it. That's the Backbase way of working!