Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Ricardo Brito and I’m from Almada, Portugal. I’m a manager in the Platform Delivery team of IG&H. Although there will always be people who are more knowledgeable or perhaps more passionate than you about a subject, I always believed I could be a great leader and set an example in the IT field. Therefore, I studied Information Technology & Management to pursue a management career in IT. Working with different colleagues from various cultures and countries enriches my life experience.
Besides tech, I’m passionate about cars in general. However, the ones I can’t afford (only in dreams or if I won the lottery) are the ones I love the most. Learning about combustion engines and modifications brings me joy. Nowadays I’m diving into the topic of hybrid and electric cars.
What drew you to IG&H?
When my daughter was born, I thought deeper about work-life balance. The priorities had changed. I began searching for a company that could offer a balanced work-life environment, a place to develop myself and grow.
I knew a few people that work at IG&H and said that this was a different company with proper core values in place, “People First” being the first one. So, I asked some people, among them Nuno Pacheco and João Alexandrino “What do you guys do differently here?” and they all replied,” Come visit us and see for yourself!” During my interview with Bruno Gonçalves, we stayed talking about work and life for almost 3 hours. In the best of ways, I felt like I had gone to the psychologist instead of an interview. It was unexpected but great. In the end, here I am!
What is your role & what does it involve?
I’m one of the Service Managers from Platform Delivery. My role is very simple: Taking care of my team like siblings and making sure they have all their needs met to do their work. If they are happy, I am happy. A Service Manager is responsible for the delivery part of an end-to-end project. This means all the ideas and designs that we discuss extensively need to be implemented correctly to deliver value to the client.
Besides working on specific projects, I’m also aware of all the other projects that we have in Platform Delivery. In our leadership group, we share experiences and goals. Most importantly, we have a clear view of every developer on our team. We ensure that everyone is on the right project, based on personal and professional goals, but what is most essential is that they are part of the project that fits them best. A Service Manager also supports the sector teams, in IG&H’s case healthcare, retail and financial services, in proposals for new projects and clients. It’s a challenging role but I like it.
What does a typical day at IG&H look like?
It all starts with a coffee together with the team during our daily. At a pension project, for instance, we always end the daily meeting with a blessing. If you’re the last person who speaks or you accidentally give the word to a colleague who already spoke, then you have to do a blessing for the team; share some motivational words. It’s a fun way to get focused and stay sharp in the first minutes of the workday.
The main priority is being present for the team. If someone requires my help, I need to clear the agenda for them so they can continue with their work and proceed later with mine. A successful day for me is when I have helped everyone that asked for my support, replied to all chats on teams and there is no item in the inbox to act on. Mission accomplished!
What do you enjoy most about working at IG&H?
The people for sure and the parties! It’s all about working hard and partying even harder! This means we are being successful. I can be myself and there is enough space for everyone to grow. I like the balanced way of working that provides me with enough opportunities to be involved in different topics at different levels. The “open-door” policy that we have is also great so we can talk to everyone about any topic.
What has been your proudest moment at IG&H?
Well, there’s not just one moment that I’m proud of... a few I can enumerate: The moment I got promoted based on my performance that was recognized and acknowledged by my peers in the management team. Being part of the organization team for the events in Portugal and when I volunteered to be part of IG&H’s worker’s council, The Voice, which meant being elected by my colleagues. Finally, the moment when two colleagues asked me to be their mentor was something to be proud of - and hugely impacted my personal development as well.