An international team from over 20 countries
Barcelona, June 2019
At Worldsensing, we are lucky to have an international team of people from over 20 countries. We thought it would be nice to share experiences from some of our team members and know what brought them to Barcelona and Worldsensing. We took advantage of our gathering for the barbecue tradition to talk to them. Here are their stories:
Karen Figueroa, our Product Marketing Manager, comes from the Philippines and moved to Spain in 2017.
“After a 12-year career in telco marketing in Manila, I decided to move to Malaga in 2017 to teach English, enjoy sangrias by the beach and just chill. However, after 2 months, it became quite boring and I missed the pace of working in a tech company.
I found the job opening in LinkedIn, submitted my application, flew into Barcelona for an interview and in 2 months, I finally moved to Barcelona to start my career with Worldsensing. It’s been a great ride working for an IoT pioneer: challenging, but also so much fun.”
Gathering for a company BBQ made Karen think back to some food memories from home:
“I miss Jollibee! McDonalds, KFC or Burger King are no match for this fast food joint in the Philippines. The food isn’t spectacular, but it reminds of my childhood and home.”
Michael Rohrer, Head of Software Products, steers the development of our intelligent IoT solutions builder OneMind. Curiosity to live abroad led Michael to move from his home country Austria to Barcelona 12 years ago.
“Barcelona is a great place to live. And it’s only natural that my career has led me to Worldsensing as when I was a kid, I loved playing with Fischertechnik, the technical building blocks. Already back then I was fascinated by technology, science and sensors, and now at Worldsensing, I can bring this to the next level by making a positive impact on the lives of people through my work.”
Cooking with colleagues at the Worldsensing summer BBQ brought back memories from home:
“In summer in Austria we gather around campfires with family and friends and grill sausages. Being in nature is the best way to relax. Austrian mountains are amazing, but the beaches here are great!”
Our Senior Recruiter Cátia Cunha tells us how she ended up in Barcelona and Worldsensing. Cátia has moved to Barcelona from her home country Portugal.
“I came to Barcelona to be with the love of my life. I started at Worldsensing as a freelance recruiter to help out during a busy time. With the company growing fast, the temporary need turned into a lasting one, and I moved into a permanent position. It was a random project that turned out to be one of the most interesting and most cherished ones for me.”
The Worldsensing summer BBQ made Cátia reflect on some of the differences between the cuisine in Portugal and Barcelona.
“What I miss the most from the food in Portugal is the simplicity and quality. Why? Just to give an example, the other day I bought ensaladilla rusa (potatoes, carrots, tuna, mayo, olives, egg) and they served it with jamón on the top. My question is… why? Why complicate a simple fish dish with ham? As much as I love Barcelona, I don’t get it. My favorite meal is gräo com bacalhau, which is chickpeas with codfish – simple!”
Bruno Varela, our Systems Administrator, moved to Europe from Argentina with his family when he was 18 years old. He lived and worked in Barcelona for years before relocating first to London and then to Malta. When a great job opportunity came along, he decided to move back to Argentina.
“3 years ago I moved to Buenos Aires for the next step in my career. It was great to be close to my family and friends, but I missed Barcelona too much – here you have the ocean and beaches, and the size of the city is just perfect. I wanted to return to Barcelona when I saw a job ad for Worldsensing. I hadn’t worked at an Industrial IoT company before, but it sounded very interesting. Once I started, I was even more impressed: Worldsensing has minimal hierarchy. You can present your ideas and make an impact, and the way we operate is very agile.”
The Worldsensing summer BBQ reminded Bruno of what he misses from Argentina:
“My favourite food memory from Argentina are asados, the Argentinian barbecues. We get together with friends, play football and then have a barbecue. It’s such a great way to spend time with amigos – we are very close in Argentina like that.“
Solutions Director Stéphane Eyme has joined Worldsensing this year to scale the company’s IoT software solutions business. Stéphane arrived from France to Spain in 1995 to start a scuba diving business. Finding love settled the decision to stay. Later his career took him to Accenture and Fujitsu.
“I was working at Fujitsu as a Key Account Director when a very persistent headhunter got in touch with me. At first I was a bit skeptical about working at an IoT scale-up, but soon realized that this could be something cool. A talk with Ignasi, our CEO, about the company vision got me 100% onboard. Worldsensing is fast-paced and decisions are made quickly: working here almost feels like running my own start-up, and I’m enjoying it just as much.”
The company BBQ reminded Stéphane of his favourite dish in France:
“What I really miss from France is andouillette, a very special sausage made with pork chitterlings and intestines. It’s served with french fries, and enjoyed with dry white wine. I’ve brought andouillette back to Spain for my family and in-laws. They’ve all tried it, but refuse to eat it again. I might have to accept that it’s an acquired taste appreciated only by French natives.”
About Worldsensing
Worldsensing is a widely recognized global IoT pioneer. Founded in 2008, the technology provider delivers Operational Intelligence to traditional industries and cities. With over 100 employees and offices in Barcelona, London, Los Angeles, and Singapore, Worldsensing is globally active and has customers in over 60 countries across all continents. Worldsensing’s investors include CISCO INVESTMENTS, Mitsui & Co, McRock Capital and ETF Partners among others.
Press contact:
Maite Garcia
[email protected]