Discover the journey of a Brazilian immigrant turned HR leader in Canada's tech industry, fostering diversity and growth at Infostrux.
Let's start from the top. Tell us a bit about your background.
I was born and raised in Brazil, where I grew up in an almost all-girls family with many pets, horses, and a ton of beach time. After completing a diploma in Hospitality Management, I moved to Canada on my own, seeking a safer and more stable life. I worked hard to start my adult life from scratch here, became a certified HR professional, built a career as a technology recruiter and HR leader, and was fortunate enough to stumble upon wonderful people along the way who have always supported me and propelled me forward (a few of which I still work with at Infostrux!)
Why technology? What brought you to this industry?
Technology is in everything we do, and understanding it helps me understand the world around me, which is why I'm drawn to tech in general. Although I'm not a coder, I have taken a few programming courses out of curiosity to become a better tech recruiter. Vancouver has a tight tech community, with so many interesting companies and products, and I've been highly involved with it not only as a recruiter for multiple technology companies but also through the BC Tech Association, where I acted as a Talent Program Manager for years.
What is most exciting about the work you do right now? What does work-life look like for you?
Currently, I'm the Talent Director at Infostrux, and my primary mandate is to ensure that our team is well taken care of. From sourcing and hiring talented professionals to running day-to-day people operations, managing compensation and benefits, organizing learning opportunities, or supporting diversity initiatives, everything our team does is focused on fostering a positive work culture so that our people can grow and thrive as professionals with us. This is what excites me most about the work our team does: helping great people land their dream jobs and seeing how far they go and how much they grow when given the right opportunities and support.
You are a senior female professional in a male-dominated industry. How does that impact your work?
Although I am outnumbered as a female, we are fortunate to have a leadership team that is highly diverse in terms of geographical backgrounds, so we still get a good diversity of thoughts and viewpoints when it comes to our discussions and decision-making as a team. Each one of us brings something different to the table, and that mix of backgrounds and experiences helps us all to consider other perspectives and grow constantly.
As a woman and an immigrant to Canada, you must have faced multiple obstacles in your journey. What were the biggest lessons you took from these personal experiences that helped you get to where you are today in your career?
Moving to a new country on my own at 20 required courage and resilience. I had to work harder than everyone around me to make up for the fact that I didn't have Canadian experience, that I had an accent, and that I wasn't fully "acclimatized" with the work culture. I had to deal with the unknown, learn to be creative and find a solution even when there was no clear path forward, get along with anyone and everyone, set an end goal and take one step at a time toward it with determination and patience. Most of all, I had to trust and believe in my own capacity to survive, to adapt, and to thrive. And I did, from a personal and professional perspective. That determination, that resilience, and that belief in myself I still bring into every job and everything I do.
Who are you outside of work? What are your passions and interests that your co-workers may not know yet?
I love music! I play guitar, percussion, and sing Brazilian music with my band (@bomtomband) in various venues and parties in town.
I definitely have the travel bug and have visited over 40 countries (and counting) so far. Life is too short to be stuck in one place!
Every couple of years I disappear from my day job for a few weeks to follow the Olympics and Paralympics Games, which is an experience unlike any other - talk about determination, adaptability, resilience, and grit! I have been involved with the Games since 2010 and hope to experience many more still.
Last but not least, I'm a proud mother and dog lover. I have a 13-year-old yorkie and a 10-year-old daughter who make my life much brighter and happier every day!
What piece of advice would you offer to women who are also looking to grow and leave their mark in the tech industry?
Don't label yourself as a woman, as an immigrant, as a minority group. Study hard, work hard, go after what you want. Don't be shy to negotiate, to ask for that promotion or that salary increase, to own that project, or to lead that team. It doesn't matter if you are the only woman in the room, what matters is what you bring to the table. Prove that through your work. Become the professional you want to be and value yourself as the professional you know you are - others will follow suit.
