Unlike many people looking forward to what they expect of the future, I want to look backwards to see what I’ve learned and achieved in the past ten years. These past ten years have been really life changing for me, and it’s a combination of personal and professional stories that have got me to what and where I am now in 2021.
In 2010, I was still in Peru started my own soul searching after some “bumps” i got during the previous year trying to get back to student life. In 2010 I decided to quit my 10-year career as a marketing guy, quit my job as a Brand Portfolio Manager and started seeing what could be possible. I even started exploring my entrepreneurial blood with a tiny start of a Yelp-type of service with my friend Ana Sofia. Learning from Jose Luis and Yolanda on how they took every startup was enlightening. I learned that I need to be surrounded by entrepreneurs to know what it feels. Having the stability of a full time job for a company sort of blocked my entrepreneurial spirit, which didn’t go that far because I stumbled upon new opportunities.
It was still early 2010 when I read a Fast Company article on how Tom Kelly (founder of IDEO) dealt with cancer. In that article I learned about Patrick Whitney, who was the dean of IIT Institute of Design in Chicago at that time. I googled it and thought it was the program I was looking for. After applying, being accepted, a short visit to Chicago (I didn’t even know where in the US it was!), getting a loan (still paying it!) and a visa, this guy from Chiclayo was ready to move from Chiclayo to Lima to Chicago.
My masters degree at ID was supposed to make me a better marketer. It led me to quit marketing instead and opened new spaces I never thought I would explore. From social aspects of living “on the go”; to understanding food addicts; to thinking of the future of a newspaper in Columbus, Ohio; to redefining retirement planning for the boomers; to understanding remote work, and creating an app to make a better world, among other projects and clients I worked with. It taught me something I had to learn while making an effort to unlearn from my past: Users are People, not markets. And under this perspective is how I go on now. A conversation with Tom made me focus on my strengths rather than on my weaknesses (“I don’t have a design background”) and a conversation with Larry made me believe I am a designer and that I need a portfolio even if my focus is on design strategy. This conversation also encouraged me to extend the program one more semester (taking less credits) so I could absorb and digest all the new information I was getting. Oh, and will never forget Patrick's patience when I was frustrated with the design approach: "are you an engineer or a business person? - Ok, let's take a seat".
Extending the program took me to apply for internships and to learn #whynot - and during the spring/summer 2011, after evaluating a couple options, I decided to take one in Madrid, at Telefonica R&D. It also took me to India to work in the first version of the India Immersion Program in Mumbai, working at Godrej Ltd. in defining the future of living in Mumbai. It also took me to Sao Paulo to see the design scene there and prove the powerful network the ID was.
2010-2011 were not only the years I made new friends but also the years I got back in touch with old friends from Peru living in Europe. 2012 was the time to explore new things, freelancing with ID (with Marilee) and Roots (with Cath and Brian), applying for a work visa in Spain and finally, moving to Madrid.
Moving to Madrid was a choice I took. Having some options of going back to Peru, moving to Brazil, or even staying in the US I thought “What’s the option that will give me more stories to tell?” - And Madrid seemed to be the answer. Conversations with Hugh, Kim and Tomoko were also helpful in making a decision. While I waited for the visa I learned how Spanish bureaucracy is and also how welcoming some (not all) people from Spain were.
Getting to Madrid in 2012 was overall great. Working with a team I knew from my internships made the transition and onboarding easier. It was in Spain, in a random bar conversation where I faced my first of many contacts with racism: “So you came from Peru already with a job?” - “well, no precisely. I just came from Chicago” - “ah ok, now I get it” (sic)
Getting to the Telefonica R&D team in Madrid represented a triple jump as some friend told me: new career, new industry, new geography. And it was fun and rewarding. Having the chance to bring user and business perspective in topics such as social innovation in Brazil, financial services for merchants, new TV services, exploring the beginnings of wearables, understanding the world of insurance telematics, giving smart cities a new perspective, exploring intrapreneurship or making sense of IoT. That was enriching. And also getting my first opportunities to speak in international and local conferences, volunteering to find the value of design in Business with DMI, and to teach in several schools was something I would have never expected. I couldn’t have achieved all these with the colleagues I had that now I can call my friends. And a boss who was caring enough to ask all the time “how are you? are you having fun?”
It was five years at Telefonica honing my design research and strategy skills while learning a little bit more of technology. Always with the idea of making technology that is more human and that makes sense. After those five years I got the chance to explore the world of design consulting at Fjord. Something I’d never had the chance to work for (besides school work with real clients). I can say that despite the ups and downs, the net result is still positive. Learning from big corporations from different industries and facing many people’s obsession of technology for the sake of technology are challenges I still deal with. Bringing user perspective is the activity I enjoy the most. Making clients understand what people think and challenge clients’ own orthodoxies are key to bring new ideas. I’m also learning from the industries I work with and the clients as individuals with their own goals, aspirations and frustrations. Being surrounded by some brilliant designers is always encouraging. Being supported by them, leading some teams and also being able to share my experience with them is an honor I’m really proud of.
In the personal side, I’ve learned more about the fragility of life, the tricks our mind play to ourselves, and to appreciate the moments of joy and the importance of work life balance. I met and married a person that makes me laugh and shows me what matters every day. I’ve reaffirmed the importance of good friends and a good network. I tried new sports, new flavors, fresh feelings…
What would I like to achieve in the next ten years? I have some clear thoughts in my mind. And I’ll share them over a conversation.
These are some of the names that came to my mind while writing this. I might be missing many people but I want to thank them all. Juan Diego, Alejandro, Juani, Dante, Paola, Ana Sofia, Jose Luis, Yolanda, Marilee, Tom, Tomoko, Kim, David, Vijay, Brianna, Anijo, Patrick, Cath, Brian, Leticia, Reena, Sajid, Mr. Rid, Jus, Jess, Stef, Luis, Jose, Jose Manuel, Paloma, Ana, Aitor, Pablo, Sandra, Antonio, Paco, Marco, Ricardo, Ana, Remko, Oscar, Carlos, Javier, Rafa, Paula, Susana, Pamela, Lucho, Ana, Paola, Bea, Sergio, David, Andy, George, Roberto, Danilo, Carlos, Blanca