What are your main responsibilities as the CIO of Edenred in the Americas?

My current role is to provide technology services that permit our growth ambition sustainably. We must ensure a 24x7 efficient operation, with scalable infrastructure and proactive operations monitoring. We provide a secure and compliant environment protecting the interests of our users and communities where we work. We offer the best technical architecture to simplify the embedded complexity of our markets and channel the innovation that will have our solutions always ahead of the competition.

Can you briefly describe an Edenred mission in the Americas for those not already know?

We are a leading digital platform for people at work, connecting over 52 million users and more than 2 million partner merchants in 45 countries via approximately 950,000 corporate clients. We have three main businesses: one focused on employee benefits and engagement, the second one on mobility and the newest focused in the digital payment ecosystem.

Our strategic plan aims to generate sustainable and double digit-profitable growth for the company in all our regions under a powerful purpose, to enrich connections and enhance the experience of users, corporate clients and partner merchants in the workplace well-being and incentives, fleet and mobility and corporate payments segments. The growth is organic based and boosted by strategic acquisitions in our region (this year, like Sysdata, a Brazilian technology company specialised in structured networks and data transport, or Reward Gateway, the UK-based leader in employee platforms to manage employee rewards and benefits).

 Ensuring proper quality management permits us to use it for internal use cases (from customer churn management to merchant insights that we embed in our offers or administer our pricing) and create data-powered solutions that help our customers make their best choices as users of our applications 

As you are responsible for enabling the digital transformation within the company, what are your key priorities, and which challenges are you facing?

In two ways, for one, our team also creates and maintains all the system layers that transversally can be used for all our businesses, looking for the efficiency of scale and focusing our creative teams on customer-oriented best experiences. The other is the best management of our most powerful asset, the data we manage with our customers, users, and merchants. Ensuring proper quality management permits us to use it for internal use cases (from customer churn management to merchant insights that we embed in our offers or administer our pricing) and create data-powered solutions that help our customers make their best choices as users of our applications.

In your opinion, what are the leading global digital trends across the financial industry?

We live in times of aggregation of intertwined global digital trends across the financial industry:

• Digital Transformation: The financial industry is undergoing a significant digital transformation, with traditional financial institutions adopting digital technologies to enhance their services, improve operational efficiency, and stay competitive in the digital age.

• Fintech Innovation: Financial technology (fintech) companies continue to disrupt the industry by leveraging technology to offer innovative financial products and services. This includes digital payment solutions, robot advisors, peer-to-peer lending platforms, and blockchain-based applications.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML): AI and ML technologies are being deployed to improve various aspects of the financial industry. They are used for fraud detection and prevention, credit scoring, risk assessment, customer service automation, and personalised financial recommendations.

• Big Data Analytics: Financial institutions leverage big data analytics to gain insights into customer behaviour, market trends, and risk management. They use advanced analytics techniques to process large volumes of data and make data-driven decisions.

• Open Banking: Open banking initiatives are being implemented worldwide, allowing customers to share their financial data securely with authorised third-party providers. This enables the development of new financial services and fosters competition among financial institutions.

• Cybersecurity: As digital transactions increase, the importance of cybersecurity also grows. Financial institutions invest heavily in cybersecurity measures to protect customer data, prevent cyber-attacks, and comply with regulatory requirements.

Which prospective projects are you conducting?

I am blessed with a comprehensive portfolio of initiatives in the region that ensures that if you love working at Tech, you will find the perfect spot for doing what you love! I will exemplify two cases: “Go Hub” is a data-powered fleet management platform that integrates all necessary services in a single solution and source of truth. And a great example of a solution is having our customers at the centre of what they need, applying data analytics with a flawless user experience. This product was ideated in Brazil. We are implementing our roadmap to use it in all the countries where Edenred is presently focused on the sustainable growth we ambition.

Then a very different example, the deploying a new Service Desk and Field Services model for our Americas Region with our new partnership with “Kyndril”. The objective is to standardise our operations support for the prompt, personal and effective response that all our Edenred team needs. We want that the service we deliver internally mimics the one we provide in our customer satisfaction centres for our solutions, having a flawless digital workplace that avoids most of the potential issues and, when happening, solves them most effectively.

What are the keystones when building a successful Digital Strategy?  What is the end point of transformation and what do you think are the key steps CIOs must take to get there?

Several critical components can contribute to its effectiveness when building a successful digital strategy. Here are some keystones to consider: Clear Vision and Objectives of the Business; Customer-Centric Approach; Data-Driven Insights; Omni-Channel Experience; Agile and Iterative Approach; Collaboration and Partnerships; Talent and Skills Development; Robust Technology Infrastructure; Continuous Evaluation and Optimization; and Change Management and Communication.

Remember that each organization’s digital strategy may vary based on its unique circumstances and goals. Tailoring your approach to your business needs and continuously adapting to the evolving digital landscape is essential.

In your experience, do you face skill gaps in IT? What can you advise other CIOs to overcome it?

In the current scenario, organisations face several bottlenecks and challenges when finding and contracting tech talents. Some main ones include intense competition; evolving skill requirements; high salary expectations; cultural fit and team dynamics; time constraints; and lack of diversity.

To mitigate these bottlenecks, organisations can take several steps, such as: building strong employer branding and showcasing an attractive company culture to appeal to tech professionals; developing partnerships with educational institutions, coding boot camps, and industry associations to tap into emerging talent; offering competitive compensation packages and attractive benefits to attract and retain tech talent; leveraging remote work options or flexible working arrangements to expand the pool of potential candidates; among other actions.

What technological areas does Edenred prioritise in 2023 for the Mexican and LATAM markets?

We are doubling the bet on our data transformation: Edenred global data teams lead Group’s data transformation and will power our new strategic plan, BEYOND 22-25, that has just been unveiled. The Edenred Data Platform, built on Microsoft Azure cloud Technology, is connected to over 50 sources of data, among which over 1 billion transactions each year.

I want to close by fully embracing our company’s integral view of what we do and how we do it: Edenred places the Environmental Social and Governance ESG dimensions at the heart of everything, topping the importance of our extra-financial commitments.