Isabel Margarido

A commercially aware senior programme director experienced in delivering value to customers across a broad range of business areas while transforming the business for innovation opportunities and taking on new challenges. 

My empathetic style of leadership enables me to quickly establish relationships with customers and stakeholders across the business. I motivate the people who I work with, collaborate with peers, and lead for high performance ensuring the business has the information and recommendations it needs for strategic decisions.

20 years successfully leading Systems Engineering teams, transforming businesses to successfully attain their business, follow a sound strategy and have a well defined roadmap.
I have worked on a diverse range of businesses, having commercial awareness, sense of opportunity and facing wisely facing challenges, leading teams, collaborating cross-departments, involving executives, stakeholders, customers and/or end clients. Being customer centric and promoting active communication are key on achieving success and all involved organisations' business goals.

On my professional career I worked on multiple projects and customers, identified and led strategic and process improvement initiatives contributing to organisations growth.
Founded and Managed two departments (at Milénio 3 and Critical Software), helped found other two (at Sonae) and defined a new innovation department (at Capgmenini Engineering). While working at Critical Software I worked with my Manager and a CEO to help found Mindera, that grew from 0 to 85 people in around 1 year.

The need to make Engineering practices easier and manageable, particularly on digital businesses led me to successfully pursue a PhD in Informatics Engineering, on the area of Quantitative Management. I received the title in 2016 and continue my research, while embracing other areas related with leadership and business.

Doctor of Informatics Engineering, at FEUP, since 2016.  In collaboration and funded by FCT and Critical Software, working with the SEI (USA) and involving organisations and universities around the world. My PhD thesis focused on understanding the root causes of the problem of poor performance in high maturity organisations, providing strategies to implement good practices and using mathematical models to evaluate the quality of those practices' implementation.
Graduated (licenciatura pré-bolonha) in Electronics and Computers Engineering, at FEUP (since 2005). Specialised in the field of Telecommunications, Electronics. Systems and Computers. Started to work at Milénio 3 in the area of Informatics Engineering on my second year of studies. Participated in the ERASMUS program at INSA de Lyon (2004-2005), in the departments of Telecommunications and Electronics, and enlarging my curricular classes to include Marketing and Negotiation, Data Analysis and Middleware (that were not particularly taught in Portugal at the time). 

Fluent in 4 languages: Portuguese, English, French and Spanish. Began learning German, with 19/20 on A1.