Celebrating 20 years at Atlantic is a big milestone so we took the time to interview Andrea Gattia, our VP CRM Solutions, working in Atlantic since February 2001.
Andrea, let’s step back in time. What is your first memory since starting at Atlantic?
I distinctly remember meeting Marcelo, founder and CEO of Atlantic Technologies, and my new colleagues in the coffee lounge at the office. It was a bit emotional. My first impression was that of a very close-knit and competent group of people who were all together. I had worked at another consulting company for 3 years and here in Atlantic I was the first functional consultant in the CRM Area. My first thought was, which I believe is common, “How can I bring value to such a close-knit group of people? Will I make an impact?”
At first glance, it seems that you have succeeded! Would you have expected to stay at the same company for 20 years?
The answer is obvious, although I didn’t think so at first. I can now look back and reflect, with the awareness that I’ve traveled an important “journey” in my life and with my colleagues, whom I respect and who recognize me as a true value to the team. I have had the opportunity to meet many of our extraordinary clients, learned about the markets and workforce and I’ve come to appreciate my contribution to the many diverse business processes in and out of Atlantic.
I’ve just taken a browse through my pre-sales and customer directory of my PC: Incredible, but I counted more than 370 companies that I’ve had contact with over the years. It can certainly be said that I’ve not been bored!
What has changed for Andrea Gattia?
Every role has its complexities, but also challenges that must be faced every day. The first one is certainly the role of business operations: it is nice to become a manager but this involves moving away from the details of individual projects. The second and most important has been to delegate. When you are a junior you collaborate with the team, and you need to be responsible for your specific tasks on the team. Instead, as a Business Unit (BU) Manager, one must value every single employee and recognize the good fortune of having extraordinary and professional and reliable people around who help make changes in a company.
This has also given me the opportunity to dedicate myself to other activities, such as personnel and project coordination and business development. These are tasks that I would have found hard to accomplish 20 years ago.
On a personal level, however, I really miss the continuity of informal discussions with my colleagues, especially in this period of Covid. I also don’t have time for the animated football discussions on Monday mornings anymore!
Fast Forward to today, what has changed at Atlantic?
Many things have changed: our new and modern office in Milan, the opening of our UK and Denver offices, and our logo and recent new branding efforts (by the way, I really like the new look & feel!). Some of my colleagues who have accompanied me on this journey over the years, have understood the factors that have always characterized Atlantic from the beginning and that I had already recognized in the first days: the professionalism, the passion, the customer orientation, and the pleasure of working together.
The other common thread has been the choices Atlantic has made over time and that have turned out to be strategic, from the partnership with Salesforce to the transition to our exclusive ERP True Cloud with Oracle JD Edwards, to Tableau, just to name a few. This has allowed us to constantly evolve, enhancing internal skills, integrating them with new ones, and opening up new markets.
At the core of everything, obviously Marcelo has given his personal imprint to Atlantic and he has successfully guided us over the years as a leading and independent company in a competitive market like ours.
What’s next?
Fortunately, change is an opportunity. Experience tells us that we need to continue to evolve and update ourselves to be ready to offer what the market and our clients ask for. The challenges will always exist and they’ll always be new and unexpected, as we’ve had to live in the last year of Covid. We must also be aware that we are privileged to be able to work in an industry that can bring value and innovation to companies and our society, and more generally can contribute positively to people’s lives. With this, comes a real responsibility. It is certainly a priority at the company level to ensure that people continue to find stimulation and a collaborative environment, where they can make their own significant contribution, and where they can grow professionally and personally thanks to new and challenging experiences.
What would you like to say to all the people who are sharing a piece of their professional life with you right now?
Thanks to all of the #AtlanticPeople for sharing their journey and contributing to my growth. I am truly confident that by leveraging the values we have worked so hard to attain, we can continue distinguishing ourselves as a strong IT consulting company. Together as a team we can achieve even greater satisfaction in the coming years: the best is yet to come!
Thanks also to our Customers and Partners with whom we have collaborated over the years: I am very pleased that we’ve worked to establish a real relationship of trust and teamwork throughout the years. These are fundamental elements for successfully facing the challenges associated with an innovation path.
Thanks for this trust that has allowed us to evolve and innovate together!
