Call For Leaders 2021 | Farlei Kothe (Stefanini EMEA): Times of adversity prove to be ripe for innovation

Mihai-Alexandru Cristea 14/04/2021 | 12:17

The Call For Leaders interview series reached its third phase, with the established 3Q format having received a revamp for 2021. The original Call For Leaders 3Q and its sequel, Call For Leaders – Back in Business, have seen us talking to quite a diverse roster of business leaders in Romania, representing top companies and various industries. Our 3Q for 2021, which are based on the principles of business optimism, business solidarity, and innovation, were answered this time by Farlei Kothe, Stefanini EMEA CEO.

 

After a difficult 2020 year, how do you think business optimism will be influenced in 2021?

Watching the progress of the vaccines and the vaccination campaigns, I think we do have reasons for optimism in 2021. Hopefully, the good lessons of 2020 will stay with us, while the threat itself will be neutralized.

In August 2020 Farlei Kothe announced the ”Stefanini Everywhere” project, through which the company explores the implementation of new work models and extensive recruitment. Through the project, Stefanini is aiming to have around 50% of its employees around the world working remote by March 2022. „We want to continue growing our team, and the good news is that the new working model allows us to achieve this without having to expand our presence in new office buildings, cities, or countries. The Stefanini Everywhere project allows us to be more flexible and to have more diverse teams. Currently, we are testing new formats and analyzing what works best in our teams, so that we can co-create the best solutions together with, and for, our clients. It’s true that we already had these plans, but we were expecting a much slower transition. Practically, we achieved in just three months what we had planned for three years and we are delighted that everyone adapted and mobilized so well and fast.” Said Farlei Kothe, CEO Stefanini EMEA about the project.

 

How will your company be involved in the development of your industry, and also in the recovery of other sectors which were affected by the pandemic?

2020 has given digitalization quite a push, and we have worked hard in the past 13 months or so to help as many clients, old and new, to transition to the world of online collaboration and true workforce mobility. We had foreseen such a development and have conceptualized it with Stefanini Everywhere – a vision of people being able to work from wherever, with whoever they need to to complete specific projects – but obviously we could not have anticipated that our outlook of progress would be promoted by a pandemic.

2020 has revealed new and diverse ways for us to help our clients, and that has determined us to expand our portfolio even further, with more and more complementary tech services. We are, therefore, continuing this trend in 2021, we will add more capabilities and competencies and we will do so both by developing our internal talent and via mergers and acquisitions.

 

How will you approach innovation and new investments in 2021?

We are constantly investing in innovation, so 2021 will be, from this perspective, business as usual. With more clients and more projects, we will have even more opportunities to come up with new solutions and to test even more technological innovations. Strangely enough, times of adversity prove to be ripe for innovation and this time makes no exception.

“Our recently opened Security Operations Center (SOC) in Bucharest is equipped with highly specialized #cybersecurity experts to cover our customers’ needs for the EMEA region. Our cybersecurity experts are raising the importance of using a proper methodology together with a highly skilled specialist team and advanced tools. A proactive approach is always the way to go. More and more we see around us, the risks about cyber.” Farlei Kothe said about Stefanini’s focus on cibersecurity in 2021.

BR Magazine | Latest Issue

Download PDF: Business Review Magazine March (II) 2024 Issue

The March (II) 2024 issue of Business Review Magazine is now available in digital format, featuring the main cover story titled “BAT DBS Romania Hub: A Vibrant New Office For An Employee-Centric
Mihai-Alexandru Cristea | 27/03/2024 | 17:32
Advertisement Advertisement
Close ×

We use cookies for keeping our website reliable and secure, personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to analyse how our website is used.

Accept & continue