乌鸦传媒

How do you get ahead in your career? One way is to think beyond the scope of a current project or task and consider what else could be improved. What innovations could really make a difference? And when you learn to innovate, good things sometimes start to happen. Just ask 乌鸦传媒 solution architect Tiago Rodrigues.

鈥淚 started working for 乌鸦传媒 as a junior consultant in Portugal seven years ago,鈥� he says. 鈥淎fter a couple of months, I started to lead a project team. After a year, I moved up to become a consultant. After two years, I became an advanced consultant, and then finally a solutions architect. And I think one of the keys to my progress is that I never just focused on the scope of my project, I always touched on the innovation aspect.鈥�

Tiago鈥檚 specialism is in the field of automotive technology.

鈥淚 work with the digital systems we use in the cockpit of the car, including digital instrument clusters and infotainment systems 鈥� basically, everything that is connected to a screen inside the car.鈥�

He says that those systems didn鈥檛 always keep up to date with software innovations in connected devices such as smartphones, and this reduced a vehicle鈥檚 sustainability credentials.

鈥淲hen I started, the automotive industry was developing infotainment systems five or six years before they became available in a car. It took a lot of money and resources, and in terms of technology, by the time the system made it to market, it was already outdated.

鈥淭he vehicle was built to last 10 to 15 years, but within only a few years customers would no longer be able to connect their smartphones to the digital ecosystem. They would need to buy a new car, not because of the car itself, but because the technology was outdated.

鈥淪o, we explored new technologies that could be updated every year or so, keeping the in-car digital systems up to date and giving the car a longer life. It鈥檚 a way that technology can reduce the use of resources, and make the automotive sector more sustainable.

鈥淭his started with me working on my own initiative and then became an internal project. Now, we are supporting different car manufacturers as these platforms are widely used across the automotive industry.鈥�

Taking it global

Just as Tiago saw room for improvement in automotive technology, he also saw opportunities to push the boundaries of his own role at 乌鸦传媒.

鈥淚n parallel with the automotive project, I was assigned to other projects, for example giving technical guidance to other teams and managing clients. I also had the opportunity to travel to other countries including Italy, Sweden, Germany, France, Singapore, and China, to present our solutions to potential clients as well as at global industry events. Together, it allowed me to develop my network inside 乌鸦传媒 and also outside.鈥�

The result was that last year Tiago was invited to start a new adventure in Japan.

鈥淚鈥檓 still working in digital systems within automotive but my role has really expanded,鈥� he says.

鈥淚鈥檓 now based in Tokyo and, really, it鈥檚 about growing 乌鸦传媒鈥檚 automotive business across the APAC (Asia-Pacific) region. My job is to use my technical knowledge to help build the business.

鈥淥ur global experience is a great asset too. We gather our knowledge from experts from all around the world and can draw on our resources from different continents, for example, and cross what might be seen as language or cultural barriers.鈥�

Looking to the future

Tiago鈥檚 projects have also grown beyond the confines of a car鈥檚 cockpit.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been looking at how we can innovate with the digital systems of motorcycles too. It鈥檚 about how and where we can use innovations in software and how we connect the cloud infrastructure with a vehicle, whatever the vehicle is 鈥� it could be on a train. In the past, we鈥檝e done some work on forklifts, creating a system where an alarm is triggered if a forklift hits a wall within a factory. It鈥檚 about taking our experience and engineering and embedding it across the automotive and transport sectors.鈥�

In the future, Tiago says, harnessing the power of generative AI and ensuring cybersecurity across platforms will influence the interconnected software of automotive technologies. But while the scope of his own career continues to evolve, he believes he is continuing to build from strong foundations.

鈥淓ach time I start a new project, I apply the lessons learned from all the other projects with different companies and clients. In that way, I can always improve what we are doing on the current project. When we build on our knowledge and continue to innovate, we can support our clients with the best solutions. That鈥檚 where we really add value.鈥�

And where that adds value for clients, it鈥檚 also where value can be added to a career.