VanillaPlus: What was your first job?
Tiago Rodrigues: My first ever job was as a swimming instructor teaching young children how to swim. But my first full- time job was at Portugal Telecom Group as a trainee in the Strategic Marketing team. This was how I first dipped my toes into the world of telecoms, and it was a great place to kick-start my career.
VanillaPlus: What led you into a career in telecoms?
Tiago Rodrigues: Based on my academic background, many expected my career to go down the auditing and finance route. But as soon as I was exposed to the telecoms industry, I felt very passionate about the creativity and innovation that I saw – especially at a time when telecoms was having a real impact on our way of living.
VanillaPlus: Without naming and shaming, tell us about your worst ever boss.
Tiago Rodrigues: Throughout my career I’ve been lucky enough to always report in to people that had a lot to teach me, and I always looked up to them as professionals to follow. If you look up and there is nothing you can learn or an example to follow, that’s your cue to get out and move on.
VanillaPlus: What has been your most memorable business travel experience?
Tiago Rodrigues: I was travelling to London a few years ago for a meeting which I never managed to attend due to a huge snow storm! My flight was affected so I had to pass through Bristol to reach London. I then had to travel to Paris via the Eurostar to catch the last flight back to Lisbon, before Paris airport also closed because of the weather. At times like this you have to improvise and look for creative solutions to reach where you need to be.
VanillaPlus: What has been the proudest moment in your career so far?
Tiago Rodrigues: I was especially proud of being part of a young and dynamic team that put in place the Portugal Telecom Wi-Fi business (PT Wi-Fi) more than 15 years ago. Similarly, it’s been great to be a part of the Wireless Broadband Alliance, which has grown from being a few friends meeting up, to a mid-size global trade association.
VanillaPlus: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Tiago Rodrigues: I really enjoy what I do so I see myself still working within telecoms in the next five years. Regardless of where I am in the world, I hope that I continue to meet and motivate people to get involved in the telecoms sector, to grow and to give them the support to be the best that they can be professionally. Do what you feel passion about as they say!
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