Meet Fernanda Murillo, Marketing Specialist, Americas Field and Partner Marketing at Progress

We’d like to introduce you to some of the people from around the world who make us who we are at Progress. In this post, meet Fernanda Murillo, marketing specialist for the Americas Field and Partner Marketing at Progress.

Fernanda is one of those people whose energy and enthusiasm cannot go unnoticed. A global citizen, who puts her strengths into making the world a better place, you will often find her reading history books, planning a trip across the world or catching up with family and friends. At work, she defines her role as the “bridge” between the sales and marketing teams, one that is very close to her understanding of the world.

Fernanda, we are in the midst of the Hispanic Heritage Month and I know that you are originally from Mexico City. Tell us more about how you ended up coming to the States.

I moved with my family almost 10 years ago, so you could say that I had my entire experience as a young adult over here. Back in the day, my mom was offered a promotion, which she couldn’t refuse. However, she had to relocate either to the U.S. or to Singapore. The family council got together and decided to stay close to our relatives, so we chose to come to Boston. Mexican people tend to be very family-oriented, so whenever there’s a big decision coming up, everyone has to voice their opinion on the matter.

I was about to start my last year of high school at the time. It was a stressful time for me, especially having to apply for colleges, while getting used to the American education system. However, it did teach me to be adaptable and to always keep a positive outlook on life.

Fast forward four years later, I had graduated college with a dual major in marketing, and finance and economics, and I was headed to New York to start working with the United Nations.

See more about Hispanic Heritage Month

What did you do at the United Nations and how did you end up in the technology sector?

I’ve always been passionate about international relations and different cultures. So, when I got an offer to work for a UN program, which helps people in developing countries find funding to start their own projects and businesses, it was a no-brainer for me.

While on the job, I did a lot of financial planning and research. It was also there where I got persuaded even more that technology is crucial in the development in communities and nations. That is why when I felt that I needed to move on, I looked for a job in the tech sector, because I knew I could make a change with my work there. I ended up in a marketing position at Ipswitch, which was later acquired by Progress.

Getting acquired by another company is an intriguing process for everyone, which doesn’t happen often. How was your experience with it?

My role revolves around field marketing and partner marketing activities for the CALA region, including a close cooperation with our major distributors, which I was already used to doing. The biggest challenge, however, was gaining my team’s trust. After the acquisition, I was the new one on the team, everyone had been working together for several years, so I wanted to show my colleagues that they can rely on me. It took some time and lots of hard work, but now I can say that we’re a very close-knit team.

Having a close connection with your colleagues always helps get the job done better. What is your favorite memory with the team?

Our CALA team is in different parts of North America and South America—I am in Boston, we have people in Florida, but also in Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. My favorite time of the year is when everyone gets together for a planning meeting, which usually happens once. It feels like the family is coming back together and everyone wants to share what they’ve been up to the past months. Whenever we can’t meet in person, we’ll hop on a virtual session to catch up.

Where would we find you after the workday is over?

Taking a walk outside or in the kitchen. Cooking is my time to relax. I also like trying out new recipes from around the world and expanding my knowledge on different cuisines.

Learn about Hispanic food

What is one thing that not too many people know about you?

I love reading history books. I think we can learn a lot from the past and it’s just so interesting to find out how people have lived back in the day and what triggered the different events.

Thanks to this passion of mine, I’ve been wanting to visit all wonders of the world. At first, I wanted to do that in two years, but with the pandemic in place it will take a bit longer. So far, I have visited Petra in Jordan, Chichenitzá in Mexico, Taj Mahal in India, and I have five more to go.

To get to know other Progressers like Fernanda, read more of our Progress employee interviews here.

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