Belen Santibañez – Training and helping others makes you grow

Belén is a Telecommunications engineer who soon realized that she was not cut out for the world specifically related to her field of studies. She found herself working in the steel-metal sector almost by accident, and after twelve years of performing a broad array of tasks, she is now Scrum Master for one of the teams developing BySoft Business, a digital operation platform to manage the end to end data flow of a sheet metal business.

Belén attended the School of Engineering in Bilbao, conducting her studies in the Basque language, which meant there were few students and, curiously, a similar number of men and women, which is most unusual in engineering degrees. When she completed her studies, she was awarded a research grant related to the field of virtual reality, and then went on to join a company that was also involved in these matters. It was an enriching experience but it had little to do with telecommunications, so she decided to explore other options more suited to the expertise she had acquired at university.

This led to a move to Madrid, where she joined Ericsson. She worked in the field of networks. The main drawback she faced was the lack of visibility of the end results of her work and the fact that she had little input into them. She has fond memories of her time at the company, but she did not find the work fulfilling.

My degree introduced me to the world of programming and I ended up working in software in one way or another right from the start of my professional career

Belén then embarked upon a professional journey that would bring her to Kurago, combining work experiences that led her to the sheet-metal industry, first in matters related to 3D for five-axis machines, which she admits she found engrossing right from the start because it was all very visual. Following an initial stage dedicated to development in which she worked on several products, the know-how she gained on the market enabled her to carry out duties more closely related to analysis.

At Kurago, she works as Scrum Master for one of the BySoft Business teams, a digital operation platform that is solving the complete end-to-end for a sheet metal enterprise. Her main role in the team is to analyze the various functionalities that need to be resolved and act as the go-to person to ensure the team can focus on development unhindered.

One of the things Belén highlights is that the team always works with the customer’s expectations in mind, analyzing what is wanted with a view to providing the most suitable solution in each case. Teams can make an impact throughout the entire process by contributing their knowledge not only by solving a specific requirement but also by exploring how to do so in order to obtain the outcome that best adapts to and fits the rest of the system. This is something that Belén rates very highly, as well as being able to see the results of their work.

We analyze the progress made every three weeks, which gives us feedback on our work and enables us to realign it if necessary. All this helps us to provide the customer with what they really need

Belén finds that working in a relatively small group is an advantage because it means being closer to the people you work with on a day-to-day basis, as well as with all the other teams and, in short, with all the other people involved in the project.

What she likes about Kurago is that she is working in a dynamic organization, one that is constantly evolving. She is especially excited by mentoring others that are following a similar path to her own.

New people are hired that need to be trained and coached. That’s fantastic, not only because of what it means for them or in terms of talent for the team, but also because it involves my own personal growth

Belén tells us that she likes being able to enjoy these other facets of her job, not only the technical side. All this is thanks to the Kurago approach to work: a liquid organization in which teams are reassembled depending on needs, which admittedly poses a challenge, but also presents the possibility of introducing new systems, working with people with different backgrounds, carrying out diverse duties, and cooperating all together with a view to responding to users’ needs, as the focus of all the work carried out at Kurago.

More about myself…

• Experience: over twelve years working in this industry, involving all kinds of jobs, positions and duties.
• Qualifications: Degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the School of Engineering in Bilbao.
• Motivation: the fact that we are always swapping roles means that I always have a new challenge, and I find that highly motivating, as I never reach a point where my job becomes monotonous or boring.

My likes…

• A book: I like crime stories, and the last book I read was “El baile de las marionetas”-
• A series or film: Life is Beautiful.
• Favorite time of day: supper, because that’s the only meal we all have together. Besides, my children tend to talk about the highlights of their day.
• A hobby: handicraft. I love making costumes for the carnivals, dressing up in general… I am the queen of foam rubber.