In a visionary strategic move, we’re thrilled to announce that Abstracta will now be under the leadership of two co-CEOs. Matias Reina has been steering the company to success since 2017. He will now share the helm with Sofía Palamarchuk. Sofía, director and previous CEO of our US operations, has played a pivotal role in Abstracta’s US expansion.
This shift to a dual leadership model comes from our belief in the power of collaboration. We’re convinced that two leaders, with their unique skills and experiences, can better navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities in today’s fast-paced market.
What Does It Mean to Be a Co-CEO?
The executive co-leadership represents a leadership model where two individuals jointly hold the CEO position and the responsibility for leading the company.
Companies like Netflix, Salesforce, and Spotify have embraced this model. They’ve shown how effective co-leadership can be with Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos, Marc Benioff and Keith Block, and Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon at their helms.
“By leading together, we tap into diverse perspectives and strategic insights crucial for decision-making and management. This approach also amplifies our commitment to collaboration, teamwork, and empowerment, the core values at Abstracta,” Matias shares.
Sofía adds, “This leadership evolution positions us for greater growth and innovation. It’s especially timely as we expand into new markets like Colombia and diversify our services.”
Why Adopt This Model at Abstracta Now?
Sofía answers, “We’re convinced that by joining forces, we’ll form a stronger team ready to tackle the new growth phase ahead. This implies forging new partnerships in Colombia and the US, expanding our service offerings, and embracing the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence.”
Below, we highlight some advantages of this collaboration:
Skill and Experience Complementarity:
Matias and Sofía bring their unique strengths, weaknesses, and knowledge to the table. This synergy ensures a well-rounded, innovative approach to steering Abstracta forward.
Diverse Perspectives:
As a director, Sofía has always provided a holistic strategic vision. Now, in her new role, she will intensify her impact on the day-to-day of Abstracta, with new ideas and approaches that complement and enrich Matias’s vision as well as our company’s culture.
Equal Leadership:
Sofía and Matias will equally share decision-making, strategic planning, and management. This step symbolizes equitable and democratic leadership, with a more holistic approach in the direction of Abstracta.
Teamwork and Collaboration:
Teamwork and empowerment are part of our core values. This decision fully reflects who we are as a company and strengthens our culture. The collaboration between the Co-CEOs sets an example for the entire Abstracta team to work synergistically towards shared goals.
In the First Person
How will Abstracta’s leadership dynamic change?
Sofía: Matías has been a great leader at Abstracta. Under his guidance, we have managed to grow and continue innovating in development and testing. The CEO role can be very lonely, and by joining him, we will be able to not only share responsibilities but also make decisions more quickly, confidently in each other’s abilities, and learn from each other’s leadership.
Matias: While Sofía and I have already collaborated through the C-suite team and on the board, in this new dynamic we will be working more closely. We will focus on some issues separately (always with mutual support) and others together, according to priorities each quarter. As co-CEOs, we will report to the board and different stakeholders on progress in objectives and strategic initiatives.
Sofía’s new role will allow her to empower herself more in every instance she participates, both internally and externally, and benefit the entire company through her strategic vision.
How do you plan to divide or share leadership responsibilities at Abstracta?
Matias: Although I believe it will be dynamic and we will adjust it year by year according to Abstracta’s objectives, initially Sofía will focus more on development in the USA and I will be focused on LATAM.
On the other hand, Sofía will continue contributing to marketing and probably start collaborating with the sustainability team to leverage the area and become more immersed in the financial details of the company.
I will contribute in the area of Innovation, with the diversification of services, and with the development of products that elevate our productivity and the quality of what we do.
Moreover, each of us will support different strategic initiatives and specific business areas in which we can add more value, according to what we decide together, based on where Abstracta needs us the most.
What challenges and opportunities do you anticipate with the transition to a co-CEO model?
Sofia: The biggest challenge I see at the beginning is ensuring that the team knows who to turn to in case they need to consult with a CEO, especially since our focus may shift year by year.
This can be resolved with new communication mechanisms, like having a unique CEO email at [email protected]. Having two people available for certain topics is very positive.
Another challenge is not to delay decision-making and to keep our visions aligned, to generate trust in us as a team. By seeking better solutions to each challenge and having greater resilience in the face of eventualities, we now have a great opportunity to take Abstracta to the next level.
We are at an exciting moment in our history, with more than 15 years in the market, offices in Uruguay, Chile, the United States, and the recent addition of Colombia. This change represents a step forward in the evolution of our company and the expansion into new horizons.
About Abstracta
Founded in Uruguay in 2008, Abstracta is a global leader in software quality. The company offers holistic and cutting-edge solutions for continuous delivery of top-tier software, in times of accelerated digital transformation.
With offices in the United States and various countries in Europe and Latin America, we are dedicated to testing and developing innovative products and custom tools, strongly based on Artificial Intelligence.
We have experience not only with open-source and cutting-edge testing tools but also specialized for financial, retail, health, and high-tech companies, such as BBVA, Santander, Shutterfly, GeneXus, and CA Technologies.
Abstracta’s testing products include GXtest, used in more than 15 countries worldwide, and Apptim, an innovative tool for mobile app testing.
Our collaboration with startups and Fortune 500 corporations reflects the versatility and effectiveness of our services.
Year after year, we organize different types of events focused on software quality, and share our knowledge through conferences such as Quality Sense Conf, courses at Abstracta Academy, the Quality Sense y The Everything Else podcasts, articles, and more. Additionally, we have programs like ReconverTite, to help in the development of the communities where we are located.
Our humanist culture has been highlighted in multiple rankings. Since 2021, we have collaborated with the UN as part of the Executive Council of the Global Compact. We have initiatives and perform actions that support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals of “Health and Well-being,” “Gender Equality,” and “Decent Work and Economic Growth,” which are fundamental and strategic globally.
Networking allows us to share knowledge, technologies, and opportunities, with the aim of redefining standards of excellence and positively impacting society through increasingly higher quality, smarter, and also more humane software.
Are you looking for a quality partner? We invite you to learn about our services on our website.
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