BIO – VICTOR SIERRA
Víctor Sierra is the chairman and CEO of everis in the USA and also manages the HR function in the Americas region. He joined the company in ’99.
everis is a leading business and technology consulting firm in America and Europe, with more than 17,000 consultants working around the globe. In 2013 was acquired by NTTData, one of the largest consulting companies in the world.
Víctor started his professional career in Madrid, Spain, working for Pesa Electronica running R&D projects for the European Space Agency. After that, he moved to Banco Santander where he worked for nine years leading corporate worldwide projects in the telecommunications area.
Víctor lives in the Washington DC metro area since 2010, he is a native of Madrid, Spain.
1.- How many years has everis been in the USA and what were the motivations to come to this market?
We began our journey in the USA on April, 5th, 2010. I remember when I landed at Dulles airport, recently opened after several days of intense snow storms, with two suitcases loaded full of dreams.
everis is a global company, part of NTT DATA group, that began operations in Spain in 1996. Since then, we have been serving clients around the world from South Africa to Belgium, from Australia to Mexico. In 2010, we had offices in 9 countries and a strong presence in Latin America but we were missing the largest market in the world, the USA, which is full of opportunities for a company like ours. This is why we began this adventure by opening our offices in Washington D.C.
2.- What were the main challenges faced when you arrived in the USA? And now, since everis is consolidated in this country?
It was very hard in the beginning. Obtaining a contract costs so much. Our company was totally unknown in this market. Our first revenue was in August of 2010 and it was very small, only $1,773. We overcame the initial challenges, began our growth path and we didn’t stop.
In my opinion, the main challenge we faced in 2010 and we still face every day is the cultural barriers. Our cultural fit affects all aspects of the company including how you sell and serve your clients, how you hire the best talent and integrate in the company. We work hard to overcome these challenges and to integrate into the culture.
3.- What are your most strategic businesses in the USA?
everis, an NTT DATA company, is a global management consulting, IT, and outsourcing professional services firm doing business with a comprehensive array of industries, including, banking and financial, insurance, federal government, healthcare, and utilities.
We specialize in world-class business development and strategy, IT consulting and IT services, outsourcing, and business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions. everis USA is part of the everis Americas region, with more than 6,000 professionals. everis USA helps companies headquartered in the USA that have business in Latin America build international business relationships that produce a far-reaching, global impact.
4 .- What synergies are most important between everis in the US and in Spain? How do they create value mutually?
Although our global headquarters are in Spain, we work as a global team located in different countries. I have tons of examples. I will just pick two. We are serving a client headquartered in D.C. with a strong presence in Latin America. The team of more than 150 people working on these projects are based in different countries. We all work together as a team. Another example involves our market offerings which are developed at a global level, with multi country teams. All the perspectives from each country are included and then adapted to fit the local realities. We are constantly working together to create value mutually.
5.- Is everis’ process different to attract talent in the USA compared to Spain?
It is different. Not because of the process itself but because professionals are different here. Again, the cultural fit. I was shocked the first time I attended a job fair at a University in the D.C. area. Students seemed very well-prepared and market oriented. They knew everything about the companies at the fair and they had very specific questions about work, responsibilities, career and development.
If we want to attract the best talent we need to do things differently than in Spain because the talent pool is different.
6.- What are your main recommendations for Spanish companies that want to expand their business to the USA?
First of all, we have been successful with deep exploration of the market and competitors. Try to build a local team as soon as possible to adapt all the internal processes to American culture and the way of doing business. Everything, including business development, commercial area, human resources and marketing should be adapted to be an American company, not a Spanish company based in the USA.