Ricardo Zamora – CEO
Manuel Monge – Regional Community Manager Central America
Verónica Moreira – Communications Coordinator
Paola Urrutia – Regional Community Manager South America
2022 has been a year of constant change and were returning to the new normal has been a day-to-day job. Many things change and transform, Grupo STT is part of the change. Our CEO, Ricardo Zamora Sanabria, tells us about his professional experience, in addition to what has been achieved in 2022 and the new chapter 2023 for Grupo STT.
Who is Ricardo Zamora in Grupo STT?
My work experience began in Banking in different areas during 24 years having the opportunity to become part of a strategy to solve problems opening branches throughout the national territory which allowed me to get to know all the details of the industry, but above all, it made me realize my passion for working with people; in 2013, Grupo STT invited me to be part of their family and I was ready for a new challenge in my life and my professional career, celebrating today 10 years of a very interesting journey, since I started I was in charge of Costa Rica subsidiary, but then I had the opportunity to give support to countries as Colombia and Dominican Republic, among others; and today with great satisfaction and the great challenge of being responsible for the operation of more than 25 subsidiaries in three continents.
How has it been to grow professionally in a company that year after year grows and expands more?
This growth has been a constant challenge where human resource, experience, among others, have been the cornerstone to carry out daily tasks; learning from different cultures and generations (today our staff includes 4 generations) has allowed me to grow at the same pace that STT expands and see the geographical realities of each subsidiary, as well as be aware of trends, innovation and technology, and something that is very valuable is that the company is willing to evolve and always be at the forefront.
Which is your working method to manage so many talents and
processes?
Empower teams to be filters and decision makers, standardize processes in the subsidiaries and departments so we can speak the same language in STT, in which human resource is our greatest asset; I personally value being able to listen, build empathy and understanding all levels of the organization and have the opportunity to get to know the co- workers keeping a global vision to be able to take the best decisions that suit the group.
What do you think about certifications for the companies?
Which does Grupo STT have? What can you tell us about these? Certifications allow us to generate the necessary order to have efficient processes, complying with Quality and Sustainability requirements to be the company we want to be and so that we can compete with great referents in the industry, as equals with the necessary credentials.
To this date we have proudly achieved certification in ISO 9001-2015 strengthening our Quality Management System, ISO 27001 which allows us to ensure information on such a sensitive and relevant issue today, Carbon Neutral with which we are contributing to the country goal and the licensing of the Country Brand-Esencial Costa Rica, projecting ourselves worldwide as a responsible and committed company. I am very clear that certifications are extremely necessary to improve and generate good practices in the company, but a stamp is not enough if there is no real commitment horizontally from the management to the co- workers.
How has 2022 been for Grupo STT?
It has been a very successful year since we managed to meet our goals, learn about new opportunities, strengthen our team and overall remind us that after 2 so challenging years we remain strong with many goals to achieve; it has been a year of innovation, reorganization, rethinking processes to continue being the company that provides strategic solutions for our clients’ needs in all latitudes and that they continue to see us as a strategic partner within their organizations.
Which have been the most significant challenges for this 2022?
Maintain the great business vision throughout the company where innovation, commitment and dedications are key to continue reaping success. Instill more and more in each of our co-workers that analysis leads to decision making and with training and technological tools, this can be achieved. Keep effective leadership and direction of our great teams in each of our countries.
The ability to motivate is also a daily challenge at all levels where the company´s values (service, work and talent) are a commodity for the desired performance in the fulfillment of goals.
Does STT keep working remotely? How do you keep all your co-
workers together and sharing among them?
In 2017 we had a vision to start with remote work laying the foundations throughout the organization and managing to be prepared for when it was a worldwide reality; we have learned that despite being a challenging task we have remained a united and effective team where the use of time has been a key to this new work perspective; we know that in remote work one of the keys is trust employees and their commitment to comply with their goals and up to today we have achieved it successfully. Human Resources has been a key department, generating a series of activities to keep us united and the transitions have been carried out smoothly, we regularly meet to celebrate birthdays, support our national soccer team (watching the game in the house of the company´s President) and sometimes we look for the best excuses to be able to see us.
What do you recommend to those people who started their working life
or recently joined Grupo STT?
Humbleness to know that learning is constant and it is the key to personal and work success. Ambition to reach the highest level of performance. Patience to understand that there are necessary processes and pride of belonging to a company that as I said before, is in constant growth, to know that we are an open-door company and that we are in the same boat working together.
