Tell us a little about your role at Tectonica.

My function as Director of Finance, Administration and Social impact is to make sure that Tectonica builds capacity to reach more organisations that are in line with our mission. I seek efficiency to allow the business to expand and to successfully work on new projects. Internally, I´m also responsible for strengthening a company culture where we support and respect each other and the work environment is cohesive, friendly and authentic. Finally, I need to make sure that things work properly, that resources are sufficient and are allocated correctly, that strategy and objectives are achievable for the team.

How did you end up working in this field?

I am 100% of Italian origin, but I have been living abroad for many years. My dream, when I was a kid, was to have friends and colleagues from all over the world. This has always stimulated my curiosity and my sense of belonging to all the places I worked or lived. I love an international and inclusive environment. I feel I can learn so much from it and it's truly a lot of fun!

I have always had a preference for working in places that do something good for the community and where I could create a positive impact. I have worked in multiple sectors before, mainly NGOs and tourism so when I saw the opportunity at Tectonica I didn’t hesitate to apply. I believe Tectonica reflects what I consider an ethical working environment, with so many growing opportunities and where there is appreciation for cultural diversity.

How do you understand digital organising in the current context, and how might it change in the coming years?

I believe in a democratic vision of politics that builds credibility and reliability. Being digitally organised in my opinion gives a better voice to organisations, more visibility and a higher chance to reach the goal of a certain movement or campaign.

The digitalisation of the process allows to get to a bigger and a more targeted audience and to really make a difference. To me digital organising also represents a break with the past in terms of how things are done and gives voice to communities that otherwise would face a challenge in being heard. Regarding the future, I believe the most innovation will be in digital. Technology is extremely effective and powerful, makes organisations and their communities of leaders, supporters, organisers more approachable and can produce a real wave of change. I consider it's just about time before digital organising will become more widely adopted.

How has the Covid-19 pandemic changed digital organising and how will it continue to change things further within the world of campaigning? 

It’s kind of clear now that Covid-19 has changed our lives in so many ways. For sure that opened the eyes of many organisations that realized how digital organising is not only important, but fundamental to succeed in the current scenario. 

In my opinion, this situation could even translate into an opportunity in the near future for many organisations: people that before were participating in big mobilising events, manifestations, now they have to engage digitally and they are way more connected than ever before. Clearly, there must have been an initial shock, these activities are all about people gathering together to create change and produce an impact.

If the sector was ready for such a sudden change? Probably not, but nobody was. I could expect some hiccups between users, introduction and development of new technologies,  but there’s also a necessity to adapt as fast as possible and become more “tech-oriented”.

What do you think makes Tectonica stand out in this sector?

I particularly enjoy working in an environment where there is so much talent and diversity. Despite having joined the team very recently, I feel that Tectonica has the potential and mindset to achieve very successful results for itself and its community. Also, Tectonica has built a lot of experience in so many years of activity and has the capacity to fast adapt to change. My view is that Tectonica is agile when it comes to introducing new technology or adopting new methods, but also is a pioneer and leader of a niche sector.

What has been the most exciting project you’ve worked on?

More than a project I believe I get very excited when I face a challenge, something new that seems so difficult in the beginning and maybe there are time constraints, but when you go through it's so rewarding for your team, your community and for you. This happened to me several times, in different industries and I feel that at Tectonica we’re ready to take very dynamic projects on board and really scale up.