Pragmatic Innovation, Reeskiling and Upskiling, and the sustainable journey in the digital economy were addressed at the event sponsored by Oracle, AWS, IBM, Sky.One and TOTVS
São Paulo, September 20, 2021 – The ABES Conference 2021 “Exponential Waves and Digital Resilience” brought together renowned experts from the technology sector to analyze and debate how to achieve digital resilience, prevent regulations and laws from being an obstacle for Brazil, and what skills will be needed to meet the demands of a world in which large-scale automation is inevitable. The meeting, which was sponsored by Oracle, Amazon Web Services (AWS), IBM, Sky.One and TOTVS, curated and organized by The Shift, is available on the channel. ABES on YouTube and it has a translation in pounds.
With the days divided between the themes: digital resilience, business environment and human factor, the event had keynotes such as: Carolina Morandini, head of portfolio management & scout startups at Wayra Brasil; and Mariane Guerra, Vice President of HR at ADP SYSTEMS. Rodrigo Galvão, president of Oracle Latin America, also as one of the main speakers at the event, spoke about the relationship between technology and ESG. “For me, digital transformation is a cultural change, because it's no use thinking we'll adhere to new standards if we don't change our mindset of the people who manage and run large companies,” says the executive.
Astronaut and Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Marcos Pontes, also spoke about Brazil's potential to become a protagonist in artificial intelligence and the importance of education, science, startups and preparation of professionals for the development of technologies. He was chosen as one of the Ambassadors Brazil, Digital Country.
On the first day of the meeting, executives from large companies presented their examples of pragmatic innovation and the need to think and act outside the box with a stipulated purpose. They also debated how digital business can bring a disruption to corporate practice. Ricardo Brandão, CEO and Founder of Sky.One, highlighted the importance of placing innovation as a company culture. "We help small businesses to reinvent themselves, but within our own company we consider it important to revolutionize any and all processes to bring change not only to our customers, but to our company as well."
Also present were: Alexandre Frankel, CEO of Housi and Chairman of the Board of Vitacon; Guilherme Horn, Director of Strategy and Innovation at Banco BV; Celson Placido, Partner and CIO at Warren; Carolina Sevciuc, Digital Transformation & Innovation & Sustainability at Nestlé; and Ellen Carbonari, Economist, Co-founder and Head of Social Innovation at Semente Negócios. The special interviewee of the day, André Menezes, Co-Founder & CEO of Next Gen Foods, spoke about the disruption that plant based is bringing to the food market.
Also on that day, Fred Santoro, head of Startups at Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Brazil, announced the partnership of AWS Activate with the ABES Startup Internship Program. The initiative of the program offered by the association aims to strengthen entrepreneurship and attract talent and investments to the Brazilian technology sector. Lasting 6 months, the program will be made available to startups that are part of AWS Activate, through partnerships with incubators, accelerators, or investment funds. Participants have the opportunity to enjoy all the services offered by ABES to its members, such as participation in its various committees (among them, the regulatory, tax, innovation and LGPD committee), access to market research, information on government funding and development lines and marketplace data, as well as a complete compliance structure and legal consultancy service. With the partnership, all startups that are members of the ABES Startup Internship Program will have access to AWS Activate, an AWS program that offers several benefits to startups to support their growth. These include credits for using AWS cloud computing services, AWS support plan credits, and training from AWS experts.
On its second day, the speakers addressed the journey to sustainable income in the digital economy and the urgency of tax reform for the current market moment. For these matters, the event was attended by: Cid Torquato, President of ICOM; Diego Barreto, VP of Finance and Strategy at iFood; Fernando Perobelli, Full Professor at the Faculty of Economics at UFJF; Igor Cordeiro, Director of Public Policy and Sustainability at Facily; Jorge Sukarie, VP of the ABES Board of Directors; Ana Claúdia Akie Utumi, PhD, CFP®, TEP® and Partner at Utumi Advogados; Washington Coelho, Tax Partner at EY. The day's special interviewee was Thiago Camargo, Technology Director at Prospectiva and former National Policy Secretary, who spoke about regulatory efficiency and the importance of government investment in the technology sector.
On the last day of the meeting, the lectures addressed the importance of Reeskiling and Upskiling of the workforce for the new economy and brought renowned industry leaders to talk about how to train more technology professionals in the so-called “innovation at the crossroads”. For Danielle Andrade, Head Univerisity of TOTVS, the development of technology is still a great challenge. “Including people and a knowledge agenda in this technology industry is a crucial factor, because it is in our everyday business conversations”, says the executive. Jeni Shih, Ecosystem Enablement of IBM Technology Sales in the Americas, pointed out that “companies have their responsibility to provide professional training for those who are still in schools and universities, because technology has accelerated so much that we have created this skill gap that we talk so much”.
The debates also included the participation of Sofia Esteves, president of the Grupo Cia de Talentos/Bettha.com Board; Paul Ferreira, professor of Strategic Management at FDC; Camila Fernandez Achutti, CEO of Mastertech; Carla Alvez, Vice President of Human Resources at Oracle Latin America; Tatiana Tucunduva Cortese, professor of the Master's Program in Smart Cities at Uninove; Sergio Paulo Gallindo, President of Brasscom; Adriano Mussa, PhD, Dean & Partner at Saint Paul Business School and LIT. And the special guest of the day, Ana Inoue, Superintendent of Itaú Educação e Trabalho, highlighted the possibilities of having a more inclusive education and how it is necessary to look at young people.
Finally, the winners of the Embaixador and Protagonista Brasil, País Digital awards were announced. With annual periodicity, the award is divided into two categories. The first one, "Protagonist Brazil, Digital Country" It is decided by public vote and people from the government, private sector organizations, academia or the third sector who stood out during the year through their projects, actions or contributions to social impact initiatives compete. They were: Alan Leite, CEO, Startup Farm; José Gontijo, Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Digital Innovation at the Secretariat for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (SEMPI) – Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI); Miriam Wimmer, Director, National Data Protection Authority – ANPD; Rony Vainzof, Director of the Department of Defense and Security, FIESP and Data Protection Consultant, Fecomercio/SP; Silvana Bahia, Executive Co-Director, Olabi.
And in the category "Ambassador Brazil, Digital Country", named people who stood out in projects that promote digital and inclusive transformation in Brazil in 2021, selected by a committee. Those chosen were: Igor Calvet, President at the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development – ABDI; Marcos Pontes, Astronaut and Minister of Science, Technology; Saul Tourinho Leal, Partner at Ayres Britto Consultoria Jurídica e Advocacia; Federal Deputy Luisa Canziani; Rodolfo Fücher, president of ABES.
About ABES
ABES, Brazilian Association of Software Companies, aims to contribute to the construction of a more digital and less unequal Brazil, in which information technology plays a fundamental role in the democratization of knowledge and the creation of new opportunities for all. In this sense, it aims to ensure a business environment conducive to innovation, ethical, dynamic, sustainable and globally competitive, always aligned with its mission to connect, guide, protect and develop the Brazilian information technology market.
In line with its purpose, ABES launched the “Mobilization for the Reduction of Inequality” in partnership with ReUrbi and the Third Sector Observatory, and with the support of Weber Shandwick, whose objective is to support social inclusion projects that promote training in the area. digital, through the resources obtained by recycling IT equipment discarded by companies. This initiative is in line with recent discussions at the climate summit, and is aligned with the 8 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Global Compact of the United Nations (UN), and the best ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) practices . To participate in this mobilization, access: https://abes.com.br/mobilizacao-para-a-reducao-da-desigualdade-no-brasil/
Currently, ABES represents approximately 2,000 companies, 77% of which are micro and small, which account for around 85% of the revenue of the software and services segment in Brazil, distributed in 24 Brazilian states and the Federal District, responsible for generating around 210,000 direct jobs and annual sales of around R$ 80 billion in 2020.
Access the ABES Portal – https://www.abes.org.br or speak to the Relationship Center: +55 (11) 2161-2833.
Press contacts:
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Weber Shandwick Brasil - abes@webershandwick.com
Janahina Rodrigues – +55 (11) 3027-0271
Paula Boracini - +55 (11) 98415-0314
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