Author
January 6, 2023
He’s obsessed with musicals…and it’s not just a stage! Meet our amiable, goal-oriented, passionate, thespian, Rafa Andrade, and hear how he came to be a People Analyst at Digibee!
Rafa and I connected immediately over chat my first week at Digibee due to our mutual love of musical theater. It was apparent from the start that he was warm, kind and funny. So, it was no surprise that speaking to him in person was delightful! Rafa is Brazilian and was worried about not being fluent in English for the interview, but I found he wasn’t giving himself enough credit! Read on and you’ll see what I mean.
Why Digibee?
Rafa had been looking for a new opportunity and was focused on finding a position that aligned the right cultural fit with his professional goals. Through the interview process at Digibee, he saw he’d be joining an amazing team and it was evident that the company cared deeply about its workforce. For Rafa, with a human resources background, that made all the difference. Rafa said, “I could see that the leadership understood the importance of its people. The more I knew about the culture, the more I loved it. And I felt like THIS is my place.”
Now, over a year later, Rafa is certain he made the right decision. “I believe so much in the company and all it has to offer. We are here to do many things. We know our potential. We know what we can be — and we all share that dream to make it happen.”
Life at Digibee
Coming from a big family, Rafa joked that he has seen first-hand the importance of communication, learning to share space, being flexible, adaptable, and how to mediate conflict. He brings those life-lessons to his work and I’m sure it’s a big contributing factor to what makes him such a great fit for the People team.
Rafa’s position is constantly evolving, and his projects can range from helping coordinate strategic projects, to internal communications, to onboarding, to developing the employee experience — but he embraces that environment. He is not someone who shies away from challenges; they are what make his job interesting, engaging and ensures personal growth. “Every day is like the first day. There is always something to learn, always something new. Every day I get to reinvent what I am doing. The challenge can be hard, but it also helps me grow, and prepares me for future management opportunities.”
Of course, an environment that is ever-changing requires flexibility from its inhabitants. Rafa says we have incredible talent, and to thrive, we’ll need to remain adaptable, “to keep dancing to the music, even if the music keeps changing.” (I really love that quote!) But, Digibee offers the chance to build resilience in a healthy space. Rafa believes these experiences are shaping him into the best professional version of himself for the future, and that’s an extraordinary opportunity.
The Future Ahead
For many companies, the pandemic has brought into focus the reality that the future of any business is really about the people working there. Rafa believes Digibee can lead the industry, and the key to our success will be two-fold; we have a universally-critical product that can generate a huge impact for our customers, and we have great leadership that knows their responsibility to their team. Rafa stated, “Digibee is great at focusing on developing their employees and modeling what leadership should be. It’s a company of amazing people. I know our customers will be able to see that too, and it will matter.”
As Digibee evolves, Rafa is thrilled to be evolving professionally along with it. Rafa said working at Digibee has undeniably changed his life for the better. He wants to expand as a leader, to have a positive impact on our workforce, and to help the team achieve their career goals. “I want to make Digibee the best place it can be for our people. Good leaders can create other good leaders. I work with great leaders that always share tips and insights, care about skill development, and help me see where I need to go. That is my goal, to give that back to others as well.”
“I want to make Digibee the best place it can be for our people. Good leaders can create other good leaders. I work with great leaders that always share tips and insights, care about skill development, and help me see where I need to go. That is my goal, to give that back to others as well.”
Balancing Work & Life at Digibee
Rafa is passionate about LGBTQ rights and volunteers time whenever he can to organizations that support that community. Through his own process of coming out, Rafa gained strength, resilience and empathy and he values those skills in both his personal and professional life. He is invested in expanding Digibee’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. He believes we all “have a responsibility to create inclusive environments to make the world better for everyone.”
My favorite part of the interview (of course) was talking to Rafa about the arts. He loves museums, films, theater, and dance. He joked he’s not good at dancing himself, but he loves it anyway! He’s a talented artist, (in fact, you can check out his beautiful singing on Spotify), and loves performing in musicals, going to karaoke, and singing with his friends who play instruments. He put it so beautifully when talking about being onstage, “the outside world stops. That moment is about me and my performance. It’s almost a supernatural experience — you go to this other place. It’s something I wish everyone could feel, it’s incredible.” I couldn’t agree more!
I feel so fortunate being given the opportunity to meet with incredible “Digibees” like Rafa each month and hear their stories. Keep reading our employee highlights to learn more about this amazing team of people working to bring Digibee’s innovative enterprise integration solution forward in the US and globally.
