Who is Stefano? What does he do at Virgin Mobile?
Hey, I’m Stefano. I’m from Italy and I’m the Head of Digital Software Development at Virgin Mobile UAE. In my role, I oversee all development work that pertains to the software development of the Virgin Mobile app and the website. Everything that is under the bonnet of what our customers use is looked after by me.
How did you get into software engineering?
I come from a background of Computer Science. I always had a passion for the field, ever since I was a kid. I started my career as a web developer. I then moved into full-stack development, and later cloud services. For a large part of my career, I’ve worked as an engineer, and now I lead an incredible team at Virgin Mobile. Which I am very excited and happy about!
Nice! Can you tell us an interesting fact about you?
Ah! Yes, I got something for this. Many people seem to love working, remotely. But I actually like working from the office. I really like the office in Virgin Mobile – it’s very spacious and the culture is also very relaxed. So, it’s nice.
Another fact that you can add here about me is that I prefer using public transportation over using my own vehicle. Go figure that, haha.
That’s very interesting! So, why did you choose Virgin as a brand to work for?
For me, Virgin Mobile comes off as a more dynamic and innovative brand compared to other telecommunication brands in the region. From a tech perspective, I find that very appealing. Because if you think about it, innovation is key for growth and having a bias towards it is only going to unlock more interesting things in the future.
What first attracted you to the role at Virgin Mobile?
I really liked the sound of the role – especially the scope of working on a large platform. The challenge of scaling and improving the technology level in the setup is something that I find exciting.
The other thing is the culture and the people at Virgin Mobile. The culture really promotes wellbeing of employees, and the team is genuinely nice!
How are you finding your work and Virgin Mobile so far?
Amazing. It’s of course still the beginning. I’m taking on a lot of responsibility from the get-go. I have to see how I can challenge the status-quo and how to move forward. It’s a good challenge and I’m really looking forward to it.
Thanks Stefano, for your time.
Meanwhile, stay tuned, for the next instalment of the “Welcoming new joiners” series very very soon.
Bye bye!
