Daniella Rhodes Lorenzo
Technical Strategy Director, Toqio Fintech SL
📍Madrid, Spain
If you could describe yourself in one word, what would that be and why?
If I could describe myself in one word, it would be "trailblazer." I've always been driven by a relentless passion for pushing boundaries and paving new paths in the world of technology. Whether it's architecting innovative solutions or leading teams to exceed expectations, I thrive on challenging the status quo and charting a course toward excellence. Being a trailblazer means embracing change, seizing opportunities, and inspiring others to join me in the best way I can.
Pledge 1% provides a framework for businesses to do good. Do you think it’s important for today’s corporate leaders to prioritize social impact? If so, why?
Absolutely, businesses play a significant role in shaping society and influencing positive change. By prioritizing social impact, corporate leaders not only contribute to the greater good but also foster a culture of responsibility and sustainability within their organizations.
By proactively addressing social impact issues, businesses can help create a more stable and equitable society, which benefits everyone in the long run, also it can can increase employee engagement, morale, and loyalty, ultimately leading to higher retention rates and a more motivated workforce which nowadays is very difficult to create.
Do you give back to the community with your team and work? If so, what does this look like?
Giving back to the community is a fundamental aspect of both my personal values and the culture we cultivate within our teams and work environment. I am personally part of two organizations that contribute to help children in need, provide them with access to education, and healthcare delivery.
When it comes to business, we work as a team to start initiatives such as running or walking to donate to children in need, we do several activities that involve the whole company to contribute to schooling and rare disease investigations.
What’s the best piece of advice you've ever received?
Don't think everyone thinks like you do, be patient, listen to what others have to say and don't give the solution to a problem straight away, let others work on their knowledge and skills to reach an answer. If needed to help them reaching an answer, help them work to it and they will finally learn to work out issues without your help.
"Don't think everyone thinks like you do, be patient, listen to what others have to say and don't give the solution to a problem straight away, let others work on their knowledge and skills to reach an answer."
This year’s International Women’s Day themes are focused on investing in women and inspiring inclusion. What can we do to make today’s workplaces more equitable and inclusive for women?
Creating more equitable and inclusive workplaces for women requires intentional and proactive efforts across various aspects of organizational culture and structure so the most important thing is to foster this culture across the whole business and make sure everyone is aware of this.
Two ideas would be:
1. Fostering a culture of flexibility and work/life balance, recognizing that women often bear a disproportionate amount of caregiving responsibilities, organizations can promote flexibility and work/life balance initiatives that accommodate diverse needs and lifestyles. This can include offering remote work options, flexible scheduling, and paid parental leave policies that support both men and women in balancing their professional and personal responsibilities.
2. Investing in leadership development and training. To cultivate a pipeline of female leaders, organizations can invest in leadership development and training programs specifically tailored to women's needs and aspirations. This may include things such as executive coaching to help women overcome barriers to advancement and build confidence in their leadership abilities. Every time the number of women in leadership positions grow but it's still difficult to find mentors who a women and that can help you have that confidence or have a "look up to" person.
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?
The most exciting thing about this year is that I am going to be a mother for the second time and I am scared but thrilled at the same time. We live in a city where we have no family at all and my partner works in a different country so needs to fly a lot so this is going to be very interesting to fight for.
On a professional level we're in a very powerful moment where we're transitioning to a new architectural design and it's a difficult transition because it requires a lot of changes and improvements not only in a technical level but also in the way of working; but at the same time it's very exciting to envision what our platform is going to look like and the strength and work that's behind it.
