Ana Maria Bezerra Maimoni is recognized as a thought leader and technical expert globally on Hybrid Cloud solutions and complex cross-architectural solutions. She is also a steward of mentorship and skills building across the managed services technical community. She was selected to be part of the inaugural class of Kyndryl Distinguished Engineers, leading innovators who are shaping the future of Kyndryl and driving change in the industry.
If you’re at a dinner party and someone asks, ‘what do you do for work?’ how do you respond?
Well, to keep the global economy running smoothly, enterprises in every sector and industry must be able to do their work efficiently, securely, and effectively. Part of that requires they keep up with the pace of technology, and I help them do that. I work with them to address their business challenges by helping them better understand what they need.
Maybe there is a need to transition operations to Cloud, maybe they want to be more proactive regarding data security, or maybe they want to transform their digital workplace so their employees have the flexibility to work remotely. I’m able to help them figure out how to achieve these goals.
What got you into this work? Is there something about technology that’s always fascinated you?
My father, he used to be a doctor. He wanted me to be a doctor as well, and he put a lot of pressure for me to become one. But my intuition was pushing me in other directions.
You know, when I was just starting off in college, I had no idea what a technology profession would be — but I did know that it was going to be important in the future. One day at school I was talking to a classmate, and we just decided then and there to sign up for computer science classes. And that’s it. I’ve loved it ever since. The potential of technology to help up build a better world is huge, and the power to do that kind of work is something I really like a lot.
Do you remember your first experience with a computer?
Oh my goodness! Yes, it was when I was in college. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this is real!’ We were starting to write — very basic things — to understand the language. It was like magic for me and I loved that it was so hands-on.
I went on to start my career as a developer, and that gave me a good background on technology, not just in coding, but also in high-level operations. Since then I’ve taken on numerous other roles, and it’s the mixture of my experiences during my career that has allowed me to understand the needs of executives with big problems to solve, as well as work with people such as coders, the folks doing deep technical work.
Do you think that versatility, and depth of experience played a big role in your being recognized as a Kyndryl Distinguished Engineer?
I really do, yes. Most recently, I’ve been working with clients from across several industries — all of them doing very different work — to help them understand the benefits of cloud computing adoption as it applies to their specific context.
Context is key. Every customer has a unique set of requirements that shape their transformation path. Sometimes the security policies and regulatory compliance are what drive their cloud journey. That might not be the case for other clients, which is fine. That means I need to be able to really listen to them and work closely with them to co-create their cloud journey. This is work that draws on multiple skillsets and multiple professional experiences — which is something I am able to bring to the table.
What would you say to someone considering bringing their talents to Kyndryl?
I think there is tremendous opportunity here to do something different, and on that journey establish creative ways to solve big and interesting problems that will help the global economy run more smoothly. The work we’re doing makes a difference in how the world works, and anyone coming to Kyndryl will be able to play a big part in shaping that system. I said earlier that I’ve always believed in the potential of technology to help up build a better world — that’s what we’re doing here.
When you learned you were being recognized by Kyndryl as a Distinguished Engineer, how did that make you feel?
This has been a dream of mine for about eight years. For anyone who is in a technical career, it represents a milestone that both validates the work you’ve been doing for so long, but also presents a fresh set of challenges for the future.
It also has me thinking about the privilege I had to learn so much from my mentoring relationship experiences over the years, some of those turning into very good friendships. I remember one conversation I had with a mentor about being relevant that changed the way I approached learning. He decided to challenge himself, to put in practice the concept of continuous learning by looking for a big lesson in his daily life. He told me that if at the end of the day nothing came to mind, he felt like he’d missed something important.
Since then, I’ve started ending my days with that in mind, too. This exercise helps me with planning my days better, and avoiding the many distractions we’re confronted with all the time. It’s not an easy task, but it is worth it!
