By Guadalupe Ramírez, with questions from Fernanda De Mora, Florencia Rizzardi, Yarice Hidalgo, Marcela Cerdas, and José Mejía (GBEL 2024 and 2025)
The Alumni Committee of the Global Business Executive Leadership (GBEL) program, led by Fernanda De Mora and Florencia Rizzardi (both GBEL 2024), held its first session of the “From One to Many” talk series, an inspiring and engaging space for GBEL alumni and influential business leaders from the region to foster continuous learning and build connections that drive impact across Latin America and the Caribbean. The mission of this network is to form a strong and collaborative community of continuous learning that fosters professional growth opportunities and enhances cooperation in business and leadership initiatives across the region.
This inaugural virtual event brought together 20 GBEL alumni, the team from the Latin America Leadership Program (LALP), and, as guest speaker, Patricia Pomies, former COO of Globant, for a truly inspiring and thought-provoking open conversation. Globant is an IT and software development company founded in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2003, with an international presence across various industries. Its clients include Nissan, Santander, Danone, HSBC, Johnson & Johnson, FIFA, Adidas, Disney, and Google.
Patricia Pomies is an exceptional global leader in strategy and business, widely recognized for her people-centered approach and her ability to scale high-impact, high-performance organizations worldwide. During her tenure at Globant, she led the development of scalable and adaptable operational frameworks, including the Pod methodology and the innovative AI Pods model, which blend human leadership with AI agents to continue delivering value across more than 35 countries.
Deeply committed to diversity, innovation, and talent development, Patricia built resilient, multicultural teams. In addition to her executive role, she has served on the boards of Dock, Sportian, and Digital House. In 2023, she was named one of Forbes’ 100 Most Influential Women in Spain.
At the beginning of the conversation, Ricardo Ernst, Executive Director of Georgetown University's Latin America Leadership Program (LALP), acknowledged the proactiveness of the GBEL Alumni Committee, who are part of the 1,000 graduates from LALP’s three flagship programs.
“We are living through ups and downs, but we must remain optimistic. Every problem is an opportunity to change and grow because, as I always say: if not us, then who? And if not now, then when? I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of this session, as part of my dream is to ensure that all this positive energy spreads throughout the region—because it deserves it. We’ve done extraordinary things, and you are a clear example of that. These sessions with relevant leaders enrich us, and we are very fortunate to have Patricia Pomies in this one. She is an exceptional woman from whom we can learn a great deal, be inspired by what she’s accomplished, and take her as an example to keep moving forward,” added Dr. Ernst.
Below, through eight questions, we share part of the conversation between Patricia Pomies and the GBEL alumni:
1. What was your greatest personal and professional challenge and satisfaction in positioning a global company as a benchmark in innovation, particularly in AI?
One of the achievements was scaling a company that was created from scratch 23 years ago. I was part of Globant for the last 12 years; when I joined, we were 3,000 people, and we grew to 30,000, with revenue increasing from around 500 million dollars to 2.7 billion. In the area of operations and business management, I’m tough on numbers, profits, and margins, but the focus of my strategy, given my background in communication, centers on people and understanding what motivates someone to be the best version of themselves in such a large company.
The biggest challenge in this sustained growth is encouraging teams to want to be there, participate, and challenge the status quo, as well as managing the ways the company grows.
Another achievement—and at the same time a challenge—relates to the company’s innovation culture, which now has a presence in 35 countries. As Ricardo Ernst said at the beginning of the conversation, we live in fleeting times; we’re constantly wondering what challenges lie ahead. Before, we questioned robotics or satellite intelligence, and today we ask ourselves whether AI will replace us or not.
Within this scalability, numbers, and volatility, there’s work to sustain a culture of innovation based on an entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial mindset, to help “Globers” (as we call ourselves internally) grow and develop internal careers with training and support.
2. How do you maintain that entrepreneurial DNA and make people choose to go to work at Globant every day?
By creating a culture of imitation where different areas like human resources and operations work together. Globant was founded by four entrepreneurs, and that entrepreneurial DNA remains. The company prepares its leaders with an entrepreneurial mindset so they can create space for new ideas and, in turn, pass on that spirit.
The company uses platforms to positively recognize people, formal tools like 360-degree feedback, as well as initiatives to create greater connection among teams. For example, through the StarMeUp software platform, Globers give each other stars with a positive connotation that indicate support among people and their alignment with the company’s values. The recognition ranges from business-related aspects to organizational culture elements, like having an industrial kitchen for cooking classes in the Spain office or a bowling alley in Uruguay—both results of local initiatives.
This gives visibility and better shows their feedback, contributions, and projects they participate in, allowing them to see what’s happening beyond the formal KPI system and what might not have been considered. It’s a very powerful system that helps leaders listen to what’s happening across various topics and locations globally, what aspects are similar or different, and how to address them.
3. How do you keep that culture alive and ensure accountability? How do you balance performance and culture?
Maintaining balance is important. Each person has defined performance objectives to maintain the level of quality and delivery. The Board frequently reviews the company’s KPIs to ensure they are met, that there is focus, and necessary adjustments are developed and implemented. At the same time, especially in this industry, the greatest asset is the people. That’s why their continuous training and development are important to deliver the best to clients.
During the pandemic, we faced several challenges, such as understanding each person’s situation, retaining talent, and preventing burnout at a time when companies were also dedicating large amounts of resources to technology projects.
In addition to emphasizing the importance of empathy and having tools for support and containment, one of the actions was founding Globant University in May 2020 to develop new skills. Currently, there are more than 40 training paths in which over 22,000 Globers retrain and expand skills to take on different positions within the company.
After the pandemic, the growth pace changed, and people no longer moved around as much between locations, so we offered mobility in projects across different industry verticals within the company. Instead of leaving for another company, people have the opportunity to change and develop internally; this also aligns with improving results, employee performance, and accelerating change.
4. What have been the training strategies in AI, and how do you ensure a positive impact or better service for clients?
As a technology-based company, Globant has been using AI for over 10 years, especially due to our presence in the video game industry. Today, AI is in people’s hands, and it could be said we are at the “iPhone moment” of AI. People use agents, ChatGPT, or Gemini to interact, but that’s only one way to use it. AI is the novel or intelligent exploitation of data or the application of different algorithms to deliver results.
Five years ago, we implemented mandatory assessments and courses to ensure that everyone within the company, at different levels of knowledge, had a homogeneous foundation in AI and data management to improve their work, agility, and other variables.
Later, certifications and specializations were added, creating a new skill set. Companies from various industries like finance and healthcare know they need AI and ask to be engaged about it within the context of their industry. Additionally, culturally we support this with Pods—a methodology involving teams of 12-16 people functioning as a unit where everyone knows what needs to be done and developed. This allows us to transfer knowledge and skills when moving someone from one unit to another and grow teams at scale.
Another example is the creation of the AI Hero role, which we think is very valuable. It’s a person who can bring an external idea to the team and apply it in a better way.
5. What are some examples of clients and implementations carried out?
Globant works behind major brands; for example, one of our clients in the banking sector in Spain is Openbank, part of Grupo Santander, for whom we developed their digital platform. We also collaborate with the LA Clippers and the development of their completely digital and innovative new stadium. The key is hyper-personalization of the experience, which used to be mass-market but today has become one of the most novel experiences combining sports and live platforms.
From the moment fans arrive at the stadium, they have a unique digital experience. For example, based on the proximity of their car or mobile device, they are guided to their assigned entrance through cameras, facial recognition is used, in-store purchases are frictionless, and buyers receive a notification of the charge on their device just minutes later.
Another part of the unique stadium experience is that fans can pre-select their favorite player, and their plays are highlighted on the nearest screens; they can adjust the temperature in their area and have continuous gamification software to earn rewards.
By working across a wide variety of industries and platforms, we cover everything from the software created to animate the hair of the character Merida from Disney’s Brave, to wristbands for visitors at theme parks, to partnerships with Formula 1 to elevate both the digital experiences of F1 teams and fans through top-tier IT systems and products.
Globant has also become more visible through its sponsorship of FIFA events, including the World Cups in 2022 and 2023.
6. How do you address the issue of biases and prejudices in AI? Do you have any continuous feedback process?
Yes, like many companies, we use Pulse as software for project management and adjust the model according to progress and needs.
Regarding biases and prejudices, we have internally developed agents. However, when working with other companies, it’s difficult to completely avoid them. We continue training and educating leaders to have clarity about what biases and prejudices represent, to be more open, and to understand that diversity fosters innovation.
7. What are the three aspects aligned with your values that allow you to culturally transcend, adapt, and be well received?
Since its founding, Globant has had an international focus, with the United States and the United Kingdom, for example, being some of its main markets. Therefore, diversity in being and thinking is part of the company’s DNA, and the teams are very varied both geographically and culturally. Three aspects I would highlight are:
· Be Kind because it includes strategies ranging from diversity and inclusion to understanding other cultures, awareness about environmental care, as well as values and ethics in technology development.
· Challenge the Status Quo because it encourages raising your hand to challenge what is established.
· Own the Place because the person takes an aspect to improve and leads the change.
8. Finally, what would be some key factors to achieve such exponential growth since the company’s beginnings?
At Globant, we say the company is in a “beta phase” in the sense that it is always improving, redesigning, and reinventing itself. In this industry, a single model doesn’t work for a lifetime. In the last seven years as COO, I led four major company reorganizations, including changes in value proposition, regionalizing sales areas, delivery models, leadership—and each was related to moments when the market needed something different.
For example, there were times when we had 50% year-over-year growth and were overwhelmed by the challenges and amount of work, in a context where quality is paramount. Later, growth rates were 25%, and the question was how to focus on certain countries and markets. That’s why thinking of ourselves in a beta phase helps us redesign and reorganize.
Another factor is how to manage the team that drives change, which mostly involves working with company leaders. Otherwise, it’s difficult for the company to undergo fundamental change, so it’s not just about leadership but about everyone being ready for the change ahead.
For example, one of the most recent changes is moving from traditional hourly consulting to a subscription model that combines AI experts and specialists, which is currently in a testing phase. In industries like IT, software, professional services, and consulting, we constantly ask ourselves what’s next and how we can do it better.
On behalf of the GBEL Alumni Committee and the LALP team, we deeply thank Patricia Pomies for her time and generosity in the first session of From One to Many. On July 31, she stepped down from her position as Global Chief Operating Officer at Globant to focus on one of the things she does best: her own reinvention.