Renata is the Founder of Axis Partners, a Strategy boutique consultancy firm that brings a unique approach to Innovation, Customer Experience, and Web3/Metaverse.
A global business transformation strategist, Renata has a proven track record with blue chip consultancies and an IE Business School MBA. She is also a visiting Lecturer at the IE Business School. Her distinctive approach in CX, Strategy & Innovation is revolutionizing the consultancy industry, blending corporate experience with the agility of an entrepreneur.
1. It's an honor to speak with you today. Why don't you give us some details about you and your story? How did you get to where you are today?
I'm a qualified Mechanical Engineer specializing in Motorsports, MBA from IE Business School (Madrid), and I am passionate about business. During my undergrad years, I was part of Formula-SAE (American Society of automotive engineering), designing and building small Formula 1-style cars. This experience was vital for my career because it was my start in design thinking, creative problem-solving, and applied innovation.
I have dedicated most of my professional life to consulting, working for blue-chip consulting companies, and leading high-complexity global transformation projects for Fortune 500 companies with high-performance teams.
The UAE has been home for almost a decade. I have held senior positions in the region across the industry, including Retail, Hospitality, and Real Estate Groups, responsible for taking care of Customer Experience, Innovation, and Digital transformation.
I launched Axis Partners in 2018 to respond to Strategy, CX, and innovation challenges. Covid-19 transformed my company's offering into a must-have for survival, as change is now the norm. We now operate in a highly competitive environment where companies must quickly respond to shifting market and consumer behaviors.
2. I'm sure your success has not come easily. What challenges have you had to overcome along the way?
My career started as one of the few women in mechanical engineering. My professional career has also been in male-dominated environments, making it hard for me to find female role models. I had to shape my style in business based on my values. That's why I mentor as many female professionals as possible, and I love seeing them grow in their careers.
I have had to grow with minimal financial resources. I have completed all my university degrees with scholarships. I finished my Mechanical Engineering courses with borrowed books and used all free available student resources to graduate. My MBA was funded with three scholarships and a student loan, pushing me to work hard to pay it back. My parents were living in Venezuela, and I had to re-locate them to Europe. This has been a financial challenge and a big responsibility on my shoulders.
I have primarily worked in multi-cultural environments. To innovate and successfully deliver transformations across different countries, cultures, and markets requires an open mind to other points of view. For me, humbleness is a critical ingredient in the ability to learn more and continuously evolve.
3. Let's talk about the work you do. What do you specialize in, and why should someone work with you over the competition?
I believe the exciting spin Axis Partners brings to the market is the combination of corporate experience with the agility of entrepreneurship this makes us very effective at blending with our corporate clients and getting tangible impact in an accelerated manner.
We deliver customer experience, strategy and innovation, design-thinking, and business intelligence projects. As part of our projects, we conduct trainings. Since this has been a success, we have launched a training academy on Web3/Metaverse, customer experience and innovation, strategy, inspirational talks, and custom-made trainings for our key clients.
UAE and Saudi are becoming a hub for CX Web3 innovation. We are currently engaged on Crypto and NFT projects, oriented to deliver innovative experiences, and new ways to engage with customers and create meaningful communities. We also help our clients execute projects 'from a to z', to bring tangible results.
We deliver high-quality, high-impact outcomes while having a lot of fun with everyone we work with, we inspire to transform, and that spirit is viral in our projects.
4. What's next for you?
I believe there is an excellent opportunity for growth in the Middle East. We want to continue being part of the region's rapid development towards an innovative future, involved in projects that will fundamentally change how we live, interact, work, shop, and engage.
Business is about people In the future, I want to look back and realize how much of a positive impact and relevant footprint I have left to the people I have worked with, and ultimately, to deliver my vision of driving human progress.
