Patricio Cristi: "Vantaz was my first great consulting school".
The former "Vantáztico" and Civil Computer Engineer from Universidad Diego Portales, tells us in this interview, what the eight years he spent with us meant to him in terms of challenges, learning and professional growth.
Patricio Cristi has worked almost all his life in consulting. He joined Vantaz Group in 2005, as a senior consultant, and over the years, he became a consulting manager. "I came from Accenture, where I worked for four years as a consultant. In 2005 I decided to make a change and came to Vantaz, a company totally different from what I was used to. I went from a hierarchical job to a more casual one, which in a short time became my first great consulting school," Patricio says.
After his time at Vantaz, he worked for four years at InPeople Consulting, together with other former Vantázticos. Subsequently, he spent five years at Deloitte, and is currently a partner of People advisory Latam at EY.
Tell us about your beginnings at Vantaz Group
I joined Vantaz as a senior consultant and immediately started working in technology consulting. At Vantaz they gave me the opportunity to get into the business world, get to know the clients, understand their processes and strategies. That was a great differentiator compared to where I had been before, and I value it to this day, because I was able to develop my skills and competencies much more.
What was the most difficult part of your arrival?
I came from a very large and very structured company, so the change was radical. At Vantaz, on the other hand, autonomy was paramount, we were free to create our own designs, manage our own time and innovate. At the beginning it took me a long time, two or three weeks, but after two months I knew that this was my thing. And that way of working I keep it to this day.
And the most enriching thing?
To this day I am a "Vantáztico" and I feel like a "Vantáztico". Vantaz has a way of doing things that you can't find anywhere else and that's what caught my attention the most. That's where I learned that as much or more important than a project with a client, is to dedicate time to my team, develop talents and learn to lead. The Vantaztic seal is something that I have undoubtedly carried in my heart.
What is the aspect of the Vantaztic culture that most marked you?
There are things that stay in our DNA and never go away. Care for the team, the importance of personal space, free time, camaraderie and trust. Nowadays, in my job I have to hire 20 people per month and the last question I ask them in the interview is where they studied. The first question is always what do you like to do and what do you expect from your team. That is a Vantáztico seal that has stayed with me forever.
In 2013 Vantaz took a turn in its business, and focused its operations exclusively on the mining industry. It was at that moment when Patricio and other colleagues who worked for other types of industries, decided to take another direction and become independent. "We put together a group and created our own consulting firm, InPeople Consulting. Then, with the same Vantázticos we went to Deloitte, and now we are EY, where we are dedicated to people consulting. It has been a very particular path, since we are still together in time. I think people look at how we do our work, and that speaks very well of how we were formed in Vantaz. I think that's what has made us different and successful," he says.
Any Vantaztic anecdotes you would like to share?
There are so many things to tell, but unforgettable are the soccer championships that we played in BHP Digital and to which they stopped inviting us because every year we were champions, and without a doubt, the most memorable, the game we played against Iván Zamorano's team in which we won 8 to 7.
