The Role of Culture in Hiring External Development Teams with Pablo Dimenza - E6

In this episode of Software Meets Business, we sit down with Pablo Dimenza, Global CTO at EG+ Worldwide, to explore the dynamic intersection of software and business.

In this exciting episode of Software Meets Business, Pablo shares his fascinating journey from Argentina to  Portugal, evolving from a hands-on engineer to leading global technology initiatives. We discuss building impactful software solutions across industries while emphasising the importance of collaboration between internal teams and trusted external partners.

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[00:00:11]

Rich: Hello and welcome to another episode of Software Meets Business. Joining me today is Pablo Dimenza, the global CTO of EG+ Worldwide. Hi, Pablo.

Pablo: Hi, Richard. How are you?

Rich: I’m good! It’s been a while since we’ve had an in-depth conversation. Our businesses worked together back in the day, so it’s great to reconnect.

[00:01:00]

Rich: Let’s start with a bit of background. How did you get started in the tech industry, and what led you to where you are now?

Pablo: Sure. As you can probably tell from my accent, I’m originally from Argentina. I started my career there as a computer science engineer, working closely with my university. Soon, I had the opportunity to move to Portugal to work in the financial industry as a developer. Before I knew it, I became a project manager and moved across various industries during my 15 years in Portugal. About 10 years ago, I moved to London for an exciting opportunity to work on a new platform in the music industry. That was a big change. Then, in 2016, I ventured into the advertising industry by joining EG+ as the Director of Technology under the previous CTO. Right before the pandemic, I left for another advertising agency, but shortly after, I was offered the CTO role at EG+ in 2021. It’s been a fantastic journey so far, continuing the mission I started with my predecessor.

[00:02:52]

Rich: Over the years, you’ve been involved in building various types of software. Can you share some examples of the systems you’ve worked on?

Pablo: At my core, I’ve always been an engineer. Throughout my career, I’ve been involved in building software from inception. For instance, I’ve worked on complex SaaS platforms, mobile applications for companies like Morrison’s supermarket and the United Nations, and software for the TV industry, the government of Portugal, and its education department. A particularly memorable project was building an offline mobile app for the World Food Programme. It was designed to help staff in disaster zones connect with contractors for infrastructure and supply chain services in areas affected by hurricanes, earthquakes, or wars.

[00:04:02]

Rich: Have you worked with both internal and external development teams? If so, how did those experiences differ?

Pablo: Yes, I’ve worked with both. Early in my career, most projects relied on internal teams. But over time, we started bringing in external consultants for specific needs like UX or QA. Currently, my team is about 50% permanent staff and 50% contractors. We also occasionally use third-party resources, though being part of a large company like EG+ means we can often leverage internal resources across the group. What I’ve learned is that it doesn’t matter whether someone is internal or external as long as they share the same goals. The key is treating external partners as true collaborators, not just vendors.

[00:05:27]

Rich: Can you take us back to your early experiences with external teams? What stood out?

Pablo: One thing I noticed early on is that successful collaborations happen when you treat external teams as part of your internal team. They should share the same goals, have the same level of engagement, and feel integrated into the project. For example, during the World Food Programme project, we approached it as a partnership. The impact of the work motivated everyone involved because we weren’t just fulfilling a client request—we were solving real-world problems that could save lives. When you have that shared sense of purpose, the results are much better.

[00:08:00]

Rich: Have you ever encountered clients or projects where you were pushed into a traditional vendor role?

Pablo: Unfortunately, yes. Some clients adopt a top-down approach, where they see the vendor as someone who simply executes their orders. I’ve found these projects to be less successful. When clients treat you as a vendor, the motivation isn’t there for true collaboration. You’re essentially providing a service with little room for meaningful impact or innovation. On the other hand, when clients see you as a partner, they trust your expertise and allow you to contribute ideas. This creates better outcomes and often leads to long-lasting solutions.

[00:11:52]

Rich: Let’s talk about methodologies. Agile has been around for 20 years. What’s your take on how software development is structured today?

Pablo: I started with waterfall, as most of us did back in the day. It was the norm, but it didn’t account for the constant change inherent in software development. That’s why I transitioned to Agile. I went all-in on Scrum, following its principles to the letter. It worked to some extent, but I found its structure a bit rigid—especially the pressure to meet sprint deadlines every two weeks. When I returned to EG+, we adopted Kanban under the guidance of a new Head of Delivery. Over the past two and a half years, Kanban has transformed how we work. We’ve gone from releasing software once a month to an average of three releases per week. Kanban allows us to release feature by feature, which is less stressful and more motivating for the team. It also lets us pivot quickly when priorities change.

[00:18:00]

Rich: How does Kanban work with your mix of internal and external developers?

Pablo: The beauty of our approach is that there’s no distinction between internal and external team members. Everyone feels like they’re part of the same team and has a voice in how we work. When onboarding new developers, whether internal or external, we emphasize not just technical skills but also alignment with our culture and methodology. If someone doesn’t buy into the way we work, it won’t be a good fit, no matter how skilled they are.

[00:20:30]

Rich: Have you ever faced situations where you couldn’t fully integrate external developers due to commercial or regulatory constraints?

Pablo: Yes, that happens. Sometimes budget limitations or company policies force us to use specific resources, which can be challenging. For example, some organizations insist on only using internal or sister company resources. While that might work in some cases, it often limits your ability to find the best fit for the job. Ideally, you should have the freedom to hire the right person for the task, regardless of their location or employment type.

[00:28:00]

Rich: If someone listening to this podcast is about to hire external developers for the first time, what advice would you give them?

Pablo: Focus on finding the right people, not just the right skills. Surround yourself with people you trust and who share your vision. This applies to both internal and external hires. If you treat external developers as partners and give them the same level of trust and responsibility, you’re more likely to succeed.

[00:32:00]

Rich: Pablo, thank you so much for sharing your insights today.

Pablo: Thank you, Richard. It was great to be here.

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