A few things about myself

I’m a native Brazilian who has lived in London with my wife and two kids for the past three years. I have worked for Inchcape for almost seven years and started as IT Director for LATAM before becoming Digital and IT Director for the Americas and Africa. Three years ago, we embarked on a journey to build our new Global Digital Delivery model. Today, we have around 1,400 people spread across our core centres in the Philippines and Colombia, as well as satellite offices in Cebu, Medellín and Santiago de Chile.

At Inchcape, we want to reshape the automotive industry. Digital capabilities are essential to making that happen. Our teams develop and manage these capabilities, providing and promoting digital solutions that drive value for OEMs and their customers. In the Digital Delivery Centres (DDCs), we support Inchcape’s in-house digital talent.

Having our own digital talent also benefits Inchcape in other ways. For example, by developing internal skills, talent and capabilities, the DDCs reduce costs by eliminating the need for expensive outsourcing. They also ensure we own the intellectual property for our solutions and products.

What are the pros and cons of tailor-made vs global digital solutions? 

As someone who has worked in regional, market-specific positions before but now occupies a more global role, I believe both have pros and cons. Tailor-made digital solutions allow for customisation on a more granular level, which can be beneficial if your organisation caters to markets with very specific needs.

However, global solutions enable you to standardise processes, services, and tools, streamlining operations and making them more organised, manageable and faster to scale. Currently, Inchcape is growing at a remarkable rate. Keeping pace with that growth would be very challenging without a global model for digital solutions.

In the end, the right model is the one that matches and complements your business goals. Right now, Inchcape is simply in a phase where a global framework is what works for us.

What does the future hold for the DDC?

This year, we are looking forward to deploying our digital solutions in the rest of our markets. We aim to take full advantage of our investments in technology and Inchcape talent. We will continue to roll out our digital work from the Digital Experience and Data Analytics Platforms, prioritising cyber security to ensure our markets have access to the best tools and deliver amazing customer experiences.

What are you most proud of at the DDC?

Our people. I always say our competitive advantage is our talent. It is why we worked so hard to build our workforce of about 1,400 over such a short period—just three years. For me, innovation is always driven by the people creating and managing technologies, so you need to invest in your employees. It is one of the main ideas behind the DDCs. We are here to make sure our teams are managed properly because, when you empower them, success is a natural consequence.

Thank you to Jorge for taking the time to answer our questions and discuss Inchcape’s digital strategy. We look forward to hearing more about how DDCs are helping us shape the future of the automotive industry in the coming months.

You may also like