Pablo's Story | Endava

Pablo Queirolo, Design Authority: He’s lived through four major revolutions in the field and shares his secret to surviving, –and thriving–in changing times.

In this story, discover:

As technology evolves at an exponential speed, Pablo has consistently adapted and evolved, making sure he remains a solid technical and team leader who still makes time to code daily with the enjoyment of a newcomer. As a Design Authority at Endava, he plays a key role in guiding development teams and providing solutions that meet both technical and business requirements. Pablo is a firm believer in fostering a curiosity-driven mindset in everyone around him and exploring the client’s industry fully.

Over the past 30 years, Pablo has continuously shaped and reshaped his career and influence within the industry. In this conversation, he reflects on his role as a leader and mentor, what it takes to stay relevant, and at the forefront of change.

Pablo, can you tell us about your role at Endava?

I joined Endava in 2015 as a developer. The company was Velocity Partners back then [before being acquired by Endava], and I was offered the position because I have a strong math foundation, which is what the client needed. My current role involves leading development teams and working with the client’s technical counterpart to agree on the best design for the solution. Depending on the client and their standards, the overall architecture may be predefined, but there are always details to be worked out. That’s part of what I enjoy—new problems: my mind always working. When I approach a project I have the solution in my mind, the architecture defined. It is a creative process I do in my own head first, and then estimate with the team.

How do you approach leading your teams?

I continuously strive to ensure that the entire team is adding value 100% of the time. I foster a work environment that is as pleasant as possible, keep an open mind to receiving suggestions and feedback, and most importantly, I try to let my genuine enthusiasm for the project shine through—hoping that it spreads to the rest of the team. In horizontal teams, there’s always the possibility to help more junior members grow. This resonates with my past as a college professor, and I find that so rewarding.

How do you think your role differs from other team leaders?

Over time, I’ve realized the importance of balancing technical and business aspects in a solution. By nature, we tend to focus primarily on delivering a strong technical solution. However, with experience, I have learned that achieving the right balance between technical excellence and business requirements is crucial. At the end of the day, an excellent technical solution that fails to support business needs has no value for the client. This is because we love technology, so our energy naturally goes into making the most elegant or best technical solution… but sometimes, it doesn’t do what the client actually needs. That’s something you have to learn over time. Today, I’ve found the right balance in understanding what the client really needs.

Perhaps another difference is I still code daily. I got 10 friends who came up together in the industry, same generation, we get together once a month or so. I’d say 8 of them have gone into non-technical roles, I keep choosing the technical path. It challenges me and keeps me engaged. It is still fun.

Balancing project work with other responsibilities can be challenging. How do you manage this?

While the project takes up most of my time, other responsibilities like mentoring my coachees and recruitment also require a significant amount of attention. All my coachees are highly skilled professionals, generally with excellent technical levels, so there’s not always a need to refine those aspects further. However, I am adamant about maintaining a continuous learning rhythm—reading new books, taking new courses, and obtaining new certifications.

I firmly believe that the worst thing we can do in this industry is to forget that it is constantly changing and risk falling behind.

How have you experienced the evolution of the tech industry over the years, and how do you see your role in this ongoing transformation?

I lived through three major transformations in this industry. When I started, the shift was toward object-oriented programming languages. Then, graphical user interfaces changed the way systems were developed. The arrival of the World Wide Web marked another massive shift. And now, with AI and rapid technological advancements, we are facing yet another transformation. Each of these changes has enabled the development of larger and more complex systems. The other major revolutions I have lived through, Dev roles changed because the requirements became more complex, the structures more complex. My guess is AI will bring similar changes and a strong technical foundation will be key.

From the era of simpler programming languages to the advent of the internet, to adapting to the rapid technological advancements of AI, his passion for the work has been the foundation of his ability to adapt. This fuels his continuous learning and drive to stay ahead of technological changes.

Pablo shares this forward-thinking mindset with his teams, empowering them to navigate the present curves and thrive in the future, all while still making time to code.

Meet Pablo: Design Authority

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