For more inclusive ICT

She explains that when she was little she wanted to be an astronaut, but because she got very dizzy, she decided to run the world from Earth. This was the reason why Rosa Maria Rodríguez Curto (Martorell, 1970) studied telecommunications engineering at a time when “the girls in class could be counted on the fingers of one hand,” according to the protagonist herself. Beyond the dizziness, Rodríguez remembers that he wanted to pursue studies that would open doors for him, as he was not very clear about what he wanted to be when he grew up, and that is what happened.

The vice president of Sales and Services at T-Systems has been able to open many doors throughout her professional career in a very masculinized sector, even today. “It was difficult for me to find my first job, right after the Barcelona Olympics, but since then I have made a change in my work life every two or three years, the last more than 20 years within the same company,” explains Rodríguez Curto. “I have always had the feeling of paving the way,” adds the engineer, who also has a postgraduate degree in Executive Management from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and an Executive Master in Marketing and Sales from EADA Business School.

The board also helps open doors for less favored or minority groups through the ApadrinaTIC scholarship and mentoring program, promoted by the Cercle Tecnològic de Catalunya (CTecno), an entity of which she is the vice president. “The technology sector does not have correct social representation, not only from the point of view of women, but also socially because they are difficult studies and people with fewer resources tend not to choose this type of career because of the greater risk it entails. “So they end up giving up the highest salaries paid in the sector,” he argues. By leading the ApadrinaTIC project, the vice president of CTecno pursues “working to try to make the ICT sector more inclusive,” in a context in which last year 9,000 jobs were left to be filled in Catalonia alone.

When she studied telecommunications, “the girls in class could be counted on the fingers of one hand”

At T-Systems, Rodríguez Curto leads a team of more than one hundred people. “It is a very senior team. My responsibility is to ensure the growth of the company, ensure its image and take care of management with clients,” explains the vice president of Sales and Services, who confesses to being passionate about “strategy, innovation and work. with people.” The engineer is convinced that it is people who make the difference: “A single person can do little. A spirit of teamwork, improvement, struggle and open collaboration is required.”

The successful professional career of Rosa Maria Rodríguez Curto has earned her being chosen as one of the 100 most influential women in Spain in 2024 by the magazine Forbes a recognition for which she feels “very honored.” The Koplowitz sisters, Beatriz Corredor, Ana Patricia Botín, Cristina Garmendia and Nadia Calviño also appear on the list.

Outside of work, the board has three children. “The oldest is 24 years old, but the youngest is still in high school, although I already have them all on track,” he explains. It hasn’t been easy for him. “I have worked a lot and I have fought a lot to maintain a balance between work and personal life,” acknowledges Rodríguez Curto. The professional experience acquired during all these years, added to the fact that her children are beginning to fly alone, places the engineer at “an interesting moment to take another step.” “I am working on the next professional change. I have aspirations and motivation to continue progressing. Until now, I have always prioritized being in Catalonia, although every year I have opportunities to go outside the country,” the vice president advances about her future, hinting that the next professional change could be outside of Spain.