"I don't come from the world of I.T." Interview with Jesús López aka Suso

 

There are quite a few MTN employees who have been with us almost since the beginning. One of the standouts is Jesús López, aka Suso, known for his charisma and unique skill set.

In recent years, he has worked as the system manager, but his role was restructured at Briolf to optimize the IT support offered to Montana Colors.

How would you describe yourself, not just professionally, but as a person?

I think I’m pretty sociable, a good friend, pleasant... But let’s add some flaws too, right? I’m very stubborn.

What skills do you think make you such a key person in the company?

I have the ability to adapt to any environment or situation. I’m very empathetic—I try to put myself in other people’s shoes. Plus, I have never come across something I couldn’t figure out. I’m the kind of guy who isn’t afraid of anything. I try to look ahead, find solutions to problems and not leave things unfinished.

What led you to get into I.T.?

Necessity, to be honest. I’ve worked in many roles at Montana—handling production, sales, purchasing, logistics... Until the moment came when Montana needed to create an I.T. department. At the time, I was the most qualified person, or at least the one who knew the most about it. So, Jordi came to me and said: “you’re up”. I don’t come from the world of I.T., it just landed on me, and I said “Alright, let’s do this”. Ultimately, if you don’t try something, you’ll never know if you're capable of it or not.

Some people might think that not having an I.T. background would be a major disadvantage...

I’ve worked at Montana since 1998—many moons ago. And I’ve been in the I.T. department since 2007. Maybe my biggest strength is that, besides being highly adaptable, I have a great memory. I don’t need to do things twice to learn how they’re done. Another important point is that I have a solid understanding of how Montana works and what the business needs. This is crucial when it comes to figuring out what we need and how to handle it in terms of I.T. and systems.

And that’s where the team comes in.

Exactly. Something we've always said is that if there’s someone on your team who doesn’t teach you anything, sure they’ll do their job, but we won’t move forward. 

In a nutshell, how does the MTN systems team work?

It’s important to understand that I.T. has many different branches. Just because you have a degree in programming doesn’t mean you know how to install a printer...

There’s a lot of different areas to cover. Systems is one branch of I.T. that focuses on what we call the “nuts and bolts”—the hardware, computers and the installation of operating systems and software. Then there’s networks, which are often tied to systems. This deals with how computers communicate with each other and how networks are built. Next we have the world of programming, which also has its own sub-disciplines. And let’s not forget about applications. So, you can see why you need different profiles with specialized know-how, all working together.

Let’s talk about the team...

Up to now, we have had two very clear branches: systems and programming. Marius, who’s been with us for 7 or 8 years, comes from a consultancy background and he’s a pure programmer. He’s grown a lot, evolving from someone who simply executes tasks to someone who really understands the needs of the business.
Álvaro and Manel are on the systems side. They handle setting up computers, troubleshooting hardware issues and dealing with the day-to-day problems users face—essentially, I.T. maintenance.

What changes have been made recently?

For the past year, Miquel Calvo has been leading the team. Together, we have redefined the systems department to provide more centralized and efficient support to the whole Briolf business group.

This department has three defined sectors:

We have the systems side, led by Gerard, with Álvaro, Manel and Joan working under him.

Then there’s the applications team, handling tools like the HR app and other business support apps, managed by Amón and his team.

And last but not least, there’s the third branch, which is not yet fully defined. This area focuses on SAP and other business applications.

We’re diving into some pretty technical topics... What motivates you to keep working in MTN?

Montana is a resilient company, with strong ideals and values. I’ve always felt drawn to it—both in terms of its projects and its business. The people, the atmosphere we’ve shared over the years, the drive for improvement and innovation… But I think one of the most important things is that I’ve always felt at home here, and that’s what makes me want to be a part of it every single day.