Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Hispanic Engineer Magazine

 

POSTED ON Oct 08, 2024

 

F. Thaddeus Arroyo is currently AT&T’s chief strategy and development officer and a corporate board director. In 2011, he was listed as one of the top people in business and technology by Hispanic Engineer magazine.

Previously serving as chief information officer (CIO) at Cingular Wireless, he joined AT&T as a CIO in 2007, a position he held for more than seven years.

In the fall of 2014, Arroyo became the president of the technology development unit at AT&T, where he was responsible for digital customer experiences and operational systems across AT&T business segments, among other duties.

Arroyo then moved to Mexico City to serve as the chief executive officer of AT&T Mexico before returning to the Dallas/Fort Worth area in 2017 to become the CEO of AT&T Business, which serves more than 3.5 million customers.

In 2019, he was given responsibility for AT&T’s internet, video entertainment, and mobility organization, serving more than 159 million wireless subscribers. Since May 2020, Arroyo has served as AT&T’s chief strategy and development officer.

When asked what advice he had for young Hispanics entering the technology workforce in 2006, Arroyo said, “Be willing to explore career opportunities that may not seem to be an exact match with your career path. Sometimes the path to the ideal position is filled with a variety of career opportunities that will make you more well-rounded and competitive when the ideal opportunity comes along.”

He also advised being willing to invest in your career through professional organizations, mentoring relationships, and additional training, emphasizing that the knowledge gained and relationships established through continual learning would be invaluable as one progresses in their career.

Filemón Lopez retired almost a decade later as senior vice president of strategic operations at Comcast.

He emphasized the importance of keeping up with the fast-paced, ever-changing marketplace, particularly for young Hispanics entering the workforce, and stressed the necessity of understanding the evolution of technology and ever-changing customer needs to succeed.

Grace Lieblein, a 37-year veteran of GM, who held several key executive roles at GM, including vice president of global purchasing and supply chain, advised students to continue focusing on their academic achievement.

She also encouraged students to gain co-op or intern experiences in their field, take as many math-based courses as they could, and seek stretch assignments to build a broad foundation of experience.

Ecuadorian-born American entrepreneur Nina Vaca, chairperson and CEO of Pinnacle Group, advised that lasting success in information technology comes from having a broad understanding of the complete information technology architecture and networking environment, coupled with a strong skill set in several areas.

She emphasized the importance of technology professionals being capable of leading and influencing others, developing compelling business analyses and case studies, and having a firm grasp of the basic business principles underlying all IT decisions.

Alicia Fernandez-Campfield, the senior vice president of operations, customer experience, and customer service at Credit One Bank, advised young Hispanics to seek a mentor or a buddy and emphasized the importance of networking and getting to know people in the workforce.