Antonio Urbano, data integration specialist at Aon, tells us why the right team makes for countless opportunities and Dublin’s nightlife ticks all the right boxes.
Where are you from?
I am from Rome, Italy. It’s a very large and chaotic city. Even so, driving to work every day along the river makes even the slowest of the traffic jams a joy. It’s very pleasant to just admire the architectural wonders that are scattered in abundance almost everywhere in the city, that’s something that really inspires on the way to work.
How long have you been in Ireland?
I arrived in Ireland on the 17 March, St. Patrick’s Day. It’s been almost a year.
Why did you move here?
In Italy, I was working in a similar role for a consulting firm. My projects were changing quite often which gave me the possibility to gain experience in many different areas but never really allowed me to see the bigger picture. It was a very fast-paced environment in which I never had a chance to work on the evolution of the solutions that I was creating and/or making additions to.
Furthermore, having had experience with various different tools and data integration approaches, I wanted to give a more defined shape to my career. I knew what I wanted to learn.
I had developed a personal taste and preference for certain data integration tools and approaches and I wanted to learn more about these in particular. Changing project too often is something that ultimately was conflicting with this aspiration.
When I began searching for suitable opportunities, I didn’t just look in my own country, I was open to relocating anywhere within the European Union. I think Ireland is one of the best places to work. Its IT landscape is so varied and dynamic. Excellence and diversity makes Dublin in my opinion one of the capitals of the European – and world’s – IT industry.
What work do you do?
At Aon I work in a team whose purpose is to architect, design, develop and maintain end-to-end data integration solutions. This involves data acquisition, data profiling, data cleansing, data modeling, ETL flows engineering and data presentation. I also work on the design and deployment of data integration architectures.
How would you describe your working environment?
Exciting, challenging. It stimulates me every day and allows me to express and improve myself as an individual as well as part of a group.
What do you like most about your job?
The togetherness feeling, the trust that I feel I am given – and I also have in – my team members. I trust their technical competence and value them as individuals.
I think that HR and managers, in their choice, made an excellent job in building such an amazing team. I feel extremely lucky and honoured to be part of this team.
Our company grew at an astonishing rate in the past five years, and ultimately I think that this has been a key component for its success, together with the originality and value of the ideas at the base of our products.
Was it difficult to adjust to living and working in Ireland?
No, not at all. I began to feel home a few days after I started to work here. This is my home now.
What surprised you about moving to Ireland?
The Irish people, their attitude and approach to life. It is difficult to describe and only those who lived and worked in Ireland would understand what I am talking about.
The happy, easygoing Irish approach to life and their warm and friendly nature is something that heavily contributes to increase productivity, especially in multiethnic and diverse environments. It creates a comfortable atmosphere that helps people interact with each other, even when coming from different backgrounds.
How does your working life help to make you feel at home here?
Increasing the togetherness of a team and collaboration with other teams is the key component to success in my opinion. I don’t think it is possible to achieve noteworthy results without it. And togetherness is definitely one of the key qualities of my team. We like to spend time with each other in and outside of work.
What do you like most about your adopted home?
It’s close to the sea, people are fantastic, the city is lovely and the surroundings are very picturesque. The busy nightlife also allows me to enjoy my free time, when I need social interaction. This country has a unique mystic and evocative atmosphere. And after all, in Dublin it doesn’t rain too much!
