🟩 Chapter 2: The Leap to Europe

The next stage marked a significant change: I moved from technical roles in local companies to international projects, with greater exposure, responsibility, and complexity. This was the period in which I consolidated my experience in telecommunications, pay TV, and digital services, and when the door opened to work from Europe.

Cruz Blanca / Bupa: Entry into the Corporate World

I joined Cruz Blanca, the largest health insurance company in Chile at the time, later acquired by Bupa, a British healthcare group.

I worked as a technology analyst, participating in the operation and evolution of critical internal platforms for the business. It was a demanding environment, with very technical management and high standards for quality, deadlines, and operational rigor.

In this stage, I consolidated key learnings:

• Individual responsibility for assigned tasks.
• The importance of properly closing each delivery, not just “making progress.”
• The value of discipline and the ability to work under pressure.

After a few years, I felt it was time to look for an environment more aligned with my main area of interest: telecommunications and video services.

VTR: Telecommunications and Video Services

VTR had always interested me as a company for its role in the pay TV, internet, and telephony market. After several attempts, I had the opportunity to join as a TV Project Engineer.

In this role, I participated in the implementation of VTR’s first OTT service, working with internal teams and with Liberty Global, an international operator present in multiple countries. The project included network components, datacenter, video platforms, and user experience.

This experience allowed me to:

• Work with complex architectures and mission-critical services.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams and international vendors.
• Better understand the relationship between product, technology, and operations.

English and Working with International Teams

A relevant part of this stage was constant interaction with teams from the UK, the Netherlands, and other European countries. My initial English level was not ideal, but the project dynamic required regular meetings, technical documentation, and follow-up in that language.

Through practice, translation tools, and constant study, I improved until I could participate fluently in meetings, lead follow-up sessions, and document agreements clearly.

This experience reinforced two fundamental ideas:

• English is a key skill for global projects.
• Clear communication is a critical enabler in project management.

From OTT to the New Set-top Box

After implementing the OTT service, a new opportunity arose: to lead the project to launch a new next-generation set-top box (EOS), also within the Liberty Global ecosystem.

To take on this challenge, I began working independently, through my own professional services company. The scope of the role included:

• Coordination of development and deployment of the new STB.
• Integration with proprietary video platforms and CDN.
• Management of dependencies between local and international teams.

Over nearly three years, I participated in the launch of two key products for VTR and in the implementation of its first IP content CDN. This stage consolidated my interest and vocation for managing complex technology projects.

The Leap to Europe

At the end of the contract associated with these projects, the possibility arose to continue working with Liberty Global from Europe, specifically in the Netherlands. The decision meant leaving Chile, changing environments, and starting a new professional and personal stage.

I chose to take that step and move to the Netherlands, with the goal of continuing to be involved in international projects in telecommunications and digital services. The change meant adapting to a new country, language, and culture, but also opened the door to working in a dynamic technology ecosystem connected to the rest of Europe.

Starting Over in an International Environment

Settling in a new country meant rebuilding networks, understanding the local regulatory and cultural framework, and learning to navigate organizations where multiple nationalities and ways of working coexist.

In this phase, I reinforced skills such as:

• Adapting to new contexts and organizational forms.
• Collaborating with multicultural and distributed teams.
• Maintaining focus on results in changing environments.

💡 Reflection on Chapter 2

“This stage marked the transition from mainly local roles to global projects, with greater technical and organizational complexity. Cruz Blanca/Bupa provided discipline and structure; VTR and Liberty Global opened the door to video services, OTT, and content distribution networks; the move to Europe consolidated a more international vision of technology and its business impact.”

— Claudio