Beyond the Title: Marcelo De Santis on Redefining Leadership and Growth
"I Am an Architect of Growth" is a series spotlighting changemakers in the technology industry who are driving innovation and championing inclusion - in their own words.
Today, we hear directly from Marcelo De Santis: he doesn’t just talk about leadership—he lives it, breathes it, and constantly redefines it. In a heartfelt and candid conversation, Marcelo walks us through his dynamic career, the values that fuel his decisions, and the human stories that shape his work. His journey is a powerful reminder that success isn’t a destination—it’s an ever-evolving loop of courage, learning, and reinvention.
Marcelo’s career has evolved through three distinct, purpose-driven chapters:
Chapter One, Operational Excellence: As Chief Information Officer for global enterprises, Marcelo led large-scale transformations focused on driving efficiency, resilience, and team engagement across complex organizations.
Chapter Two, Digital Innovation: Transitioning into Chief Digital Officer roles, he pioneered new business models and customer experiences—leveraging AI and emerging technologies to unlock growth and reposition legacy businesses for the digital age.
Chapter Three, Portfolio Leadership: Marcelo now operates at the intersection of leadership, capital, and impact. In this portfolio phase, he advises boards, coaches senior executives, and invests in early-stage tech ventures. A core theme of his work is building “ecosystems of trust”—a principle outlined in his book Figure Eight, where value creation is accelerated through purpose-driven alignment between people, technology and capital. He brings this approach to life through initiatives like NextData, Mindsets, and Angeles Investors.
Each chapter of his career journey represents a deliberate reinvention. “It’s about learning new tricks in every iteration,” he says, echoing the wisdom passed down from his immigrant grandfather who built a logistics empire from scratch in Argentina. Marcelo’s journey shows how adaptability and intention can turn experience into impact.
Power of Human-Centered Leadership
What makes Marcelo’s leadership style unique is how deeply personal and human it is. His perspective was profoundly shaped by a near-death experience while climbing a mountain. “I realized how fragile life is. I started to see my career not just as success for myself, but as a responsibility to help others climb their own mountains,” he shares.
This moment became a turning point. Leadership, for Marcelo, stopped being about title or hierarchy and became about enabling others—about scaling not just businesses, but elevating people’s potential. “If you empower five people—and each of them empowers five more—you’re igniting a chain reaction that could reach hundreds. That’s real impact. Isn’t it?”
His approach weaves purpose into performance, reminding us that the best leaders build bridges, not pedestals.
Diversity, Curiosity, and Growth
From Buenos Aires to Singapore, from Shanghai to Italy, to the U.S., Marcelo’s worldview has been shaped by a life lived globally. With this exposure came a deep appreciation for diversity—not just in culture or background, but in thought.
"Diversity is a strategic asset and a business advantage. It fuels better ideas, drives stronger innovation, and delivers superior outcomes,” Marcelo explains. His approach to sustainable growth is grounded in looking beyond organizational boundaries, staying relentlessly curious, and intentionally surrounding himself with people who challenge his thinking and expand his perspective.
For instance, while leading a global digital transformation, he united teams across Asia, Europe, and Latin America to integrate regional consumer data—revealing insights that led to new product ideas and locally inspired beverage flavors.
It’s this intentional curiosity that drives both personal and professional growth. “We’re all a work in progress. The key is to keep evolving—to keep asking, ‘What else is possible?’ The moment we stop asking that question is the moment we leave our potential untapped.”
Giving Back with Purpose and Intention
Marcelo’s current work—through organizations like HITEC, Angeles Investors, and his coaching practice at The Ascent—is a masterclass in amplifying impact. Whether it’s investing in Latino-led startups or mentoring executives to reach their full potential, the thread is consistent: service.
“When I give one hour to HITEC, I know it multiplies into hundreds for our community. That ripple effect is transformational.” he says. His approach is twofold: strategic and purposeful—combining deep values with clear intent to create exponential impact through others.
And perhaps most inspiring is the joy he finds in that process. “It feeds my soul,” he says with a smile. That joy, that purpose—that’s the real legacy.
Marcelo’s Blueprint: Four Words (and a Loop)
If Marcelo had to map his career journey into four words, it would be:
Courage. Experiment. Learn. Grow.
But it doesn’t stop there. “It’s a loop, not a linear path,”he adds. “After you grow, you go back and find the courage to do it all over again. We are all work in progress!”
And that’s the essence of Marcelo De Santis—a leader who never stops learning, who leads with heart, and who’s committed to lifting others as he climbs—amplifying growth, at every step.
