I always like to say that I guide my life, both personally and professionally, by some principles that I learned in the years I practiced Rugby: respect, teamwork, resilience, discipline and the ability to enjoy, at the end of each day, the fruits of what I did with it.

It is no coincidence that for the last 16 years I have been part of a company whose greatest commitment is to offer the most reliable Customer Experience in the market – which is achieved through these values that I speak of, and that at Cisco we apply in our daily lives.

Constant innovation, the ability to find the most advanced technology and to apply it in the most convenient way to support the largest number of people, the unique combination of our portfolio and our extraordinary people: this is how we build, every single day, a strong company and a solid and unique culture that sets us apart from all others.

I am guided by this thirst to innovate, to transform, to influence the way society lives, works and cooperates. I know that for this to happen it is important to be a leader capable of motivating his people, able to guide them so that they understand that the strength of the team is much superior to the strength of each of its members, but that each one of them contributes to the team in an unparalleled way.

I am fortunate to work every day on what I am in love with and to continue to discover new ways of doing it – but it is not just by luck that Cisco occupies its current prominent position in the country. Cisco has been present in Portugal since 1995 and has come a long way since then. We’ve established several European Centers here which support operations in the rest of the continent, and our most recent CX Center as well, and all of these make us a pivotal country for Cisco in Europe.

The fact that every year for the last 12 years we’ve been classified in the Great Place to Work ranking in Portugal proves just what I was saying: we’re different and we’re very proud to be able to get stronger and more united every day. It takes a lot of willpower, a lot of resilience and a lot of work, but also a lot of passion; that’s how we live our days here, and I don’t think there is a better way to do it.

Miguel Almeida joined Cisco Portugal in 2005 as responsible for the Mid-market, Enterprise & Public Sector area, a position he held until 2009; for the following 10 years, he held the position of Sales & Channel Manager, until in July 2019 he took on the role of Managing Director of Cisco Portugal. Previously, he had worked at McAfee Portugal and Azlan Portugal, also in management positions in the sales area. He enjoys doing activities together with his family, traveling and playing sports like Padel, Rugby or Cycling.