Technology Executive · Business Transformer · Speaker · Author · Founder

Clarity at the hardest decisions.

Twenty years building and transforming technology businesses across four continents. I show up where the challenge is hardest.

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Andres Ortola — speaking on stage

20+
Years in ICT industry
50
Countries managed
Best Company to Work For
Top 50
CEOs in Portugal
#1
Expat Executive of the Year — Philippines

Twenty years leading across four continents.

Nobody plans to end up running technology businesses across four continents — but curiosity, a genuine obsession with results, and a willingness to take the hard assignment have a way of writing their own story.

For over two decades, I've been the person companies call when a market is underperforming, a team is disengaged, or a business needs to be rebuilt from the inside out. I've led turnarounds across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East and Africa, driven triple-digit revenue growth, and built sales organizations from scratch — including expanding into Latin America.

"The hardest part of a business turnaround isn't the strategy — it's rebuilding the belief that it's possible."

What makes me different isn't a framework. It's a pattern: I go deep into the organization, earn the trust of the team, and drive change from the inside. I managed teams, recovered negative employee engagement, and turned it into award-winning culture — twice. I've been named Expat Executive of the Year and listed among the Top 50 CEOs in Portugal.

The method

01

Understand the context

Before touching strategy, I listen. Every market, every team, every failure has a specific root cause. I spend time understanding what's really going on — beyond the numbers, beyond the narrative leadership has settled on.

02

Solve the basics

Most struggling businesses don't need a new strategy — they need the fundamentals executed properly. I focus on what's broken at the base: clarity of priorities, accountability, the right people in the right roles.

03

Build a growth strategy

Once the basics are solid, I work with teams to design a growth strategy that reaches beyond what feels realistic — and makes it executable. The best outcomes I've seen came from people who stopped accepting the ceiling above them.

What drives me

Most of my career has been spent in places where the odds weren't great. That's not a coincidence — it's a choice. There's nothing more rewarding than helping a team — and a business — push past what seemed impossible and discover they had more in them than they knew.

Business Transformation P&L Management Enterprise Sales Team Leadership Go-to-Market Strategic Planning Org Design Keynote Speaking

Business Transformation

End-to-end turnaround advisory for technology companies facing declining performance, team disengagement, or strategic stagnation.

Executive Leadership

Hands-on coaching and advisory for technology executives and country managers navigating complexity, growth, and high-stakes decisions.

Keynote Speaking

Talks on leadership, business transformation, and building high-performance cultures — grounded in real turnarounds, not theory.

Go-to-Market Strategy

Revenue strategy, market expansion, and sales organization design for technology businesses entering new geographies or segments.


Real stories from the front lines of transformation.

I speak from experience — not slides. Every talk draws from actual turnarounds, real teams, and measurable results across Microsoft, IBM, and beyond.

Leading business turnarounds
Building cultures that perform
Managing across cultures and geographies
Growth strategies for technology companies
The Expat Executive: lessons from 4 continents

Interested in having me speak?

I'm selective about engagements — but I'd love to hear about yours.

Get in touch →

Books that shaped how I lead.

Crossing the Chasm
Crossing the Chasm
Crossing the Chasm
Geoffrey Moore
The definitive playbook for taking technology products to mainstream markets.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Ben Horowitz
The only honest book about what it actually takes to lead through a crisis.
The Servant
The Servant
The Servant
James C. Hunter
A story about the true nature of leadership — and why serving others is the source of real authority.
The Gold Mine Effect
The Gold Mine Effect
The Gold Mine Effect
Rasmus Ankersen
What elite performance factories teach us about talent, environment, and the making of greatness.
Getting More of What You Want
Getting More of What You Want
Getting More of What You Want
Margaret Neale
A practical guide to negotiation — how to claim value while building the relationships that matter.
Nail It Then Scale It
Nail It Then Scale It
Nail It Then Scale It
Nathan Furr
Why you need to validate before you build — the lean framework for entrepreneurs who want to get it right.
The Art of Possibility
The Art of Possibility
The Art of Possibility
Benjamin Zander
Transforming professional and personal life through practices that open us up to creativity and contribution.
The Coming Wave
The Coming Wave
The Coming Wave
Mustafa Suleiman
The most clear-eyed account of what AI and synthetic biology will do to the world — and why we're not ready.
The Power of Bad
The Power of Bad
The Power of Bad
John Tierney
How the negativity bias rules our brains — and the strategies to overcome it as a leader.
The Second Mountain
The Second Mountain
The Second Mountain
David Brooks
On the shift from individual achievement to commitment, meaning, and a life of deeper purpose.
Technology and the Rise of Great Powers
Technology and the Rise of Great Powers
Technology and the Rise of Great Powers
Jeffrey Ding
How diffusion of technology — not just invention — determines which nations lead and which fall behind.
Factfulness
Factfulness
Factfulness
Hans Rosling
Ten instincts that distort our worldview — and how to think clearly about the world as it actually is.

Updated regularly. Ask me what I'm reading now →


Writing on leadership & transformation.

Jornal de Negócios · 2026
2026: o ano em que a IA redefine a liderança empresarial em Portugal
Why 2026 marks a turning point — the year AI stops being a topic of debate and starts reshaping how Portuguese companies are actually led and run.
CNN Portugal
Andres Ortola — Profile
Featured profile on CNN Portugal covering leadership, business transformation, and the future of technology in Portugal and beyond.
Observador · 2025
IA Generativa: o hype é real, e é só o início
The excitement around generative AI isn't overblown — it's actually underselling what's coming. A case for why leaders should be moving faster, not slower.
Observador · 2025
Portugal pode ter o melhor serviço público digital do mundo
An opinion piece on why Portugal has a unique window of opportunity to lead Europe in digital public services — and what it will take to seize it.
Eco / Sapo · Dec 2025
Já vamos começar — chips para supercomputador chegam a Sines em janeiro
On the arrival of infrastructure that will make Portugal home to the EU's largest AI supercomputer — and what it means for Europe's technological sovereignty.
Jornal de Negócios · 2025
Teremos o maior supercomputador de IA a servir a UE a partir de Portugal
Why Portugal is uniquely positioned to become a major hub for AI infrastructure in Europe — and the strategic opportunity this represents.
Diário de Notícias · 2025
"Gosto da palavra transformação — é um mantra para o meu dia a dia"
A personal conversation on leadership philosophy, the obsession with transformation, and what keeps driving Andres Ortola forward after two decades at the top.
RH Magazine · 2025
O futuro é híbrido: humanos e agentes de IA nas equipas
The next evolution of the workplace isn't just remote vs. office — it's human teams working alongside AI agents, and leaders need to prepare for it now.
LinkedIn · 2024
5 Insights on Portugal's AI Moment
Key observations on where Portugal stands in the AI race — and the moves that will determine whether it leads or follows.
Tek / Sapo Negócios · 2024
Temos de acelerar a difusão da tecnologia de Inteligência Artificial
On why organizations and leaders must move beyond AI experimentation and commit to meaningful, wide-scale adoption.
Jornal de Negócios — IA da Economia Podcast · 2024
IA para Todos
A conversation on making artificial intelligence accessible and practical for businesses of all sizes — not just the largest players.
LinkedIn · 2023
All Roads Lead to Web Summit
Reflections on Web Summit as a global stage for technology transformation — and what it signals about Europe's ambition in the digital economy.
Microsoft Pulse · 2022
Inovar é o caminho: uma mensagem para os parceiros
A message to the partner ecosystem on why innovation is the only viable path forward — and what it takes to commit to it together.
Microsoft Pulse · 2022
Por um Futuro Épico para Portugal
A call for bold ambition in Portugal's digital and economic transformation — and the leadership mindset required to make it happen.
LinkedIn · 2022
Five Hybrid Work Trends for 2022
The shifts redefining how teams work, collaborate, and perform — and what leaders need to do to stay ahead of them.
Esquire Philippines · Jun 2021
The Executive Rebuilding One of Asia's Most Competitive Tech Markets
A profile on leadership, turnarounds, and what it takes to transform a business from the inside out — in the middle of a pandemic.

23 LinkedIn recommendations from colleagues across IBM, Microsoft, and Quest — across four continents.

"Andres is one of those rare managers who is an excellent leader, a mentor and a friend. He is one of the most skilled sales and marketing directors I have ever worked with… He is creative, always open for ideas, and a perfectionist."
Egypt
"It was a great pleasure working with Andres — he is the best manager I've ever had. Always supporting and helping his team to learn, grow and achieve their targets."
France
"Andres is a strategic and calculated professional. Always on top of the business and influencing market factors. He is a motivational leader with high integrity. I would work with Andres again any day."
South Africa
"His ability to connect people is amazing. As a manager, he was a true pillar. It was a pleasure to work with Andres and I hope to be able to do so again in the future."
Lebanon
"He always has a strong customer focus, he is well prepared and one of the most skilled sales directors I have ever met… Andres has a mix of skills which is rare to find in managers."
United Arab Emirates
"Andrés is a sharp, dedicated professional, oriented to results and also shows great leadership skills."
Mexico

Let's work together.

Whether you're looking for a business transformation partner, an executive advisor, or a speaker — I'd love to hear about your challenge.