Nicolas Bivero is the co-founder and CEO of Penbrothers. They're an HR and remote talent management solutions provider that helps global startups and SMEs build and scale their teams through outstanding Filipino talent.

Today, Penbrothers employs over 1500 team members across multiple functions and industries, serving over 90 of the most exciting and innovative startups and SMEs in retail, e-commerce, gaming, IT and fintech.

👋🏼 How would you explain your job to someone outside tech?

I lead a company that connects amazing Filipino talent to the fastest-growing startups and SMEs around the world.

My job is to work with our senior management team in translating our long-term strategy into more near-term objectives and results which we can then implement along the way, ensuring constant improvements in our service and customer experience.

🧐 What's something about you or your job that would surprise us?

I spend as much time listening to our existing clients as I spend on our growth efforts to understand their pain points and improvement requests, thereby enabling us to stay centered on our core mission to deliver value to our clients.

🏆 What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

Coming to the Philippines —initially on business trips as a junior business development manager and later on as the country head for my previous employer.

It allowed me to fall in love with the Philippines and the Filipino people and learn first-hand how talented and hard-working colleagues they are. It was working with Filipinos which inspired me to build our company.

The Philippines is still underestimated by a lot of people, both in terms of its beauty but also in terms of the quality and character of the Filipino. It is a perception I truly hope to contribute to changing.

🔍 What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year?‍

We are watching the impact of the demographic shift in Europe as an opportunity to grow. It will create very interesting opportunities and new business models.

We are also confident that Singapore's startup scene will continue to rapidly grow, and it will be a very significant market for the offshoring industry here in the Philippines.

💼 What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry?

Do not underestimate the need to have a very good team that can cater to the needs of your employees and clients.

If you build a company culture that is people-centric, then your employees will go out of their way to take care of your clients by finding solutions and delivering value to your customers.

‍

🗣 What's one thing you can keep talking about for hours?

History. I love history since it enables you to understand most of today's political and economic developments around the world.

🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show?

Too many to list, but my all-time favorite is "The Good Place"

‍

🍨 What's your go-to ice cream flavor?‍

Vanilla with chocolate blend