With more than 20 years of experience, Gerardo Carlevaro is a prominent entrepreneur in the Argentine audiovisual industry, passionate about travel, tennis and, of course, technology.
Richard Santa S.
The passion to know, learn and train on new technologies that has characterized him throughout his life, was what led him to "by chance", Gerardo Carlevaro was linked to the audiovisual industry of Latin America.
This Electronics Engineer from the University of Buenos Aires, invited as Professional of the Month for this edition, was born in the capital of Argentina on December 24, 1956. From his secondary studies with a technical approach he began to discover the taste for technology.
After graduating as an engineer he completed several postgraduate courses in the early 80s, especially in the area of simulation of biological models. He remembers from that time that in those postgraduate courses he interacted with professionals from other areas such as biologists, systems, other engineering, a situation that helped him to look at things from a perspective not always technical.
About his first steps as a professional, he said that he had contracts with technology companies such as Texas Instruments, among others.
"In the audiovisual industry I started by chance, like most of us who started around that time. I was doing a sterilization system installation for an operating room in a new dental clinic and I met some young people who were installing a camera to relay surgeries to an adjoining room."
Creating a company
With his first approach in the audiovisual industry, in the early 90's he joined the company that later became Congress Rental, where he worked until 2002, both in Buenos Aires and Brazil.
"Since 2003 we founded with my partner Martín Saúl, 2MG NET S.A, which is the service company where I work these days," he said. This company is dedicated to providing solutions focused on the integration of technologies in audio, video, control and lighting for exhibitions, presentations and events.
In this decade of work in his own company, in which he works hand in hand with his wife Liliana, he has had many anecdotes and a lot of learning about unexpected situations.
"Within two or three years of starting in the activity, I thought I already knew everything I had to know. At that time we were doing a job for an oil company in the country and in that event we shared the work with an English producer. I realized there was so much more to learn."
He added that in this way he could see another way of working, another equipment, another culture and by implementing this work philosophy in his company. Thus they began to differentiate themselves, and began to receive clients from abroad who came to them by reference of those who had already hired them and recognized the effort they make in not feeling so far from home.
"From that moment I was interested in all the know-how that I could obtain from foreign companies and today much of the work of 2MG NET is to serve customers from abroad," he said.
"We don't stop working"
"In my working life the word summarize has no place. Really, I think we don't stop working at any time. The day usually starts at six in the morning to get to the office at eight. This schedule changes the days I go to supervise an event, usually those days I start at five in the morning, "said Gerardo Carlevaro.
During the day-to-day work in his office, he has the help of several collaborators. With them you see budgets, finances, projects, necessary purchases of equipment, meetings with clients, among other activities.
The time of departure, like the time of arrival, always depends on the emergencies. "Monday and Wednesday I retire at 7 p.m. since at 9 p.m. I play tennis near home, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. As I work with my wife, if we can leave early we do, otherwise we stay for dinner in the vicinity of the office, which is in Palermo, one of the most beautiful and touristic neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, and where you eat very well. "
For our Professional of the Month, the most difficult challenge with his subordinates and collaborators is to make them incorporate new technologies and train them day by day.
He maintained that "it is the youngest who always want something new, but our most precious technicians are between 25 and 35 years old, and it is more difficult for them to assume the changes. But, pushed by the young people and in view of the best results, everyone works together and things go really well. In technology today the pace of progress is really interesting, there are always new things to see, learn and do."
Passion for tennis and travel
With his wife Liliana, with whom he has been happily married for 26 years after eight years of courtship, Gerardo Carlevaro shares the work in the company and also the taste for travel and tennis.
"I play tennis since I was 10 years old and in addition to my sport, it's my anti-stress therapy, I play it two or three times a week. Of course in football I am a supporter of Boca Juniors! I'm also a fan of reading, I always have a book on hand and I play chess."
Regarding personal development, he indicated that he is a member of Vistage, an international organization for the development of CEO's where he receives training in different areas of management.
In September 2011 he was appointed member of InfoComm 100, a group that brings together the 100 outstanding professionals in the audiovisual industry. "It was an important nomination, since I was the only representative of the activity for Latin America, I shared talks and experiences with colleagues from India, Australia, the United States, Canada, etc ... this was in Portland, Oregon. A very enriching experience."
On the other hand and for its activity, it is permanently in events where topics of interest are discussed. He has been in conferences with hundreds of gurus from different areas such as management, negotiation, strategy. "Well channeled that information helps us in all aspects of our work and personal lives."
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