André Dias is weeks away from reaching a significant milestone at Triggerise — six years of being on the team. Based in Porto, André is our Engineering Manager, dedicated to streamlining our tech offerings that make health and wellness more accessible for our thousands of beneficiaries.

Let’s catch up with André, the new dad and outdoor enthusiast.

What drew you to Triggerise in the first place?

The fact that Triggerise works towards creating a better world and having some close friends working at Triggerise at that time.

How do you see yourself fitting into the Triggerise ecosystem and the work we do together?

I consider myself a pragmatic problem solver who likes to think outside the box. On the one hand, we want to keep ourselves at the forefront of technology, but on the other hand we need to make sure our platform is still accessible to all with little to no barriers to entry.

Which Triggerise office or project country do you want to spend some time in?

I’ve been to India, Kenya, and South Africa and in all of these countries I’ve acquired lots of insights from our users. Our technology is a crucial part of the user journey, so it was very useful to receive their feedback. Bearing that in mind, I would probably go back to Kenya and spend more time with the different actors in our ecosystem, identifying struggles or repetitive tasks that could be improved in our platform. Not everything requires complex high-tech solutions, sometimes there are easy ways to tackle things and make everyone’s life easier, we just need to continually be aware of these needs.

What’s your favourite thing about working here?

No two days are the same. There are always new challenges and new things to work on; one definitely won’t get bored working at Triggerise. Besides that, there are people in different areas of the organisation who I enjoy working with — people who don’t take anything for granted, get things done, truly believe in our mission, and commit to it.

What is one of your favourite ways to rest and recalibrate when you’re not working?

Hiking in the mountains and exploring the unknown. The journey to the top might be challenging but that’s what makes the sunsets or sunrises wonderful to watch from up there. I’m hoping that my baby daughter will enjoy it as much as mummy and daddy do.

What does the word “connection” mean to you? How does it play a role in how you interact with people?

Connection is the bridge you build with someone. And no bridge is the same, there are solid and shaky ones, there are short and long ones, there are those that last for ages and those that soon collapse and there are even those that remain strong even when they are only occasionally crossed.

It’s obviously easier to interact with someone when there’s a good bridge and everything just flows naturally. That doesn’t mean that everyone else needs to be kept isolated on islands. I embrace all sorts of connections, regardless of how easy or not it is to establish them. I consider them to be crucial to do our job, especially given the fact that we cover so many different areas. The more we connect, the stronger we become as a whole and the lesser the possibility of a disruption.

How do you hope to leave a mark on the world?

I know I can’t change the whole world by myself, but I can change my own world. I try, as much as possible, to leave a positive impact on those around me and, hopefully, if everyone does the same, the world will change. I’m always available to help, I listen and advise and I try to put a smile on everyone’s faces. My knowledge is limited but I share it with those who are interested and I try to learn as much as possible from others as well. I hope that later on, when looking back, I can be proud of the lives I’ve changed through my work, my support, my encouragement, and my kind gestures.