This conversation features Marta Tuluco, Business Intelligence Lead; Ganesh Pawar, Data Engineering Principal; and Fábio Fernandes, Data Science Principal, as they discuss their experiences working on the HBDC partnership. Their discussion highlights major achievements, upcoming projects, and the dynamic environment that fosters learning and innovation. They also reflect on the company culture and offer advice for aspiring data professionals.

“I'm Fábio Fernandes. I joined Metyis almost three years ago and am a Data Science Principal in Porto.”

“I'm Marta Tuluco. I joined the HBDC in Porto almost three years ago in July. I started in the Business Intelligence team and am now a Business Intelligence Lead.”

“I'm Ganesh Pawar. I'm originally from India and moved to Porto two years ago. I work as a Data Engineering Principal, responsible for the data engineering team here in Porto HBDC and for designing solutions.”

While each brings distinct responsibilities and perspectives, their roles intersect to drive technical innovation and team collaboration. From managing data engineering and building dashboards to navigating internal processes and supporting leadership, their work shows just how powerful cross-functional collaboration can be in shaping HUGO BOSS's data-driven future.

“I mainly lead and manage the data engineering team, handling people management, setting goals, and related tasks. I also work as a Solution Architect, collaborating with my counterpart in HUGO BOSS to design solutions and finalise approaches for use cases we take on.”

“I'm currently in a transition phase since I was recently promoted to Lead. Previously, I was building dashboards for HUGO BOSS, but now I'll be focusing more on managing my team. We work in the Omnichannel Sales Spoke, and I lead a team of six people. I help them unblock issues, provide support from other teams when needed, and often reach out to others to assist them. We work closely with our lead at HUGO BOSS, and I act as a bridge between my team and him. While we establish everything, I'm still involved in some development work.”

“When I joined HUGO BOSS Digital Campus, I began working closely with ABA, the data team for this project—the data pillar. I have two main goals established with leadership. First, I collaborate closely with Ganesh and the data engineering team to create a data platform, supporting them with data consumer requests, prioritisation, and requirement understanding.

I also help navigate internal processes within HUGO BOSS, ensuring access and resources for building the platform. This involves a lot of meetings and alignments to keep things moving. Secondly, I support ABA leadership with structuring ways of working, recruitment, identifying project needs, and overall acting as a facilitator.”

The impact of working with HUGO BOSS

Ganesh, Marta, and Fábio all share a common perspective on what makes the HUGO BOSS partnership so unique—the sense of purpose, the strength of teamwork, and the dynamic energy that defines the HBDC.

"With HUGO BOSS, the best part is having clear objectives—understanding what we need to achieve and how we can be more productive. Each individual knows their role and responsibilities in reaching our shared goals within the given timeline.

Senior management is very approachable, which fosters a creative environment. Since the work is challenging, we need to be innovative and efficient. We work as a team, and even our leaders are team-oriented, which helps a lot.

Also, working with HUGO BOSS means we always focus on the latest developments and strive to conduct great testing. Since we work with different tools, we stay on top of new methodologies emerging in the market.

We constantly try to incorporate these into our data platform to streamline processes, improve deliveries, automate tasks, and enhance the platform’s robustness and sustainability. We’ve always done this, and we continuously keep an eye on the market to see what’s coming next."

“I feel the same. When I joined, I was the second person on my team. As the team grew, we formed a strong bond because we were building everything from the ground up. We all had to support each other, which created a deep sense of teamwork. I also received a lot of support from people outside my team, even from HUGO BOSS, where everyone was always available and helpful. This strong team spirit continues to this day.

One of the best things about working here is never feeling alone or afraid to make mistakes—there's always someone there to support or teach you. And you really feel like you're contributing because you can see the impact of your work.”

"I’d add that there’s a strong startup spirit here. In the beginning, teams naturally found their own ways of working, which gave everyone a voice in shaping the processes.

It's this startup environment where we need to figure out how to work together and how to collaborate with other teams that puts us working together towards the same goal, solving problems and learning from each other. It gives us that special bond because everybody's mindset is, 'let's figure it out'. Looking back, I think that’s what makes this experience special.

I think it’s important for everyone in their career to feel that what they do has value. In this project, especially within HUGO BOSS and data, we started from scratch in many areas, which gave us a great opportunity to establish something meaningful.

The data platform itself is a great example. We have the opportunity to work in different environments, and the team is constantly evolving. For example, in regard to data science, we’ve seen a transition from R to Python as a more versatile programming language.

It’s not just about tools or skill sets—it’s about being in the right place with the right people, where we fit best. It’s also beneficial for team members to collaborate between different areas, so they can broaden their knowledge and expertise."

Proud moments and accomplishments

A common theme emerges from Ganesh, Fábio and Marta's experience—building something from the ground up, earning trust, and driving meaningful change. Whether it’s developing the data platform, automating processes, or seeing their work recognised globally have made working with HUGO BOSS a truly rewarding experience.

"My team and I built the data platform and assembled the data engineering team, from the ground up. I see this as a major achievement and success. We gained the trust of stakeholders and HUGO BOSS counterparts, strengthening our relationships.

This trust allows us to explore more opportunities, collaborate further, and be more creative. The positive work environment we’ve built makes everything more enjoyable."

"There are so many achievements to choose from! I’d highlight the data platform as well. I worked closely with Ganesh and the DE team on it, and it was incredibly challenging. In less than six months, we set up an architecture and delivered the firsts machine learning models in production. It was a challenging time, but the team came together with a common goal. We had difficult discussions, but we figured things out, collaborated across multiple teams, and ultimately went live in 2022. That moment proved the team’s ability to work together, and it built trust with HUGO BOSS.

Another major achievement was breaking down barriers with the business side. We’ve been driving change by introducing automation and a new mindset. In ABA, we’ve promoted this change, acting as consultants by recommending improvements and new approaches. Seeing senior stakeholders open up to these changes and adopting new ways of working has been a great success. It’s not just about technical achievements—it’s about changing mindsets and shaping a culture that embraces new technology and innovation."

“My team has had several achievements. We've quickly deepened our expertise with new tools and are now seen as a go-to team, with others regularly reaching out to us with questions and requests. We've taken full ownership. Then there's the dashboards we are creating that are now being show at HUGO BOSS—I’ve had many people send me screenshots, and I’ve even seen them presented at headquarters.

So, it means a lot to know our work is being valued and used. This is always the most rewarding part of our work. For instance, one of our dashboards was featured at a global retail conference in Metzingen.

On a practical level, I happy about the fact that we've replaced a lot of manual work, saving people significant time. We track these improvements and can measure how much manual work we’ve eliminated.”

Looking forward to even more impact

Ganesh, Fábio, and Marta are all excited for what’s next for HUGO BOSS—new technologies, expanded capabilities, and greater integration.

"We will be working more on GenAI, which is really exciting. It’s new a realm full of possibilities.

As I mentioned, we’re always eager to explore new things. As a Solution Architect, I’m involved in evaluating and comparing different tools—Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, and others. I assess their benefits, oversee proof of concepts (POCs), and analyse external evaluations of those POCs. Being part of these discussions and decision-making processes excites me because it provides insight into new ways of solving problems and achieving solutions more efficiently."

"I share Ganesh’s excitement about GenAI and all the discussions around it. Of course, it’s a hot topic, but we see that HUGO BOSS wants to invest in it more. Another big one is the future of the data platform— a modern data & analytical platform made to connect in one place all data source systems, capable of delivering real-time data for analytics purposes and send it back to the operational system."

"On my side, the thing that stands out to me right now is the loyalty programme that HUGO BOSS recently launched. We’re building a dashboard based on data from this programme. It’s something we’ve just created and are now expanding. As we expand and see new members joining, our dashboard is designed to capture that data.

It’s a bit of a unique situation for us because typically, we work with data that already exists—like purchase data from stores—but with this loyalty programme, it's completely new. We didn’t have this data before, and now we’re able to use it to create new features on our dashboard."

Advice from the pros

Ganesh, Marta, and Fábio each offer valuable insights from their journeys like the importance of mastering your craft, staying curious, and building strong relationships.

"What I learned from my experience is that we need to strive for excellence, and everything else will follow. You're recognised within the team and company based on your skill set—that’s what you were hired for. As you develop expertise in that skill set, you become more comfortable and confident, especially when speaking in front of stakeholders, clients, and management.

The first and foremost priority is mastering the tools and technologies you're working with. The second is gaining the client’s trust, which is just as important. Once you earn their trust, you can say “Let's try it out', and they will trust you knowing that the risk of failure is minimal. In that way they will allow you to do more, experiment and involve you in new ventures and technologies.

As a lead, I’d say it’s important to keep the team motivated. Because one person can't achieve success. Hence keep the team motivated and show them the right path, the right direction to achieve great success."

"I don’t come from a data background—I kind of fell into this world. What has helped me, and what ultimately led to my promotion, is that I was always interested in learning more. I don’t think you need to be the best. When I started, I had never worked with these tools, so I definitely wasn’t the best. But I was willing to learn and ask questions. I think you shouldn’t be afraid to let people know, ‘I’m not the best, but I want to be’. Also remember that having a supportive team is key because you can’t do it alone.

My biggest advice is to never lose your curiosity. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and I think the rest will follow. If you show real interest and if you want to know more, you’ll be recognised for it—and eventually, everything else will fall into place."

"I have two pieces of advice. First, curiosity. If you have questions, ask them. Always stay curious about the topics you're working on. Going the ‘extra mile’ doesn’t just mean doing more in your daily job—it also means asking what others are doing and how they’re doing it. Be as curious as possible, not only to improve your own work but also to understand how others work and approach problems.

Second, find a mentor. From my own experience, since I decided to have mentors and ask people if they wanted to be my mentor, the way I viewed my career, and my work changed completely. Having someone who challenges you to improve makes a huge difference. A mentor gives you a space to discuss your work, identify areas for growth, and track your progress step by step. Over time, you’ll see real improvements, and those changes will help you grow in your career."

What makes Life@Metyis so special

Ganesh, Marta, and Fabio all agree that the defining aspect of their time at Metyis and at the HBCD isn’t just the work—it’s the people. The openness, collaboration, and approachability make all the difference. The energy of the Digital Campus has inspired in them a strong sense of community.

“In my opinion, the biggest thing for me is that people are approachable—whether it’s teammates, senior management, or anyone else. Even the partners—we meet them almost once a month at all-hands meetings or other events. I don’t always need to schedule one-on-one meetings to ask questions because people are open to supporting us. They’re willing to clarify doubts and be transparent about things we discuss as a group.

That’s what I like most here—people know me, and I know exactly who to turn to for clarification, and they’re always open and transparent with me. Of course, there are other things, like the fun activities we do, but this is the most important one for me.”

"For me, it’s also the people. Of course, it helps to enjoy the work itself, but I could be doing the same job somewhere else. What keeps me here is that I enjoy working with the people around me. The work environment is great, and that’s one of the most important things for me.

Since moving to the Porto Digital Campus, having the whole team here together makes a big difference. We can take breaks together, decompress a bit, and if we need help, it’s much easier when you can just walk over to someone.

The Campus was definitely needed. Even receiving people from HUGO BOSS was a challenge in the old office, but now we have visitors almost every week. So this is definitely a place for collaboration."

"I feel the same way—what makes working at Metyis special is the people and the Campus. I think it’s a great place to work and be together. When I'm at the Campus I always try to have a coffee with someone I don't normally work with so I can see if they are having the same problems or learn what they are working on. It means I can expand the networking across other pillars and other teams.

Another thing is how approachable people are, no matter their role. We interact with people from different countries, and if we have a problem, we can reach out to anyone—whether they’re in Portugal, Italy, or Turkey. People are open to exchanging knowledge and solutions for specific issues.

For me, the two most important things are the people and the global culture—everyone is approachable, regardless of their level, and we can ask questions, collaborate, and find solutions together."

It’s been truly insightful to hear from these team members experiences working at Metyis in partnership with HUGO BOSS. Their personal perspectives highlight not only the company's culture but also the value of the connections and opportunities that make working here a unique and rewarding journey.