Episode 3: Leadership Across Borders: Annabelle Ambrosi on Technology, Change, and Collaboration

In this episode of the Share PLM Podcast, we are joined by Annabelle Ambrosi, an independent leadership and transformation professional and executive IT leader with over 20 years of experience driving technology delivery, digital transformation, and operational excellence in complex, highly regulated environments. 

Annabelle has held senior leadership roles across financial services, telecommunications, and global enterprise organisations, including Nordea and Ericsson, where she led large-scale application management, governance, compliance, and transformation initiatives. She is known for turning strategic vision into practical, data-driven execution, building high-performing cross-functional teams, and aligning technology with long-term business value and regulatory stability. 

In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, successful transformation is no longer just about technology—it’s about people, purpose, and leadership. Here are some of the highlights from our conversation:

⚉ Leading Digital Transformation Across Industries 
⚉ The Importance of Purpose in Driving Change 
⚉ Managing Teams Effectively During Transformation
⚉ Balancing Technical Expertise with People Skills
⚉ Overcoming Challenges in System Implementations 
⚉ Aligning IT and Business for Success 
⚉ Navigating Mergers & Acquisitions 
⚉ Leading Across Cultures


CONNECT WITH ANNABELLE: 
⚉ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annabelle-ambrosi-053341141/ 

CONNECT WITH SHARE PLM:
Website: https://shareplm.com/ 


Join us every month to listen to fascinating interviews, where we cover a wide array of topics, from actionable tips, to personal experiences, to strategies that you can implement into your PLM strategy.

If you have an interesting story to share and want to join the conversation, contact us and let's chat. We can't wait to hear from you!

Transcript

[00:00:11] BEATRIZ GONZALEZ:
Hello everyone and welcome to the Share PLM podcast. My name is Beatriz González, co-founder and CEO of Share, PLM. And today I'm hosting this episode together with Maria Morris. Hi Maria. Welcome. How are you? And who is with us today?

[00:00:26] MARIA MORRIS:
Hi Bea. Thank you for having me join you again as co-host for this episode. Today, we've got a very exciting guest joining us. Another woman in tech, Annabelle Ambrosi. Her career journey has spanned all the way from Ecuador to Sweden, helping organizations navigate their digital transformations, and we're very excited to have her join. So welcome, Annabelle to the episode. Please introduce yourself to our listeners.

[00:00:52] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
Thank you very much. I'm excited to to be here. Yes. Uh, as you mentioned Maria, I'm originally from Ecuador and my journey abroad started when I was exchange student in the United States. And yeah, I was fascinated by the idea of working in a connected world and contributing to making it even better.

As a software engineer, my goal was to study in the US my master's, but life had a different plan for me. And yeah, generous Sweden open its doors to me with a scholarship at the KTH, which is one of the country stock technical universities. So that opportunity became the exciting start for my international career, moving to Sweden and opening a world of possibilities.

[00:01:45] MARIA MORRIS:
That's amazing, and maybe you can tell us a little bit more about once you had finished your studies, where did you go next? What companies did you start working for? What roles did you have?

[00:01:56] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
I started being a management consultant, so that was within Ernst & Young around five years. And then I was hired by Ericsson as head of Global Compliance. Over a decade now, the last one has been with Noea. I also work with a US company, only one, Rise Accord. We implemented some workflows globally around the the globe in all the continents actually.

[00:02:28] BEATRIZ GONZALEZ:
So you have involved in the data transformations in all your roles, right? And companies?

[00:02:34] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
Yes.

[00:02:36] MARIA MORRIS:
And Annabelle, how did working at companies like Ericsson and Nordea shape your approach to technology and, and leadership and navigating digital transformations?

[00:02:47] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
At Ericsson in Sweden, I gained valuable experience in mergers and acquisitions, working to align the processes and technology. Newly acquired companies with Ericson's framework and business goals. So this taught me the importance of structure and strategy and agility and integrating teams effectively across geographies.

And did I get the buy in from the people from these companies? Well, by explaining That their company was not going to disappear, but that they were going to transition to become yet part of a bigger company and lead them with the empathy to the new structure.

[00:03:34] BEATRIZ GONZALEZ:
Okay. Annabelle, if thinking on the different industries you have worked with, because Ericsson is different than Nordea is in the finance area, so can you tell us more about that experience in relation with the data transformations and change management?

[00:03:52] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
Yes, of course, at Nordea again in Sweden, I managed both complex systems and processes across north countries with lots of focus on regulatory environments with respect to corporate customers leading diverse teams through significant transformations. And um, yeah, these experiences taught me that effective leadership combines strategic thinking with the technical expertise and the ability to guide teams successfully through challenges and, uh, rewarding projects that, yeah, as I was leading this, uh, regulatory projects, which they come with deadlines from central banks, from that need to have on time delivery, that plays a major role within the finance industry.

[00:04:43] BEATRIZ GONZALEZ:
Was it easier for you having deadlines, so not for you, but for the people itself to adopt the change. Was, was it easier to have very strong deadlines than not having them to embrace the change?

[00:04:57] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
Yeah, it's one of the reasons, you know, when you explain what are the reasons, what is the purpose of the change, you need to communicate clearly, this is coming from the central bank or what is the purpose of this change and when we need to be full compliant with this? It helps you with the purpose, explaining the purpose of the change, because I think that it's very important to take the time and to explain the why we are doing this. What is the purpose of the change?

[00:05:29] BEATRIZ GONZALEZ:
Yeah, so this is some part when you have mentioned how to manage teams effectively. So one of the key things is to explain the purpose and the vision, right? So can you elaborate more on what is for you managing teams efficiently?

[00:05:45] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
I think it's to explain the purpose of the change, to engage the stakeholders early in the process, to communicate clearly. What are the benefits of the change? Also, listen carefully to the concerns of the people. To really make the people be heard, they feel, but that they also are heard because since the change is going to involve them or all of the people, I think that we need to listen to how this is going to impact and what are their concerns. So take your time to invest on, on explaining the benefits and listening to every concerns that the people may have.

[00:06:34] MARIA MORRIS:
Annabelle, you mentioned that it's very important that people feel listened to help them get onboard with changes. Do you think that by having a technical background, it's easier for you to connect with people who you are trying to bring on board and engage in different transformations?

[00:06:51] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
Yeah, I believe that technical background is, um, essential because the digital transformation rely on technology. Like the applications. The solutions are based on technology and leaders need to understand how to navigate, do it effectively. It enables leaders to ask right questions and make informed decisions.

However, I believe that technical knowledge alone is not enough. Success depends on balancing it with strong people skills, having a clear vision. Yeah, I think those are very important.

[00:07:28] BEATRIZ GONZALEZ:
Mm-hmm. And in the transformation you have been involved, what systems have you had to implement? What type of systems?

[00:07:39] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
They have been migrations or upgrades. Yeah. Different things within, with the technology implementing  ERPs, replacing old technology with new technology.

[00:07:53] MARIA MORRIS:
Were the transformations mainly focused on ERP systems or were there other types of, of systems that you were also focused on?

[00:08:02] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
Well, one digital transformation at Nordea that stands out was the application migration from all technology to a new service platform. And because of that, it came with so many challenges. Because the technology was old and hardly few people that had the skill and the knowledge and accommodating those all functionalities to the new platform was challenging. 

But together with everyone, with the IT teams architecture, the business people, we tackle all those hurdles and created a big success by migrating it to a new platform within all the compliance in place. And I think what made it work was that we work as one team in, we say we work as one, one team, listening to the different teams, addressing their concerns and showing progress and celebrating each step.

[00:09:01] BEATRIZ GONZALEZ:
You were saying that this implementation was challenging, but I didn't understand if it was challenging from the technical perspective, more for the IT team, or it was more challenging for the end user to adopt that system because it was quite different.

[00:09:17] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
Both. Both. But it was a lot of challenges in the technical side because the people who were knowledgeable about the systems were not there anymore. These are mainframes in the sixties from the seventies, so we didn't have so many people with the knowledge to be able to migrate to new platforms.

[00:09:37] MARIA MORRIS:
Hmm.

[00:09:38] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
And then with the end users as well.

[00:09:41] MARIA MORRIS:
Hmm.

[00:09:42] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
So the whole thing was difficult.

[00:09:44] MARIA MORRIS:
And how important has it been in your projects that the IT teams and the business teams are closely aligned? Has that been something that has been a key to success or has there not been as much collaboration as there should have been? What has your experience been there?

[00:10:01] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
Yeah. I believe that it's a very important union with IT and business because. It. We're here to support the business and we can be very mature and so that there is trust and very good rapport, but usually the final decisions, you know, comes from business. So the prioritization needs to be done together with what the goal is from business so that everything that we are doing within IT brings value to business. So it needs to be a united front within IT and business, I believe like a marriage, I say like a marriage.

[00:11:19] BEATRIZ GONZALEZ:
You were mentioning that you have lot of experience in merchant acquisitions on how to incorporate teams to the company, white processes. So going deeper there, can you tell us a little bit the high level process, so the steps that you follow to incorporate one new company into the mother company?

[00:11:42] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
So when there is a, a merger and acquisition, we had a goal and it was that this new company bought from the UK was the first one, another company was bought in from Germany. Smaller companies, that they could be integrated to the framework of Ericsson and that they could also be compliant because Ericsson is also regulated by ISO. So Ericsson has standards, quality standards. So the new company as part of the group also needed to have those compliance in place with a timeline.

So in order to integrate and make them compliant. Yes, we need to plan accordingly. Which processes need to go first? Who are the team who is going to be appointed from the new company? And I had my C-suite executives who were. I was working with directly and they would appoint different people for the different processes when we were moving to those processes. So it's a plan on which, uh, processes to go first and what technology we need to migrate and how to do that in the quality ISO standards.

[00:13:00] BEATRIZ GONZALEZ:
And how do you close the, the merger?

[00:13:03] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
Well, for me it was actually leaving it ready. And then having these external auditors coming and reviewing and granting the certificate of compliance. So that was the end of the project and the success granted.

[00:13:22] MARIA MORRIS:
And were you also supporting Annabel on these projects you were mentioning that you had to, throughout the process, you had to decide which technologies would be migrated. So I'm assuming you had quite a lot of data migrations between systems. Were you also involved in, in those projects as well? So helping the organizations assess what data was needed to be migrated, what was no longer relevant? How did you manage those projects?

[00:13:46] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
Yes, of course we needed to, these were talking about more than a decade ago. But yes, everything has to have a plan. You know, as I, as I mentioned, and a priority. Which one goes first, what makes sense to go first, what makes sense to go after. And then having a team that helps you from both, from Ericsson, from the new company that helps you close the gap.

[00:14:11] MARIA MORRIS:
And during these processes, were you bringing users on board as well to get their input on what data needed to be migrated and things like this, helping you do the data mapping across systems?

[00:14:23] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
Correct.

[00:14:24] MARIA MORRIS:
And maybe now we can talk a little bit about your experience in leadership positions working with the C-Suite and senior leadership throughout your projects. And maybe you could tell us a little bit more about how your international experience, so working globally has influenced your own leadership style.

[00:14:44] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
One of the biggest adjustments was adapting to different communication styles and decision making approaches. I believe that in, in South America, building strong personal relationships and trust is key for how teams, uh, work. And in the Nordics, I believe that transparency and consensus and uh, thoughtful decision making are valued. And from my experience also working with the US company, I believe that speed and results and personal accountability are emphasized there.

But at the same time, I'm always focused on what connects us as people, our common goals and our values, and our shared purpose, which is, I believe, far bigger than any differences.

So by observing and listening and adapting my leadership style, I have been able to create an environment where people feel respected and motivated and empowered to contribute to do their best work.

[00:15:48] MARIA MORRIS:
Annabel, so how do you overcome stakeholder resistance during major transformations?

[00:15:53] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
I focus on understanding the purpose of the change and what are the benefits, and quantifying the benefits, and then, you know, what are the potential concerns and, and listening them. So it's important to, to communicate early and involve stakeholders early in the process. Showing empathy and transparency builds trust from our stakeholders and ultimately for our customers.

So once we have gained the trust, we can renegotiate timelines in an implementation if needed and solution-based changes if needed. So be transparent with both challenges and quick wins, which helps people see the benefits and the progress of what we're doing and, um, explaining. All of that reduces that their resistance and instead it strengthens the engagement and the collaboration from the people and then always having with the motor the mission of the change.

[00:16:55] BEATRIZ GONZALEZ:
Mm-hmm. And what happens if your stakeholders, they don't communicate themselves with transparency? So what the strategies have you used to break down silos?

[00:17:05] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
Well, silos, actually, when I joined Nordea back then over a decade ago, it was like siloed, but that has changed completely, so it's not like that anymore.

Yeah. So I encourage cross-functional application knowledge or cross-functional knowledge and collaboration and promoted clear communication between the teams and established common shared objectives. I think that was key. I've always feel happy to create spaces for dialogue, emphasizing the importance of opening up to others, openness to others. I think that's what I bring, and recognizing the contributions of every person in the team, which fosters collaboration. So, leading by example, showing openness and inclusivity has been key to breaking down silos and barriers wherever I have worked.

[00:18:07] BEATRIZ GONZALEZ:
Okay, and could you say an example of a successful transformation project and what made it work?

[00:18:14] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
That's one digital transformation at Nordea that stands out was the application migration from an old technology to a new service platform. Because of that, because it was an old technology, we had many challenges and the technology was hardly new by few people. It was challenging situation, accommodating that all functionalities to a new platform.

But we did it all together with everyone, with the help of the IT teams, uh, architecture, the business people. We were communicating the challenges. We were being transparent, we were being brave about the challenges that we were facing. And we tackle those hurdles together and actually created a big success by migrating it, achieving that to, to into a new platform within time and with all the compliance in place.

[00:19:07] BEATRIZ GONZALEZ:
Okay, Annabelle. Thank you very much for the episode. Before we end the episode, we always ask one question. So experience is what you get when you don't get what you expect. Can you share a moment in your career that didn't go as planned, but ended up shaping your path in a meaningful way?

[00:19:26] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
Yes, absolutely. What comes to my mind right now is that early in my career, during my first system implementation as software engineering, everything was going very well from the technical side. However, adoption was, uh, slower than expected because we hadn't spent enough time upfront explaining the benefits and addressing people concerns. So there were a few people that were near to retirement and I could feel that they were having like a little bit of resistance and anxiety about, um, uneasy. They were feeling uneasy about the changes.

And me being in charge at the time, I had to pause and reflect and reassess what was the approach of we being like, maybe, you know, like too fast or, and at the time I felt that it was a pushback or, or a failure, but it turned out to be a great experience that told me something invaluable, is that even the best technical solutions can struggle if you don't take care of the people who are affected by the change. So since then, I've always been mindful and, uh, focus on balancing the technical side with a clear communication and empathy and, uh, support to ensure change is successful and sustainable, uh, for all that are involved.

[00:20:51] BEATRIZ GONZALEZ:
That's very interesting spirit. And before we finish the episode, what is the message you want to leave to the listeners, to this podcast? Is there a message that you wanna leave them?

[00:21:04] ANNABELLE AMBROSI:
Yeah. I believe that leadership isn't just about vision or strategy, but it also has to do with empathy and adaptability and courage and embrace, uh, challenges. Learn from every experience and always remember that people are at the heart of any transformation. Meet with both strategy and humanity, and uh, you can inspire meaningful changes wherever you are in the world.

[00:21:34] MARIA MORRIS:
Great. I think that's a lovely message to end the episode on. So first of all, thank you so much, Annabelle, for joining us, sharing your great experience with us. It's been really interesting talking to you. 

And finally, thank you all to our listeners for tuning into another episode of the Share PLM podcast. As always, if there are any specific topics you would like to cover in the future episode, please let us know. And thank you both very much, Bea, Annabelle for joining us today.