“How to be consistent” was one of the most important things that Francisco Martins do Santos learnt at Técnico. The Técnico alumnus (Industrial Engineering and Management) works at Urgo Medical as Portugal Sales Director and Galicia Sales Manager.

When Francisco finished secondary school, he didn’t know what course he would like to take. But intuition told him to choose an Engineering course, as well as his grandfather’s influence in studying engineering.

When the time came to choose where to study “it was easy: Técnico is a leading engineering school in Portugal”, says the alumnus. Francisco spent the first year studying Electrical and Computer Engineering at Alameda campus, but after he heard about the Industrial Engineering and Management course he thought “this is the best of both worlds!”, he shares.

“At that time, I already knew that the commercial and business area was what attracted me the most, but I didn’t want to do my university studies in purely management areas, so this course fitted me like a glove”, says the alumnus.

The alumnus recalls his friends – “I had some great colleagues with whom I still keep in touch” – and the campus life – “I spent several nights at Taguspark library to finish projects and to study for thermodynamics exams. At that time, the thought that most occurred to me was: when does this end so that I can start working? We always want what we can’t have!”.

Francisco recalls “the magic spell of Taguspark campus” with emotion. “I remember that our team – ‘Cre Sabe’- won Técnico football championship 3 consecutive times in the first 3 years.

“I had the opportunity to work with a team of talented people”

Francisco graduated in 2012 and went to Barcelona to do a master’s degree. “I wanted to explore new cities and put myself to the test”, he stresses. In the middle of the second year, when he finished his  thesis, he started to work at Urgo Medical, in Barcelona, in marketing and sales. “I have been working at Urgo Medical for 6 years and a half and I see the company like a large family”.

After a 6-month internship, the Técnico alumnus was invited to join the sales management team, and later he wasJunior Product Manager in the Marketing Department. “Then, the opportunity to expand Urgo Medical business in Portugal arose and I spent 6 months working in the commercial and marketing area, in Lisbon”, says the alumnus. Later on, he went back to Catalonia as Brand Manager Iberia. “I had the opportunity to create marketing campaigns that have made a great impact and helped the company to grow more than 20% over the last few years”, says Francisco. “I had the opportunity to work with a team of talented people”.

In 2019, the alumnus returned to Portugal as National Sales Director, Country Manager and Galicia Sales Manager. Francisco is aware that, today, “it’s not very common to start and stay in the same company for so long”. However, according to the Técnico alumnus “everybody wants to work for a company that motivates employees and young talents to do more and give them well-deserved opportunities in due time”.

When we asked Francisco what are the main challenges of being part of such a renowned company in the pharmaceutical industry, he says: “if there is one thing I learnt is that we have new challenges every day and we must learn to live as if we are on a kind of roller coaster”. The Técnico alumnus highlights his first challenge: leading a team of 9 people when he had very little work experience in this area. “I am fortunate to have an exceptional team, with many years of experience, which make our work easier”. However, he is challenged every day “to do different things that can really break with the usual way of doing things and positively impact the lives of healthcare professionals and patients”.

I have been 200% committed to put in practice what I have learnt

The year 2020 and the pandemic have brought many challenges. “Imagine what it’s like to have a fully defined plan for 2020. Our aim was to double the results of 2019 and to strong invest in structure and marketing, and then suddenly a pandemic hits the world”, says the Técnico alumnus.

Francisco shared with us how Técnico played a very important role in his life. “I have been 200% committed to put in practice what I have learnt. I admit that I stopped solving integral calculations and logarithmic equations, but the structure of thinking is something that I learnt at Técnico and still remains with me. I am sure that my fellow engineers will understand what I mean”.

“Small details make a big difference. The efforts we make today will bring us benefits in the future. Being consistent, working hard, giving importance to details and, above all, not giving up”, says Francisco Martins dos Santos.