Swogo reinforces its investment in Portugal. It wants to hire 30 people in the next 12 months

Swogo is committed to increasing the influence of retail tech in the strategies of major brands such as Worten, Fnac, Media Markt, Decathlon, Conforama, Rádio Popular and Staples. The bet on national talent, in order to grow its offices located in Lisbon and Porto, is part of the plans of the technology company founded in London that operates in the retail sector. From January to July, the company hired 24 people and, over the next 12 months, it should recruit 30 more professionals.

"Our recruitment process has been continuous for both locations, Lisbon and Porto. Since the beginning of the year, we have already hired about 24 new employees and we aim to bring 13 more people to our team in Portugal by the end of 2022 and up to a total of 30 in the next 12 months," Anthony Ng Monica, CEO of Swogo, tells People.

Among the most sought-after profiles are mainly technology professionals, specifically experts in data, taxonomy and software engineering. "In terms of profiles, we like to embrace variety and welcome people from different backgrounds and cultures, as we consider this to be very enriching," says the manager.

"Technical knowledge and work experience are extremely important, but we also need to stay true to our company culture. This is why the ideal candidate will bring not only knowledge and technical qualities, but will also contribute to shaping the team as a cohesive group, and make us a little better every day. For example, regardless of the position for which someone applies, having entrepreneurial experience on their CV is, for us, very valuable", he details.

The great challenge in the retail sector, in terms of human resources, is currently precisely the identification of these talents: highly qualified professionals in the area of technology.

"This is an area with a high level of demand and is constantly evolving. Keeping up with the fast pace at which all areas of technology advance is not an easy task and new roles and areas of specialisation are constantly being created.

"Pandemic has brought a plethora of new work routines. Some people prefer to work from the office because they like to have somewhere to go every day, while others see more benefits in working from home and dedicating that extra time to family," continues Anthony Ng Monica. For this reason, Swogo decided to provide a flexible way of working, where people can decide from where they prefer to work.

"Our office doors are always open to anyone who wants to meet with their teams, but each person can also choose to stay at home if they prefer. We feel we have found a great balance and people seem quite happy with it," he says.

The CEO of the tech company responsible for creating a cross-selling algorithm that uses product intelligence to recommend bundles of products that maximise sales on e-commerce platforms, identifies team member retention as the other big challenge.

"It's a key focus for us. We are seeing a shortage of staff in general and competition is high, so finding attractive ways to retain good people is something we have to invest in all the time," he confesses.

With most of the team based in Portugal, distributed between the Lisbon and Porto offices - despite having offices in London (United Kingdom) and Chicago (United States) - in 2021, the technology company added more than 250 million dollars in revenue for clients in 38 countries. Anthony Ng Monica now anticipates an "ambitious" global strategy for this year.

"We have in plan to expand into North America, following the acquisition by 1WorldSync, through exposure to brands such as Walmart, Amazon and Target, a market where we intend to establish a dedicated team," the leader adds.

"In terms of our solution, we want to grow across all retail verticals and generate additional value for customers by creating more omni-channel technologies," he adds.

However, asked about the revenue targets for 2022, the CEO replies, "We do not disclose revenue forecasts, but we are on track to achieve our goals for 2022."

In Portugal, Swogo works with brands such as Worten, Fnac, Media Markt, Decathlon, Sephora, Conforama, Rádio Popular, Toys "R" Us and Staples.