Introduction
It is a great pleasure that today we are publishing the third episode of our talk show “Talks” and I would like to thank both our interviewee of the day and all followers of SAP Steps.
The idea of this interview program is to talk to people who are directly connected to the SAP world (Consultants, Project Managers, etc.), as well as to interview people who are on the “business” side and who have been or are going through SAP projects.
Lucas is an experienced Project Manager / SAP Consultant having worked in the most diverse market segments and countries
Below, I will transcribe the chat we had about the extremely challenging and interesting professional journey that he has lived until today.
Interview
Bruno César: Good morning Lucas, how are you? First of all, I would like to thank you for participating in our series of interviews.
The purpose today is to pass on to SAP Steps readers a little of its history within the SAP market and talk a little about the path you have taken in the course of your career.
Before I start talking about the main topic, would you like to ask you to talk a little bit about yourself, how you started in the SAP market, your main hobbies, your family, etc.?
Lucas Kalache: I’m Lucas Kalache and I started at SAP 10 years ago, when I had the opportunity to participate in an ABAP training course that FH consultancy was offering to hire new developers. At the time, I didn’t know what SAP was or the world I was entering, but after a few months, I could understand that I made the right decision when investing my career in that direction. In my first year as ABAP, I entered an international project that needed fluent English and that was decisive for the evolution of my career because at that time (and still today) it was very difficult to find professionals who spoke English. I have always guided my career to be international in the functional area and ended up looking for knowledge in the main SAP modules, starting with MM and WM. Upon returning to Brazil in 2012, I went to the SD academy and definitively migrated to the functional area, where I was able to grow a lot in knowledge in the areas of logistics, operations, and finance. In 2013 I started to lead FH’s international projects, being a reference in international rollouts for Asia and Europe until in 2015 I was able to participate in the Electrolux project, where I specialized in Global Template rollouts with Localization Brazil. Today I am a partner of FH and I work as Delivery Manager, always focusing on the international market. All these years of consulting gave me the hobby of traveling a lot, disliking routine, and working out a lot. I love playing sports like football and Muay Thay, I am a fan of the Athlético (football team) and too short to live a new experience.
Bruno César: What exactly do you do today within the SAP area?
Lucas Kalache: I recently took on the role of Delivery Manager at FH, where I have a portfolio of national and international projects to coordinate, guarantee quality on time and at cost. Besides, the Delivery Manager performs pre-sales acting as Solution Architect, designing the best proposal for the client. What I like to do most in the position I am in is to develop people, provide the growth they want, and enhance the qualities they need within what the company can offer.
Bruno César: As I recall, you traveled to several countries while participating in a major global rollout. How was that experience? Which countries have you been to?
Lucas Kalache: This was one of the best moments of my life, the client was Ecco and I did projects in Holland, Switzerland, China, Thailand, and lived in Indonesia. In addition to Ecco, I worked at Electrolux, JBS, SIKA, and other large companies that allowed me to get to know Sweden, Dubai, Qatar, Austria, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. There were more than 40 trips to Asia in 6 years, where in addition to incredible experiences, I made many friends and grew a lot personally.
Bruno César: In your view, what were the biggest challenges in traveling so much?
Lucas Kalache: A saying that sums it up well is “that people see the cachaças I take but do not see the falls I take”. They were different cultures, languages you need to master or know, exotic foods that always gave long nights in the bathroom, weekend trips that take 42 hours to reach the final destination on Sunday night, and work at 7 am. next day, work 14 hours a day to deliver projects on time, study nights to master the subject of the next day’s meeting. I remember a meeting I had with the client in Indonesia that the topic was cost and I was still an ABAP, I spent 2 hours trying to learn what the client was talking about and answered the client’s doubts with the same question from them in SAPes format. It was only after I spoke to my guru here in Brazil that I managed to give the right solution (hahaha). The good thing about it is that I had to learn CO and how Material Ledger worked.
Bruno César: And the biggest gains?
Lucas Kalache: Without a doubt personal and professional growth. Before the trips, I had left Brazil only once, and neither did I dominate SAP as I do today. Professionally I started to travel as ABAP and after 6 years I was International Project Manager and Functional Leader. On the personal side, I acquired a lot of confidence in myself that I didn’t have, fluency in languages, culture, experience, knowledge, and a lot of partying.
Bruno César: Today I know that you act more locally. But, deep down, do you prefer to work traveling or staying in Brazil?
Lucas Kalache: I prefer to work while traveling, the best part of being a consultant is knowing new places.
Bruno César: In your career journey, what were the biggest challenges you faced? (Both personal and professional)
Lucas Kalache: When cultures collide it is always a challenge, especially when you have a team to lead. Keeping the team engaged in an unfavorable environment is also very difficult. In 2017 I did a project with 10 more people in Vietnam and the team felt a lot, apart from the wear and tear on logistics, and keeping the team 100% focused was a big challenge that we managed to overcome.
Bruno César: I know that you have already browsed several modules within SAP. How did you gain all this knowledge?
Lucas Kalache: In pain, hahaha. I always accepted any job, especially those that took me out of my comfort zone. Technical knowledge always gave me comfort that I could solve any problem, even if it was with an enhancement. I always tried to do what people did not accept or avoid, where others saw discomfort I saw as an opportunity.
Bruno César: And talking a little about project management. Do you like? Or do you prefer the life of a consultant?
Lucas Kalache: Since college, I wanted to work with projects, but being a manager is something that happened naturally because I have a profile. I do more technical management and I always try to help everyone, so I manage to make a mix that has worked.
Bruno César: For someone who is considering entering the SAP market now, what tips would you give? What is the best way to go in your opinion?
Lucas Kalache: The SAP world requires a lot of flexibility and adaptability, so this profile favors when selecting. Speaking English in an increasingly global market is no longer a differential. One should always look for the module he knows best to enter the market and many consultancies offer training courses in areas that demand it most. Today there is a lot of material available on social networks and courses that facilitate self-learning.
Bruno César: Continuing the previous question, in your view, what makes a person a great consultant? What does the professional need to have?
Lucas Kalache: SAP is an integrated ERP and so should be the consultant’s knowledge, mastering its module, and knowing well how it relates to others. The consultant must be patient to face diversity, self-development, can analyze, prioritize standard solutions, and know-how to work as a team.
Bruno César: Before the finish, I would like to know your vision of the Brazilian SAP market. What kind of professionals are you most lacking in your view?
Lucas Kalache: SAP is investing heavily in Cloud solutions and encouraging the development of its solutions within the platform it provides. Professionals who can combine their knowledge in these new technologies certainly emerged. The pandemic is normalizing remote work, which was already common in our midst and which is now opening new horizons and breaking down borders, with great possibilities.
Bruno César: Lucas, I want to thank you for your participation. It was a pleasure to welcome you here at SAP Steps. I consider you an extremely differentiated professional, mainly for being very talented both in the most technical/functional part and in project management. Thank you very much for accepting the invitation. Is there anything else you would like to add?
Lucas Kalache: Thank you for the recognition and space to tell my story and encourage anyone who wants to enter this very peculiar world that changes everyone who joins it on a personal and professional level. Congratulations on the initiative to create SAP Steps that certainly contributes a lot to our community. I hope we can work again together, it is too good to work with people like you who are a reference of excellence.
Bruno César: Thank you Lucas. I consider you a tremendous professional, even being a reference for me. I hope that we will work together again soon. It was a great pleasure to know a little more about your history!
Conclusão
I hope you enjoyed our third interview (of many) on our Talks program.
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If you have any suggestions (including subjects you would like to read about or possible candidates to be interviewed), feel free to send an email to sapsteps@sapsteps.com.
A big hug,
Bruno César
