Interview with Daniel Santos: Técnico Taguspark in a word

Daniel Santos describes the Técnico Taguspark as a “Family” due to the close-knit relationships among all the community. He also considers the campus beautiful, modern, well-organized, and a pleasant space to work.

Born and raised in Lisbon, specifically in São Bento, Daniel Santos grew up in an area surrounded by services, workshops, and bustling commerce. ‘I was always outside, full of friends, going to cafes, taking walks—basically spending as little time at home as possible,’ Daniel recalled nostalgically. ‘I rode my bike, used skates, swam, and got involved in motor sports, especially car races at the Estoril racetrack.’

His parents and grandparents worked in a car repair shop and later in refrigerator repair. ‘My life was spent in that environment.’ This environment became the catalyst for Daniel’s passion for physics, mathematics, chemistry, and computer science. At the time, ‘I looked up to my father as a major influence on my career choices,’ and thus, his dream profession was to become a mechanical engineer, although it didn’t materialize. He studied in the field, but in the meantime, he met someone, his son was born, and priorities changed. Nevertheless, Daniel didn’t give up on his areas of interest and ventured into the telecommunications field, in technical customer support, working with user support programs in the internet sector. Not satisfied with his journey, he moved on to the health insurance sector and began a career in a banking institution. However, this company decided to leave its Lisbon premises and move to Taguspark. ‘When I was informed of this change, I resigned because I thought Taguspark was too far away, and here I am.’ After the dismissal, ‘I thought I could be a good salesperson for medications or houses, but I quickly realized I don’t have that profile. I always opted for more practical jobs,’ which led him to Técnico.

‘When I joined Técnico, I immediately joined Taguspark, came to help the maintenance team in the air conditioning part, at that time, the team was called Building Management and New Constructions. (…) I tried to apply all my telecommunications knowledge here on campus to show a different kind of work.’ Daniel admits, ‘I was fortunate that people believed in me!’ referring to his great mentors, Professor Arroz and Mr. João Guerreiro ‘who taught me a lot!’

With over 17 years as a Técnico employee, Daniel is currently the Building Manager at the Taguspark Campus, leading a team of four collaborators. ‘Being a Building Manager at Taguspark is interesting because I know almost everyone, get along with all departments, and, with more or less difficulty, we manage to do the things we have planned. Challenges are constant because funds are limited, and there’s always some bureaucratic difficulty. But since I became the Building Manager, I’ve always had help to achieve the goals.’

Daniel considers himself a good leader, conveying security and confidence to his collaborators ‘we are a united team, and we all get along.’ He also emphasizes that the biggest challenge in leading a team is being able to use each person’s particularities and assign them to a specific service. Fátima Beleza, who has worked with Daniel from the beginning, shares her opinion about him: ‘Daniel is a person who accepts our opinion and gives us the freedom to work in the way that is most comfortable for us.’ Carla Carapinha, a teammate, reinforces ‘I never felt that distinction between a collaborator and a boss; he always treated us equally.’

Throughout his journey at Técnico, his biggest professional challenge was during the time he was taking post-work training in the area of air conditioning certifications and working during the day. ‘It was a very tough 2 and a half years; there was little time to be with the family and rest.’ A few months ago, Daniel had a negative health experience that made him rethink his life. He considers it the biggest personal challenge he has faced so far ‘At this moment, my motivation ends up being everything, coming to work, being with my son. Valuing the small moments.’

Currently, Daniel has two dreams he would like to see fulfilled; professionally, he wishes for a faster career progression, in this case, advancing in salary level. On a personal level, he aspires to buy a house.