Life at Wizeline

Tapas, Tourism, and Tech: Wizeline Barcelona

Tapas, Tourism, and Tech: Wizeline Barcelona

This year, we kicked off our European takeover by opening our office in Barcelona, Spain. What’s it like to live and work in Barcelona? We spoke to one of our trailblazing Barcelona engineers, Benjamin Gil, to learn about Wizeline life abroad, as well as Matt McCawley, Head of Digital Consulting and Media, about what it means for our team.

How does opening an office in Barcelona impact our clients and team?

Matt: Expanding to Europe has been a key strategy for many years at Wizeline and with recent needs arising with existing clients, we were able to realize that vision. We are able to offer top talent in key locations and timezones where our clients need it most. This allows us to continue building side-by-side with clients in delivery models where we excel, such as “near-shore” or on-site. Opening Barcelona also allows us to tap into local talent in a market teeming with deep experience well on the way to being a true global technology hub.

Benjamin, what brought you out to Barcelona?

Benjamin: Curiously enough, on my previous trips to Barcelona, the idea of living here sometime in the future always appealed to me. The combination of beach, urban city, and the international tech scene sounded like a nice challenge and change from bustling Mexico City, while still being quite close in cultures. Wizeline chose me for the opportunity because of my experience at previous startups and my ability to quickly adapt and deliver on new, dynamic startup-like projects.

What projects are you working on?

Benjamin: The opportunity to move to Barcelona became available when our client, a public web platform and a large U.S. financial company, hired us to work on a couple of new projects in its Barcelona office. I’ve had the chance to work on top-secret data projects.

How has the experience been? Being abroad, working for a long-time client, and being part of the group to open Wizeline’s first office in Europe?

Benjamin: Being the first is always hard, you enter in a constant learning mode where every single process is new and it’s up to your lessons learned to pave the way to enhance the relocation process. Overall, having the chance to learn by being immersed in a new culture is very richening and contributes greatly to widen your perspective on global affairs while being your own culture advocate.

What is the best part of working for Wizeline and living in Barcelona?

Benjamin: The public and urban infrastructure of Barcelona is one of the best in the world. Getting everywhere with multiple commuting options without having to use cars is very comfortable and environmentally friendly. Being an international hub, the diversity of cultures and backgrounds really enriches the daily dynamics and helps the city grow faster.

It’s also very rewarding to be able to execute and perform at the international level, with dozens of other nationalities, proving to yourself that you have the skills and the capacity to compete and be top talent worldwide.

What have you learned by being in Barcelona so far? 

Benjamin: Being far from friends, family and, in general, from the environment in which you normally live is thought-provoking and really invites you to reflect on what are the most important factors that contribute to your overall happiness. Recognizing the tradeoffs that every place has is a nice way to appreciate what you have now and what you had back home.

What’s different about the work cultures between Barcelona and Mexico?

Benjamin: Coming from Mexico is interesting, the similarities in culture, no wonder! However, Europeans have a very interesting relationship towards work and life balance, in general, quite different from the norm in Mexico, especially when working with American companies. I really like the emphasis that Europeans give to other aspects of their day to day that in the end contribute to a great quality of life.

Matt, what are Wizeline’s plans for this office?

Matt: We plan to continue expanding our presence in Barcelona and Europe overall. Barcelona, with its amazing culture, lifestyle, and robust talent pool, is a place we will set down roots as we grow our local teams and leadership in the region. Over the coming months, we’ll look to hire specific skillsets that match our client’s needs and to hire local leadership to take us to new levels as an organization.


If you want more information about working with Wizeline in Barcelona, reach out to us at consulting@wizeline.com or use this tool to scope your project and get in touch.


Nellie Luna

Posted by Nellie Luna on December 11, 2019