Adriana Vadillo

…multi-tasks, leads, and proves that women can indeed do it all.

At a time when diversity is just about making it to the table in the corporate world, the dynamic Adriana Vadillo stands testimony to the fact that women can indeed do it all! A mother, friend, feminist, tech leader and entrepreneur, Adriana is inspiring an entire generation of women in leadership. Owner of the very successful Global Computing S.A. de C.V. in Mexico City, Mexico, Vadillo has emerged as an international award-winning leader in the field of digital technology over two decades. 

Reflecting on her journey, she shares, “Leading a business in Mexico for 25 years has been difficult for all the challenges it represents. But more difficult has been being a woman as we are seen as a threat for the many values we bring to the table – we are multitasking, organized, responsible, determined, persistent, and loyal.”

Growing up near the beautiful Gulf of Mexico, Adriana had an idyllic childhood where she was free to explore the sea, the lagoon, and the ranch with cattle and horses. As the oldest of four daughters, she learned to be responsible and self-sufficient from a young age. She felt satisfied when she helped others and wanted to work towards impacting her environment.

Academically brilliant, when Adriana started school at six years old, she already knew how to read and write. In time, she completed her bachelor’s in Business Administration with a minor in International Business from ITESM CEM in Mexico. Following a social impact scholarship, she was accepted into the Global Executive MBA Program at the Hult International Business School, as well as the Executive MBA program at the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University. 

Over the next two decades, Adriana built her professional career with ebb and flow. Her first job was at Microsoft at the age of 22, followed by Sybase where she worked as a Professional Services Coordinator for 2 years till the company folded in 1996. She was soon contacted by Visual Numerics Inc., an American company, to open a subsidiary office in Mexico. Eight years down the road, the company was sold to Rogue Wave Software Inc. and once again, Adriana found herself unemployed. 

“I have faced risks all my professional life, having everything in one moment, and nothing in the next. The key is not being afraid of starting all over again and being resilient and creative to adapt and survive constantly.”

Enterprising and innovative, Adriana used this gap in her career as an opportunity to establish her own firm – Global Computing S.A. de C.V. in 2009. There, her first distributorship was with Wolfram Research Inc. wherein she positioned a computational mathematics software for scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the most important public and private universities in Mexico. This guaranteed an important million-dollar market for the manufacturer, and her company was considered a success case in Latin America. From one, they now boast 65 software suppliers from different countries around the world. 

Yet, her achievements weren’t confined to tech alone. When Adriana founded the company, she also managed to bridge the gap between the academic community and industry by becoming a facilitator in terms of seeding the market (academic, research, and government institutions) with leading software products that helped reduce time and costs in the development of projects. 

She also promoted legal software procurement by developing on site licensing agreements. For ten years, she worked with the most important public university in Mexico like UNAM, to make this happen. 

Lastly, she uplifted women by offering them options to combine work and parenting through part time jobs and/or jobs that adjusted to their family lives, showing them and the society that it is possible to be productive irrespective of working hours. 

Adriana’s commitment has also been recognised through awards like:

• The Most Influential Women Leaders of the World by The Victory Magazine
• Recognition published by ITESM on International Women’s Day 2022
• The Most Successful Business Leaders to Watch in 2023
• Recognition published by ITESM in November 2023.

Still, a few challenges remained. Adriana had to be very disciplined and organized to balance family routines and supplier demands. “I am a mother of two very talented human beings. I didn’t want to sacrifice their life on behalf of my professional journey. Thus, I encourage them to join all types of activities after school, wherein I could continue to work on my laptop.”

Adriana was able to achieve her goals and more through sheer passion. “The passion that drives me is making a difference by becoming a helping hand; by adding value to my environment; by trying just one more time which makes all the difference between success and failure,” she says. 

A female leader in a man’s world, Adriana has achieved where only few succeed by adding value and humanity to a hostile and fierce business environment.