Futuro 365: Strength, talent and diversity of women in technology

In the spirit of 8M, a day that inspires us to reflect on the role of women in the world of work, we met Natalia and Alex, two colleagues who share a passion for innovation and inclusion.
We asked them to tell us about their training project Futuro365, in which they provide training and tools to help women get started in Dynamics 365 FnO functional consulting. By the way, this is already the second edition and they have just closed the quota of students.

What is your personal experience in the field of functional consulting and how did it influence your decision to create Futuro 365?

Natalia Salas

I started in consulting with AX2012 in Argentina at a very young age! I was studying Organisational Management and I came from working in companies in various industries and sectors, but I felt that everything I was doing was not my thing. I was overwhelmed by the routine, I was bored by repetitive tasks, and I needed to be always learning new things.

Until one day while I was studying technology I found out what “functional” was, I approached the teacher and asked her a million questions.

Everything else happened naturally, I applied to a Dynamics partner in Buenos Aires to work as a consultant and thanks to the opportunity they gave me, my two passions, finance and technology, finally came together. After working in Latam, a few years later, I arrived in Madrid to continue enriching myself with new experiences and to continue training.

The idea of creating the programme came to me because I have always been moved by the lack of opportunities for divergences, and especially by the masculinisation of the industry. And because I know how difficult it can be to get started in something where you don’t know if you can fit in, I wanted to offer my help and my company to all those who need me.

On a personal level and so that you can get to know a little more about me, I am from Ecuador, I studied industrial engineering at university with a major in process management and I have a master’s degree in operations and quality management.

My first jobs were always focused on everything that corresponds to SCM, and specific areas such as quality management and process coordination.

In Dynamics I started on the client side, in an implementation of the tool in an old version hahahaha (2012), in fact at the beginning it was quite complicated for me to understand the system. But after so much effort and thanks to the advice of my older brother who was already a consultant at the time, I decided to venture into this world.

In my case, the idea of creating Futuro 365 is specifically because I want more women to be able to learn how the system works in a quick and easy way and, more than anything else, to be accompanied by someone to help them with their doubts. Always having a person to guide you and who can clear your doubts when you are just starting, helps a lot to gain not only knowledge but also to feel more confident in what you do and you can learn much faster.

Alexandra Salinas

What is the main objective of Futuro 365 and what impact do you hope to achieve with this programme?

We are driven by the idea of thinking about a technology environment where there is diversity and inclusion for all who dream of creating and bringing technology to life, transforming the way things are done.
Technology is cross-cutting, affecting all markets, businesses and cultures. To be truly inclusive for all, we need a variety of thinking and action.
We hope with this course, to show our work, what we do in our day, how our professional and personal journey was, adding the initial knowledge of our profession and the system, in order to encourage you to join and take the leap to start in our world.
All this while learning a new way of learning: in an atmosphere of companionship and trust, where we can ask questions freely, and where we feel comfortable and among friends.

What kind of content and activities are included in the Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations functional consulting training programme?

The course lasts approximately three weeks.
In the first days we have the company of Natalia Castelló, HR manager here at axazure. She will help us to put light on why to consider the world of technology consulting with Dynamics 365 and many tips to join the job search in consulting: )
During the next two weeks we will start a more exhaustive training in which we will get to know the system and the initial concepts.
The Finance module will be taught by Natalia Salas and the logistics by Alex Salinas.
A test environment and study material will always be available, with the official Microsoft documentation and the content of El Rincón Dynamics.

What are the main skills and knowledge that participants acquire after completing the programme?

Acquire basic functional knowledge of the system, both for the financial and logistical part. With this knowledge we want to ensure the rapid market entry of people who enrol on the course with a junior profile (or not 😊).

As the system is so large in terms of knowledge, we want to give them the essentials so that they can start their career and feel supported.

What are your plans to expand or improve Futuro 365?

Our aim this year is to be able to continue to run courses focused on initial concepts (which is what we are working with in March) and then to run specialised courses in different modules.
We are looking for more women who want to join our programme and our organisational team 😉.

What advice would you give to women interested in entering the world of Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations functional consulting?

We encourage you to take the plunge! We know how difficult it can be to take the leap into something new, that we don’t know, and all the doubts, fears and insecurities that it can generate.

But there are many more positive things! For example, living from a job that motivates you to improve and keep learning every day, meeting new people in each implementation and colleagues in the industry, acquiring knowledge of many sectors, the gratification of seeing your projects working after all the effort involved, and above all, the wide career opportunities and being able to broaden your professional horizons.

We are many colleagues who are working or we think it is very important that they join the sector, you can always contact us or ask questions to those who feel comfortable. Linkedin is a great tool not only for job search but also for networking.

How do you see the role of gender diversity in the consultancy field?

We believe that more diverse and heterogeneous teams are more innovative and in turn improve agility in adapting to change.

Technology and the world are changing by leaps and bounds, and old habits and ways of working make teams small and obsolete. We need to give diverse people the opportunity to collaborate with us.

By incorporating a variety of people into teams, we encourage the development of economies and help personal and professional growth.

What additional resources are available to participants outside the formal training programme?

There are several sources that can be consulted for further knowledge of the system, for example:

Microsoft’s official website for consultation of topics and training.

And thanks to Rincón Dynamics we grant free memberships to all the training material on the page.
And as we always say and never tire of repeating and emphasising, you have our full support.
You have our personal linkedin, our Futuro 365 linkedin and our e-mail.

It’s time to break barriers, celebrate achievements and move forward with determination, because together, on this 8th March and every day, we are changing the world, one line of code at a time. We are sure that such a valuable project will continue to grow to help many more people with the strength, talent and diversity of women in technology. Together we are unstoppable!
Thank you very much, Natalia and Alex.