Filipa Gonçalves
Chief of Staff and People & Operations Executive in Portugal
My path hasn't been a conventional one.
With a legal background, I spent several years working alongside startups, founders and investors before eventually finding myself leading operations, people and business transformation in fast-growing companies.
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to grow from Head of Operations to Chief of Staff, Chief Operating Officer and, most recently, Global Chief People Officer. Along the way, I’ve worked across organisational design, international team leadership, operational scaling, regulatory initiatives, business transformation, executive alignment and M&A processes.
What has remained constant is the type of work I enjoy most: helping organisations navigate complexity.
I like connecting dots, bringing structure where there is ambiguity and turning ideas into execution. Whether the challenge is scaling a company, improving collaboration between teams, navigating change or solving operational problems, I enjoy bringing people together around a common goal and helping things move forward.
Most of my experience has been built in fast-moving and regulated environments, including fintech, payments and digital assets. That experience shaped the way I work: close to the business, close to the teams and always focused on making strategy operational.
More recently, I’ve been moving closer to the intersection of technology, regulation and trust, supporting companies where compliance is not just a requirement but part of the product, the operating model and the path to market.
Throughout my career, I’ve worked closely with founders, executives, boards and cross-functional teams. Some of the projects I’m most proud of involved building teams, leading organisational change, supporting business growth, navigating complex transformations and helping create environments where people can do their best work while delivering meaningful business outcomes.
At the end of the day, I've never been particularly attached to job titles. What I've always enjoyed is bringing people together around a common goal, solving difficult problems and helping organisations move forward.
Outside work, you'll usually find me reading, listening to podcasts, learning something new or trying to keep up with my energetic little boy, which remains by far the most challenging leadership role I've ever had.