An Interview with Carlos de Olaguibel

by Gordon Nary

Gordon: What was one of your favorite memories when you were growing up?

Carlos: I was born and raised in Mexico City. Some of my favorite memories are with my grandmother, who taught us many things about life and faith. She inspired me to become a better man every day. I also remember my father—he was very strict, but two things stand out: he always reminded us to attend Sunday Mass to give thanks for the blessings of the week, and I often saw him praying in silence during Mass. Those moments left a lasting impression on me

Gordon: When did you attend Universidad Panamericana and what degree did earn? Tell us about your thesis.

Carlos: I attended Universidad Panamericana (UP) from 1988 to 1993 and earned a degree in Industrial Engineering. I chose UP because of its strong emphasis on both human and spiritual values. I've always been passionate about quality and process improvement, so I focused my thesis on Quality in Service Companies, an area that combines both technical and human components—two areas that deeply interest me.

Gordon: Tell us about the Digital Financial Development Program.

Carlos: I had the opportunity to participate in a development program at a company in Massachusetts that was one of the biggest computer companies in the 1980s. (Unfortunately, that company no longer exists—what remains of it is now part of HP.) This was a highly selective program that included top employees and outstanding students from Massachusetts colleges.

It was a three-year rotational program that involved working in three different roles, along with master's-level coursework. At the end of the program, each participant had to present a final project. Naturally, my project focused on improving financial processes—an area I’ve always been passionate about.

During that time, I was already married, and my oldest son was born while we were living there, which made the experience even more memorable

Gordon: When did you attend Rivier University, what degree did you earn, and what is one of your favorite memories when you were there?

Carlos: While I was in the Digital Financial Development Program, the company offered to cover the cost of a master’s degree. I chose to pursue an MBA at Rivier University. There were two main reasons for selecting Rivier: first, we were living in Nashua, NH at the time, and since I didn’t know how to drive in the snow, I wanted a local option to avoid risking delays in finishing the program. Second, the university had close ties to the work of Dr. W. Edwards Deming, whose contributions to quality and process improvement I deeply admire.

One of my favorite memories from Rivier was taking classes with professors who had worked directly with Dr. Deming. They shared personal stories and anecdotes that brought his teachings to life

Gordon: Tell us about your time at IE University Lifelong Learning.

Carlos: In my current role, I focus on driving transformation within the Finance organization through process improvement and the application of new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). To strengthen my capabilities, I enrolled in the Data Science Bootcamp offered by IE University, which emphasizes the practical application of various AI techniques. The bootcamp helped me expand my knowledge of data science methods and their real-world implementation

Gordon: Tell is about your work as a Financial Analyst.

Carlos: I have worked on Dell Finance for over 26 years. Besides process improvement which continues to be my passion, I also like anything related to analytics. Through out my career, it has been improving financial processes but also provide data insights to senior management and most of the time, linking financial performance to operational metrics

Gordon: You have held several positions at Dell Technologies. Tell us about each of your positions and your responsibilities of each position

Carlos: I was working in Massachusetts when the company I was working was acquired by another computer company. So I took a job at Dell back in Mexico city as a planning manager for Mexico and eventually moved back to the U.S. as a Latin America planning manager overlooking the forecast of 6 sub-regions; a half a billion revenue operation at that time

I moved then to different roles supporting the Services organization from parts and logistics analytics; World Wide Manager for Cost of quality (~$3B operation) implementing processes to measure and opportunities of cost of quality reduction; Lead a global organization that provides analysis and support to the Customer Service facing organization. And finally supporting a half a billion warranty parts organization providing analysis and predictive models.

My latest role is on Digital Transformation in Finance implementing improvements and technology to all areas of Finance from automation, advanced analytics and Machine Learning and AI. This has been the best role I have had since I can implement process improvement, quality tools and learn about new technologies and implementation in finance operations

Gordon: Please provide an overview of your experience with Artificial Intelligence.

Carlos: Throughout my career, I have consistently implemented analytical tools, so it was a natural progression for me to become involved in Artificial Intelligence (AI). While AI as a field dates back to the 1950s (long before my time), I began actively learning about it around 15 years ago, when the term "Data Scientist" started gaining visibility.

AI combines logic, statistical, and probabilistic methods to emulate aspects of human intelligence. My academic background in statistics, probability, linear algebra, and calculus gave me a solid foundation, though at the time, I never imagined how relevant those subjects would become in my professional life. As I began exploring AI, those concepts started to click in practical and meaningful ways.

One of the most remarkable shifts I've witnessed is the evolution from theoretical learning on paper to applying those same principles at scale using modern computing power—achieving far greater efficiency and accuracy. Today, with the rise of Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot, the possibilities have expanded even further. I'm continuously learning and adapting—sometimes it feels, as the saying goes, like drinking from a firehose—but it's an exciting and rewarding challenge

Gordon: What are some of challenges of Artificial Intelligence in Digital Management?

Carlos: AI is here to stay—whether we like it or not. I once heard a speaker say something that stuck with me: “People won’t lose their jobs to AI, but to people who know how to use AI.” That captures one of the key challenges in digital management: ensuring people are trained to work effectively with AI. Adapting the workforce and promoting AI literacy is essential so that AI serves as a tool to augment human capabilities—not replace them.

Even with predictions around the rise of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)—systems that could perform a wide range of tasks at or beyond human levels—AI still lacks human judgment, ethics, and conscience. What a machine may deem logical, a human may avoid due to moral considerations. For example, in legal cases, AI might ignore the human context behind a situation. This leads to a second major challenge: not relying blindly on AI for decision-making. Instead, AI should support, not substitute, human intelligence and ethical reasoning.

From a digital management standpoint, two significant challenges are protecting personal data and preventing cyberattacks while leveraging the power of AI. As much as I would like to use AI for administrative tasks or decision support, there’s the question: Can I trust AI systems with sensitive personal or company data? The risk of data breaches and misuse by bad actors—both human and digital—remains high.

Lastly, a broader societal challenge is the misuse of AI. Just as the internet was created with positive intentions but now hosts a vast amount of harmful content, or how social media, meant to connect people, has contributed to mental health issues—AI too could be misused. I’m pro-technology and genuinely excited about its potential, but I believe we must learn from past experiences and guide AI development responsibly.

Gordon: Thank you for an exceptional and informative interview.