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Real Talk: It's difficult to describe my life without describing SAS

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By Topics | Work & Life at SAS

Here’s something you should know about Marvio Portela: He’s the kind of leader who’s not afraid to admit making a mistake.

“I have had more than one life at SAS,” said Marvio, who explained that his first career at SAS began in 2010. “SAS is a place where you can be who you are, but eventually, I made a mistake: I left.”

Fortunately for SAS, and for Marvio, that mistake didn’t last long. Two years after his departure, Marvio returned to SAS to lead the Sales team in Brazil. He held this role for only five months before making the move to Melbourne, Australia, to lead the sales efforts underway in Asia Pacific.

And, today, Marvio is back in Latin America as Senior Vice President, Latin America, US Telco and US SMB.

“Look at the connection I have [with SAS],” said Marvio. “I’m changing not only my life but the lives of my family. SAS [too]  is my family. It’s difficult for me to describe my life without describing SAS.”

Defining the SAS connection

Marvio has certainly added several stamps to his passport over the last few years. And while those moves around the world would be a lot for anyone to adjust to, the relocations and introductions to new cultures added a new level of adjustment. Especially for someone like Marvio, who had a young family to consider in the moving process.

So, what is it about SAS that made Marvio so willing to change his life and the lives of those around him?

Maybe it’s the connections shared with people who have become more than colleagues. Maybe it’s the history of this company and the beliefs it was built on. Maybe it’s the solutions offered by SAS and the way SAS' technology changes the world.

Or, maybe it comes down to the deep, authentic connection he feels to a place that represents something so much greater than a single job. It's so much more than mere departmental responsibility.

Every employee’s connection to SAS varies, but Marvio explained that the connections all tie back to our desire to find an answer to a single question: What can we do better?

Better may be harnessing our curiosity to save the environment, create a better place to work or build smarter solutions. “That’s the importance of curiosity – thinking of an idea or a solution and trying to do something better, something different,” said Marvio.

“Curiosity is amazing; it’s the fuel to the engine. If you have curiosity, everything becomes better.” - Marvio Portela, SAS Click To Tweet

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Anjelica Cummings

Manager, Social Innovation Programs, Partnerships and Communications

Anjelica Cummings manages SAS' Social Innovation programs, partnerships and communications strategy. She is responsible for leading a senior team of experts who bring SAS' analytics and advocacy efforts together. The Social Innovation programs and partnerships apply SAS® technology toward the world's most pressing needs. Anjelica brings a decade of communications experiences to her role. Over the years she has developed, led and implemented strategic communications programs for dozens of national organizations. Whether it's a strategy designed for the media, customers, partners, employees or the community, Anjelica believes the fundamentals of communications remain the same: To bring greater understanding, visibility and connection to the issues that matter most. She is a guest lecturer for North Carolina State University and a former board member of the International Association of Business Communicators.

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