Mario RobledoSystems Director at DAREexplains in this interview for MCPRO how they manage from their area the diversity of a company that is present in so many countries and that has such close interaction with hundreds of clients, each of them with their needs, rhythms and degrees of technological adoption.
DARE is a strategic communications, public affairs and digital marketing consultancy founded in Spain that has established itself as one of the most relevant firms in the Ibero-American field. The company is dedicated to helping public and private organizations manage their reputations, strengthen their relationships with stakeholders, and navigate complex environments of political, social, and regulatory change.
With a presence in more than a dozen countries, mainly in Spain, Portugal and Latin America, ATREVIA offers services that range from corporate and crisis communication, to lobbying, digital transformation, financial communication and sustainability consulting, positioning itself as a strategic partner of companies seeking to build trust and legitimacy in their markets.
And of course, AI has focused a large part of the conversation. Artificial Intelligence is creating an enormous disruption in many areas, but especially in the generation and monitoring of content, marketing and communication, all areas that are central or very close to ATREVIA’s activity. This is what Mario Robledo told us about it.
(MCPRO) How is the technology managed for a company that is so diversified around the world and that serves clients in so many different areas? What is the secret?
(Mario Robledo) The secret is not in having “more technology”, but in preventing each headquarters from ending up functioning as a different company. In a global company, if each country makes decisions on its own, in a short time you have dispersion, duplication and an unequal experience for the teams.
We work with a simple idea: manage ATREVIA as a single ATREVIA. For this we need global services that allow us to provide support from anywhere in the world and a common technological base that reduces friction and accelerates adoption. And, in addition, clear information governance protocols, because without rules on data, access and standards, the scale becomes unmanageable.
A very practical example is employee registration: the process is the same in all countries and with the same tools, but it is parameterized to adapt to local regulations. Global consistency, local adaptation.
(MCPRO) What are the biggest challenges when combining traditional agency services with technological innovation and digital disruption? How do you combine it with the different rhythms of clients?
(Mario Robledo) The challenge is to coexist with two speeds: operation (which cannot fail) and transformation (which cannot be stopped). If you don’t manage it well, you either end up with pilots that don’t scale, or you generate changes that introduce friction and debt.
It works for me to think of it as two lanes: Run and Change. Run is to ensure stability, support and security. Change is incorporating improvements in order, prioritizing by impact and with clear guardrails (data governance, compliance and quality standards).
The same thing happens with clients: each one has their maturity and their rhythm. Therefore, rather than imposing technology, what we do is enable capabilities and adapt them to each context.
An internal example: we have made available to the teams a kind of “Swiss army knife” connected to AI and our internal knowledge. It serves to accelerate tasks, organize information and increase the quality of deliverables without deviating from ATREVIA standards.
(MCPRO) How is AI transforming operations and processes at ATREVIA? How do you combine traditional AI with generative AI?
(Mario Robledo) AI, especially generative AI, is changing something very concrete: how teams access knowledge, how they structure work, and how they increase the consistency of the deliverable. It’s not just a question of speed; It is quality and consistency.
That’s why we insist on connecting AI to internal knowledge and real workflows (the “Swiss Army Knife”). If it is not integrated into daily life, it remains curious. Integrated, it becomes an operational accelerator.
About traditional vs generative AI: for me they are complementary. Generative is a great interface (search, summarize, propose structures, speed up drafts). The most analytical part serves to measure, classify, detect patterns and establish control. The key is in the framework: information governance, security, privacy, and human oversight where appropriate.
(MCPRO) How has the CIO’s vision changed in a multi-site organization? Key pillars?
(Mario Robledo) Today the CIO is no longer just “the one who maintains systems”; He is the one who orchestrates capabilities so that the company operates with consistency: data, security, operation and innovation, with a global vision.
And cybersecurity has become totally tangible. It is noticeable in attacks, but also in business: cyber insurance is increasingly expensive and covers less, which reflects how the market perceives current risk. Therefore, the technological strategy can no longer be designed only with efficiency or experience in mind: resilience and control must be incorporated from the beginning.
In our case, the pillars have been: global services and standardization; information governance; security built into the design; and innovation applied with control to increase productivity and quality without generating debt.
(MCPRO) Sustainability is a pillar at ATREVIA. What role do AI, IoT and advanced analytics play?
(Mario Robledo) If you don’t measure, you don’t manage. Technology provides traceability and reliable reporting: consolidate data, automate reports and convert sustainability into indicators and decisions, not estimates.
In addition, measurement helps to quickly identify repetitive patterns (friction, manual tasks, points where time is always wasted). And there automation and low-code are key: they allow responses to be industrialized and free the IT team from the “fire extinguisher” to move towards proactivity and service improvement.
And there is another direct impact: the way of working. Better distributed collaboration, less unnecessary travel, less manual work and more knowledge reuse. In services, this is quickly noticeable in efficiency and also in sustainability.
(MCPRO) Looking to the future, what trends will mark IT at ATREVIA? Will there be differences between Spain, Europe and Latin America?
(Mario Robledo) I see three axes: AI in production (not pilots), data governance as a condition for scaling, and security/resilience as a basis for the increase in threats.
And I would add one more: the team. AI moves so fast that, if people do not have time to learn and implement it on a daily basis, we run the risk of delivering solutions that are born obsolete. The challenge is to elevate the role of IT towards more criteria, more knowledge and more vision of the environment, avoiding falling into premature “legacy”.
It is also key to understand that SaaS services themselves are evolving at high speed incorporating AI. This forces those responsible for these platforms to be very up to date and configure well: many times, what comes “by default” does not fit with security, compliance or real operations. Governing configuration, change and adoption is going to become increasingly important.
Regarding regions: the destination is similar, but the rhythm changes. In Europe, regulation and privacy weigh more; In Latin America there is usually more need for adaptation to the context and agility. Therefore, a common corporate base and local flexibility where necessary works.
