From Ecuador to Vietnam Pursuing a Better Tomorrow

If you were asked to envision an operations manager for a supply chain SaaS company, who is also a Bachelor of Economics graduate – who are you envisioning? Probably not an adventurous 24-year-old Ecuadorian working in Vietnam with ambitions to change the world for the better. That’s the story and employee journey of Valentina Emanuele Jervis – from her native Ecuadorian roots to working for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), all the way to Inspectorio in Vietnam.

Valentina’s Journey at Inspectorio

Valentina joined Inspectorio in 2019 as an intern, then left to complete her degree in the United States, graduating at the height of the pandemic. Despite difficult circumstances, Valentina recalls feeling fortunate to return to Inspectorio in 2020 as a Strategy and Global Operations Associate.

Valentina supports the growth and development of Inspectorio’s world-class software products in her current role.

Valentina’s career at Inspectorio has been a journey of learning and growth. Her role quickly transitioned from Product Intern to Growth Associate, and then to Senior Growth Associate. Most recently, she’s picked up the gauntlet as Operations Manager. Reflecting on her journey at Inspectorio, Valentina recalls:

“Wow, where do I begin? It’s been quite a ride! I can’t help but smile when I reflect on all my learning experiences at Inspectorio. I started as an Inspectorio Rise Product Intern in May 2019. Back then, I didn’t know a great deal about tech, the start-up ecosystem, artificial intelligence, or the product world. But from day one, I was surrounded by amazing colleagues and mentors who were eager to teach me. I learned so much – how to write user stories, bring products to market, do sales pitches, manage a team, and work at a fast-paced, ever-evolving company that is creating disruptive and impactful products. Although the challenges never cease, the excitement continues to grow. I can’t wait to see where Inspectorio takes me next!”

Throughout her varied and fast-paced career at Inspectorio, Valentina has accomplished two outstanding career highlights. The first was working with one of Inspectorio’s largest customers.

“Working on the implementation for one of our largest customers, where we digitized and standardized their quality operations and onboarded over 2,000 suppliers and factories, was one of my biggest achievements.”

Another milestone in her career was working on projects aligned with her personal goal – environmental sustainability.

“Establishing how our tools empower organizations with increased visibility over their supply chain to improve their impact on society and the environment is extremely rewarding.”

Now she seeks to use her new platform and role at Inspectorio to not only champion the success of the suite of Inspectorio products, but also champion a better future for tomorrow.

Passion for Sustainability

So, where did this passion for environmentalism and sustainability come from? To answer this question, we must travel back to Quito, Ecuador, where her love of nature began.

“Growing up in one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet gave me an appreciation for the beauty of nature and a deep understanding of how fragile our environment is. I had the privilege of being surrounded by nature throughout my whole life. Being so close to the Galapagos Islands, I got my scuba diving license at 12, and since then, exploring and conserving the ocean has been one of my biggest passions. Ecuador has many indigenous communities in which most people (including myself) are rooted. Overall, my upbringing in Ecuador exposed me to the environmental and social issues I now seek to address.”

With 59% of its territory covered by native vegetation and holding the title of the most biodiverse country relative to its size, it is easy to see how growing up in this environmentally rich country had a profound effect on Valentina’s life.

From Farm to WWF

With Valentina’s compass firmly set on environmentalism, her first step towards those goals was working at various NGOs dedicated to the cause. She began with WWF! Whilst she found great value in her time there, she soon realized that the NGO route wasn’t going to be enough for her.

“At WWF, the biggest learning was realizing that working for an NGO or even a government agency had a different level of impact than what I wanted to contribute. I have so much admiration for these organizations and their work, but I realized they were not disruptive enough for me. I wanted to be a part of something much more innovative, so I started looking at, first and foremost, the private sector and, secondly, technology and software.”

From WWF to Technology

Valentina traveled to Denmark for her Bachelor of Economics studies with a firm resolve to enhance her knowledge and gain further insight into the various methods of tackling environmental issues

“During college, I did an exchange program called ‘Sustainable Development in Northern Europe’ in Copenhagen. I learned a lot about sustainability and innovation. I then discovered I wanted to work in a start-up focused on sustainability and environmental-related issues.”

This is where Inspectorio comes in. Through her experiences at both WWF and the Sustainable Development in Northern Europe program, Valentina decided that leveraging technology and the private sector is the most effective way to forge meaningful change.

“I realized that I wanted to be more hands-on and practical. My background is in economics and sustainability, and Inspectorio allows me to use both of my skill sets. I was always interested in technology. I think technology can make a big impact [on the environment].”

In Pursuit of a Better Tomorrow

As a SaaS technology company, Inspectorio aims to digitize and optimize supply chains to help brands, retailers, suppliers, and manufacturers improve efficiency, reduce costs, and gain greater supply chain visibility.

But there’s another huge opportunity here – the opportunity to utilize that radically enhanced supply chain visibility to improve the sustainability of production and bring transparency to consumers, enabling them to make confident and sustainable purchases.

“You can’t really be sustainable if you don’t know who you’re working with, and how your products are made. Sustainability in our products is something I’m currently working on, and I find it very motivating. I joined Inspectorio in the first place because we could, with technology, find a way to make the production of goods more sustainable.”

Here’s what one of the potential future solutions could look like in the market:

“Supply chain technology has and can collect vast amounts of supply chain data. In the future, I could see the world’s largest retailers leveraging this data to gain increased visibility into how their products are made. With so many questions consumers and sellers have about their products, I believe that one day we will have the power to answer those questions with ease. Imagine if you could simply scan a QR code on a product tag or label, and instantly access all that information.”

Let’s say you’re in the coffee aisle at your local supermarket and want to know about your Ecuadorian filter coffee. Imagine if you could simply scan the QR code on the bag of dried Arabica or Robusta (Ecuador is one of the few countries that produces both!) to find out all the details. Valentina explains:

“Where was the product sourced from? Where was the farm? What kind of material was used? What are all of the different facilities that produce it? All those questions could be answered with a quick QR scan! Through the network and the information that we already have and with the support of all the organizations we work with, I think it could be possible. We’re at a stage where even the biggest organizations have carbon-neutrality goals. They even aim to one day have 100% of their production responsibly sourced. With transparent supply chain data, these ambitious goals are so much more attainable.”

Giving a Voice to the Product Makers

The sustainability of the production of goods is certainly a good goal to strive for. But what about the artisans, farmers, fruit -pickers, and seamstresses? Witnessing first-hand the production of goods on her grandparents’ farm, it makes sense how the product-makers are a key component of her ideal closed sustainability loop.

“Product maker voices are often unheard. Too often they have little impact on how their products are sold. The market share that they receive is often minimal. To give them a voice, we first need to discover who these organizations and parties are, so we can ultimately bring them into the conversation, empower them, and provide them with an opportunity to ensure that they have adequate market share and impact on the final product. This is one of the main problems we’re aware of, and I believe it can be addressed with technology.”

There’s Still No Place Like Home!

Whilst her upbringing has fueled her career and study choices and taking her to Vietnam and the United States, there’s still no place like home!

“Ecuador is my home. I was born and raised close to the sun in Quito, Ecuador’s capital city, which sits 2,800 meters above sea level. Most of my family and friends live there, and no matter where I’m in the world, I always make sure to visit once a year.”

Wrapping Up

As the earth approaches the tipping point of no return, it is crucial to utilize every ounce of green technology available to tackle this problem.

But you cannot build products for a better tomorrow without the people invested in that vision. Our team of 300 employees are committed to that vision, including our passionate environmental advocate – Valentina Emanuele Jervis.

Join our team! Check out open positions on our careers page!