Daniel Cornejo
Territory Manager of @Google Cloud for Central America and the Caribbean
Graduate in Systems Engineering - UPB
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Google represents one of the most competitive and influential professional environments in the world. What decisions, skills, or key moments led you to become part of that ecosystem?
The key moment came in 2021 after several years of a career at another technology multinational.
It was there that I clearly saw the profound change that Cloud, Data, and Artificial Intelligence technologies were generating in the market, and Google's unique potential to lead this new technological era. That vision made my decision to make the leap extremely easy.
I also consider that what brought me to Google was having developed the capacity for reinvention: the ability to move from traditional technology to understanding and articulating the strategic value that artificial intelligence and data bring to businesses today.
AI is forcing many people to look at their professional future with new questions, from your experience, which careers or capabilities are exposed and which will remain deeply human and valuable?
From my experience on a personal level and as part of Google, we see AI not as a replacement, but as a strategic ally that elevates our potential.
The capabilities that are exposed today with this development are all those that are mechanical, repetitive, and predictable. If a task consists simply of processing data or following fixed rules, it will be automated.
On the contrary, I believe that what will remain deeply human and of extremely high value is what technology cannot replicate:
Critical and ethical thinking: AI gives us the answers, but we must ask the right strategic questions.
Empathy and leadership: Building trust and the value relationships we build over time are irreplaceable.
Adaptability: The willingness to continuously unlearn and learn.
The challenge for universities is no longer to teach how to process information, but to train professionals with sharp critical thinking and the empathy needed to lead change. AI will take care of operational complexity; it is up to us to focus on strategic purpose.
In technology, there is much talk of innovation, but in the region, there are also gaps, fears, and inequalities. What do you think Latin America needs to stop consuming technology and start creating it?
This is an urgent challenge in the region. For Latin America and especially our country to stop being a consumer and start being a creator of technology, I believe that cloud technologies and services are the great equalizer of opportunities. I believe these three concrete actions could help this purpose:
Democratize knowledge: Today, a student in Bolivia has access to the same infrastructure, technology, and AI capacity as an engineer in Silicon Valley or a first-world country. The gap is no longer physical or a lack of access to technology, but of specialized training to design solutions, not just operate them.
Solve local pain points: We must not just copy external solutions. The real value lies in using technology to solve problems specific to our region: agriculture, financial inclusion, and logistics among others. I believe that our creativity in the face of adversity is our greatest advantage.
Create intellectual property: We need to connect academia, the private sector, and young talent to develop local, scalable technological solutions with an export mindset.
Technology is already available to everyone. The challenge now is to train and empower the human talent we have to go from user to creator.
Your career has spanned telecommunications, data centers, cloud, analytics, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation. What was the professional leap that most forced you to reinvent yourself?
The definitive leap that forced me to reinvent myself was learning about the world of Data and Artificial Intelligence. This forced me to break a paradigm: understanding that the value is no longer in storing information, but in using data as the most powerful strategic asset for real-time business decision-making.
Reinventing myself at this stage meant going beyond the technological trend and learning to decipher the true value of AI through concrete use cases applied to business processes. It was the crucial step that allowed me to stop focusing on selling technology and start selling strategic solutions that transform companies.
Many times we see large positions from the outside, but we do not see the decisions, sacrifices, or difficult moments behind them. What part of your professional path shaped you most as a person and professionally?
This path has demanded constant study and updating to stay current and develop new capabilities, in addition to difficult decisions such as leaving Bolivia to pursue my master's degree abroad, working in several countries, and adapting to living far from my family.
Being away from my roots forced me to develop capabilities like resilience. Professionally, I consider that this experience gave me a more global vision and the versatility to move in different environments; personally, it taught me to value time with my loved ones and to lead with greater empathy.
In your view, is technology replacing human capabilities or is it forcing us to develop deeper capabilities?
Without a doubt, it is forcing us to develop much deeper capabilities.
Technology does not replace us; it simply automates the routine and predictable. By freeing us from that operational burden, it forces us to enhance what no algorithm can replicate: our critical thinking to guide technology, empathy to build trusting relationships, and constant adaptability.
In summary, technology will take care of the mechanical, pushing us to be exceptionally more human and strategic
What human quality is indispensable to lead in an industry where everything changes so fast?
The indispensable quality is adaptability driven by continuous learning.
In an industry that changes daily, the value of a leader is no longer to have all the answers, but the humility and agility to constantly unlearn and learn.
How do you gain credibility when you represent a global brand like Google, but work with very different local realities?
The global brand opens the door, but credibility is earned by developing empathy, trust, and long-term relationships.
The secret lies in translating world-class technology and solutions into the specific pain points of the local business. This involves sitting down with the client, understanding their actual market and economic limitations, and co-creating strategies that make sense in their context.
In short: the Google badge provides the backing of the brand, but it is your ability to understand and respect the client's reality that truly builds long-term trust.
What do you consider was the most valuable contribution of UPB to your education and your way of leading in the professional world?
Without a doubt, I believe that the greatest contribution of UPB was providing me with the foundations of systems thinking and structured problem-solving.
Throughout more than 20 years of my career, and my time at leading technology companies, I have seen the entire ecosystem transform multiple times. However, that analytical ability the university helped me forge is precisely what has allowed me to adapt to constant change and perform my roles successfully
INSIGHTS:
A book or movie that left a mark on you: More than a single book, I like to learn and read biographies of visionaries who transformed the world in different eras; the last three I read are those of Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Albert Einstein. From them, I like to learn about curiosity, resilience, and the audacity to challenge the status quo. Seeing how they managed pressure and turned abstract ideas into realities inspires me to develop my work.
A person you deeply admire: I deeply admire my parents, Gastón Cornejo and Teresa Reyes. Beyond their unconditional love that they gave me in life, they have been my greatest examples of personal growth, determination, perseverance, and resilience. From them I inherited the fundamental values that define me today: empathy, the discipline of continuous self-improvement, and a deep love for family and work. Their example is the foundation of how I face challenges and how I lead in my day-to-day life
A phrase or principle that guides your life: The principle that guides my way of working and making decisions is summarized in that the real value lies not in the transaction or sale, but in the relationship. In all these years of my career, I have learned that sustained success is not based on closing a specific deal, but on building long-term relationships. To achieve this, the most important pillar is respect for the client and for the person. In every decision I make, I always seek to build