From his upbringing near Mauá’s eucalyptus farms to developing innovative mobile apps in Sweden. Join us as we uncover Richard’s path from São Paulo to Gothenburg, his role at CPAC, and how his passion and expertise are driving innovation in mobile technology.
Hi Richard! Who are you?
I was born and raised in Mauá, located in the metropolitan area of São Paulo, Brazil. I grew up near a small eucalyptus farm and an ecological preservation park for the Mata Atlântica forest, where my grandmother used to live. There, the other kids and I used to play hide and seek among the trees, run and catch each other, and, of course, play football… a lot of football.
Football played a big part, huh?
At that time, football was a constant presence in our lives. It could come up anywhere, anytime—in the streets with flip-flops as goalposts, in the garage with my brother before school, and at school as well. Sometimes, we didn’t even have a ball to play with, so anything could be turned into a ball, like soft drink cans. Right then, those matches felt like the Champions League final—Milan vs. Liverpool, Barcelona vs. Arsenal—a mix of competition and fun. It was just pure joy!
How did you get into Android development?
In 2018, while I was studying for a double bachelor’s degree in science and technology and computer science at the Federal University of ABC, I got an internship position as an Android developer at the biggest bank in Latin America. It’s been six years since I became an Android developer, and I can say it’s been a great journey.
At that time, I was daydreaming about having an international career.
And then you joined Sebratec—what attracted you at first?
It was 2022, and I was working at a fintech company in Brazil, which now has more than 100 million downloads of their app. At that time, I was daydreaming about having an international career. Sebratec reached out to me on LinkedIn with an Android position in Sweden. I didn’t think twice, took a chance, and here I am.
You’re currently at CPAC. What do you do there?
At CPAC, I’m a member of the mobile apps team, responsible for mobile applications such as Volvo Connected Loadout and Volvo Site Map, and features such as Smart Attachment in the Dig Assist application for Volvo Copilot 2. My responsibilities include creating new features according to the clients’ requirements and maintaining the applications and features.
As an Android Developer, what do you enjoy most about your day-to-day work?
As an Android developer, I mostly enjoy developing new features, where I can set the architecture for that feature, the data flow between layers, and so on. Anything related to architecture—whether it’s a feature or an application itself—is what I enjoy the most.
How would you describe the culture of Sebratec?
Sebratec is an interesting company, based in Sweden with Brazilian DNA, that has proven to be a successful chemistry. We listen to each other, share and value ideas, all in a great working environment.
Speaking of the working environment, have you encountered any opportunities for growth at Sebratec?
Sebratec gave me the opportunity to move abroad and experience a new culture. It has had a huge impact on my personal growth by adapting to a new country, allowing me to travel more, and making me more flexible to experience new things outside my comfort zone.
So, what was the move to Sweden like?
It’s not easy! Being born and raised in Brazil made me see the world from a Brazilian perspective. Once I moved here, suddenly, everything that I thought I knew had changed—how the food tastes, how the weather feels. Drinking coconut water on a paradise beach became a walk by the lake—sometimes frozen—full of nature. I can say that moving here has taught me to become flexible towards new experiences, and I just feel amazed to be able to live the best of both worlds.
What do you like most about Sweden?
The Swedish philosophy that aims to achieve balance in all aspects of everyday life. This is called “Lagom,” which means “not too much, not too little, just the right amount.” One can notice in Sweden how that’s applied to daily life—at the office, with great work environments, and outside, with people taking good care of themselves and their health. It’s impressive how Sweden has achieved a good level of work-life balance.
Where do you see yourself in the next few years, both within Sebratec and in your career in general?
When it comes to my career, in terms of hard skills, I’ve been developing some interest in either the Android platform or hybrid applications with Flutter or Kotlin Multiplatform. That’s what I’ll be getting into soon. On the other hand, I’d like to move into a lead position at some point. That would be an interesting career move.
Do you have any pro tips for new developers and engineers who are considering the consultancy path?
For new developers, I’d say focus on the foundations of programming more than on which language, framework, or technology to learn. Focus on learning programming paradigms, such as structural programming, OOP, and functional programming. Algorithms, data structures, and code complexity are important as well. Apart from that, make sure to develop good soft skills. That’s how you become a senior developer.
Anything to add?
Nothing can match a sunny day in Sweden, by the way. There aren’t many of those, but when they come, we better enjoy them. They’re just perfect.
