Meet Rita Gil, Senior Project Manager at Brew Digital

What’s your name and role at Brew Digital?

Rita Gil and I am a senior project manager at Brew. 

What does a typical day look like for you? 

I work across different projects with varying complexity and that can involve exclusively the design team or have projects that overlap between design, development and digital marketing teams. Typically I will be reviewing my project statuses, checking in with the teams working on my projects and ensuring they have everything they need to deliver the work. I'm responsible for QAing the work to ensure it meets the requirements and then I will liaise with the clients. 

As a PM at Brew Digital, you oversee a squad. Could you explain what the squad system is, and how you manage people from different departments within Brew Digital?

Each project manager has a squad at Brew. My squad consists of a mix of Designers and Developers. Each team member complements each-other in terms of skillset and expertise. It means that for most projects I run, I only need to rely on my resource and can manage the workload to best achieve the project deadlines. I do also use other team-members from other squads for some of my work where the technology or work is more suitable in their skillset. In this case we liaise with the other project managers to “borrow” the resource. 

As a squad we have regular check-ins which are quite casual and where we can have a laugh before getting on with the work. It’s important to me to foster the space for connections which, when working remotely, are more difficult to create. I’ve been working with this squad for almost 3 years and we have lots of banter and inside jokes—and have witnessed many beautiful life milestones together like fatherhood and career growth.

What’s your favourite part of the job? 

Delivering work as a team. My favourite part is being able to “orchestrate” a project team that share drive and are motivated to do better each time. Together we think outside the box and openly share our thoughts and opinions. I am very lucky to work with talented open-minded people and it truly shows in the dynamic of our work. 

What are the bits that are most challenging? 

The most challenging is when clients choose personal opinion over best practice and what has been advised by the team. We try to always explain the various options and possibilities based on the objective of the request—it is important to me to deliver the best solution for what will be the client’s investment (and return on investment).

How did you first get into project management? Is it something that always interested you, or did you fall into it?

I fell into project management, and even more so in this specific industry. Having started working in the fashion industry I quickly realised that essentially it’s all numbers and effort/resource management when delivering something from A to B, regardless of what it actually was. Realising this opened my opportunities to take my skills to new industries and here we are today. 

Many leadership theories have historically been based on masculine perspectives. How do you feel your own experiences and values inform your approach to leadership and team management?

More than a female project manager, I am a human project manager. I value connection, collaboration and genuine well-being of those around me. I could say females are better at multitasking and prioritisation but I think that’s maybe too generic. I do think female’s can create strong relationships with those around them and are much stronger emotionally than may be perceived. I guess it can be summed up as using emotional intelligence to lead and drive a team’s dynamic. 

Do you have a secret skill or talent your work colleagues don’t know about?

It’s not a secret to some, however I am good (I know, modest!) at drawing. I absolutely love art, design and being creative. I also speak five languages which is also a fun skill/fact about me.

Is there anything about the job that surprises you? Or something people might not know about what you do?

I love a process, I love figuring out new ways of doing things to make them more efficient. I often find myself proposing new approaches or identifying gaps which can simplify the project managers processes and improve the wider business. I think that might be how I get my creative outlet in my actual role. 

What is the key skill you think people need to be successful at project management? 

You have to be business-minded and be able to see the bigger picture—having the ability to identify how “the now” will impact the future—for your project, the team, the business. I also think people skills are very important; as a project manager you rely on people to use their expertise to deliver the project. You also need to build strong client relationships to ensure they want to continue working with you and the business. 

Are there any particular tools that make your job easier? Have you found any interesting use cases for AI in project management? 

I use monday.com, Jira, and Confluence as my main tools. I am always trying to find ways to integrate my project information so the team has the best experience as well as my clients from a visibility standpoint. I have used AI when I need help with how better to structure a type of project documentation. It’s easy to think ‘from the top of my head’ however that doesn’t mean it’s right or that I have considered all the things I should. AI allows me to consider the proposed structure and then tailor it to what is appropriate for our industry, projects or what I am trying to achieve. 

Is there a project you’re particularly proud of?

It’s exciting to work on projects for clients like Ceres, United World Schools and Patient Safety Learning which are contributing to a better world in various sectors—sustainability, education and health—however it’s the people that I have met through these projects and work with that are most inspiring. Supporting businesses driving meaningful change is empowering and also gives a sense of obligation to ‘do it right’ as it will directly impact the successes of these organisations and the success of our world.  

How do you spend your ‘off-time’? 

‘Off off’ I love to go away on holidays with my family—exploring new cultures and switching off at the beach. Off during the week/weekends will be drawing and playing with my son. I also enjoy going to the gym and going out on walks or bike rides. 

Do you have any book, film or TV recommendations? 

Schitts Creek any day of the week. 

Is there an upcoming or emerging technology that has you really excited? 

Honestly, no. I am trying to keep up with what is here and how to best use things like what is available currently in the AI space in my ‘now’. 

Why do you love working at Brew Digital?

I am empowered to run my projects and team, I am respected as a working mother (sometimes family emergencies have to come first or more flexibility is needed) and I truly have a great laugh with my team. Working exclusively remotely has never felt lonely and I have built great friendships along the way.