Shining Star: Bruno Paiva

Meet August’s Shining Star: Bruno Paiva, our Central Media Services Manager at Orion. In this candid chat, Bruno describes a fun set of circumstances that introduced him to IPG—long before working at Orion. And, the funny reason his wife insisted that they both get genetic tests.

So, tell us: where are you from?
I was born and raised in São Paulo — the largest city in Brazil. I lived in Brazil until 2017, when my wife was transferred to the U.S., and we established ourselves in New Jersey. Although we love our home country — and try to go back to see our family and friends as frequently as possible — we couldn’t be happier in the U.S.

When I was a kid, I had the chance to visit New York, and since then I always told my family that the only place I would like to live other than São Paulo the Big Apple. Well, we ended up settling in New Jersey, but it’s close enough.

Tell us about your career before Orion.
Well before joining Orion, I worked for two years as a billing team lead at a fintech company, Fidessa. That was my first job in the U.S. In that role I had a team that was responsible for the company billings of the Americas. Amongst our core responsibilities, my team had full management of the billing cycle for a total revenue of $200 million per year. We were also responsible for generating and analyzing the full set of billing performance reports. After a while, I engaged in a stretch assignment overseeing the accounts receivable operations for the Americas and leading process improvement projects for the broader finance area.

I started my career at Johnson & Johnson, where I stayed for six years in different roles of increasing responsibility. I was lucky enough to not only build my career foundation but also meet the woman that would later become my wife.

Another fun fact: IPG was actually the last company I worked at while still in Brazil. During my time with IPG, I was leading the accounts receivables, billing, master-data management teams at their local Shared Services when my wife received the great news that she was being transferred to the U.S. I enjoyed so much working with my team and also the senior management at IPG Brazil that I keep a close relationship with them.

What university did you graduate from?
I graduated from Mackenzie Presbyterian University, one of the oldest and most established schools in Brazil. My major was in business administration with a minor in foreign trade.

What’s something interesting we might not know about you?
My wife and I had the same last name—before getting married. At some point, my wife was so concerned that we could be related that we even did a genealogical tree overview, and then she only really got convinced after we took one of those genetic tests. As expected, not related.

Hobbies?
For a long time, I had an inner desire to start painting abstract canvas, and during the pandemic, I finally started. Nothing fancy and far, far from professional, but it has been a lot of fun. I also enjoy a lot traveling with my wife (It doesn’t matter if it’s far or close), eating out, watching sports (baseball, Formula 1, NASCAR—or anything that has an engine).

OK, what’s your favorite sports team?
I’m a big fan of the Yankees. Brazil has absolutely no tradition in baseball. In fact, during the entire history of the sport, we’ve only had five players in MLB, but thanks to ESPN Brazil, I started watching it, when I was 12—and I’ve enjoyed it a lot ever since. To this day, I’m the only Brazilian that I know who actually likes baseball.

Your favorite quote?
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Although credited to Albert Einstein, a Google search says that the source is likely unknown. The reason I like this quote: I read it as an innovation engine. This always makes me ask myself, “Could I be doing this any differently? More effectively? More efficiently? More accurately?”