Meet María Cortázar Ortigoza, Senior Marketing Coordinator, Colombia

María Cortázar Ortigoza is a dedicated leader on Perficient’s Corporate Marketing team, focused on promoting continuous growth for herself and her colleagues. Based in Cali, Colombia, María manages sales initiatives, creates marketing campaigns, and contributes to recruitment strategies.  

A self-motivated learner, María stays updated on marketing trends through social media research, informative YouTube videos, and Udemy courses. Over her four years at Perficient, she has embraced new responsibilities as opportunities for development. Continue reading to learn more about María’s career path, her collaborative growth, and her passion for dance.  

María’s Career Journey

As a Senior Marketing Coordinator, María excels at engaging diverse audiences and building connections. She enjoys collaborating with general managers in Latin America, sales teams, technical experts, and global colleagues.

“The people I work with are one of the reasons I wake up excited about my job every day. They are the most amazing people. Over the past four years at Perficient, I have made so many friends, not only from my city and country, but from different countries as well.”  

READ MORE: Fostering Meaningful Connections in a Global Workplace

Although María’s marketing career began just four years ago, her commitment to excellence has fueled her rapid growth. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and political science, which provided a strong foundation for pursuing a career in global communications. 

In 2021, she joined Perficient as a Marketing Specialist, focusing on rebranding initiatives and managing Perficient’s Latin America social media channels on LinkedIn and Instagram. Initially nervous, María soon recognized her potential within Perficient’s supportive culture.  

“I saw the opportunities that Perficient leadership gives us to grow. They provide all the tools we need to keep developing. The leaders I’ve had here at Perficient are awesome and some of the best people. I really value when others want to share their knowledge, and those are the kind of leaders I have.”

From the start, María felt empowered by her manager, Juliana Rua Burgos, who provided essential resources to enhance her marketing skills and encouraged collaboration by actively listening to her ideas. As she advanced in her role, María developed internal communications and organized events, all while benefiting from the expanding marketing team.  

“At the very beginning, it was really hard for me to work in a team. I used to work alone, so that’s one skill that I’ve been improving since working here. I’ve found that teamwork is one of the more valuable skills that I have.”

By embracing collaboration, María has built meaningful connections through recruitment marketing. She led initiatives to strengthen Perficient’s relationships with IT communities in Latin America, including visiting universities across Colombia to engage engineering students about internship opportunities. 

“I saw how we changed lives by sharing Perficient’s internship opportunities. I’ve seen people who started working here on the first day of their internships, and they’ve stayed at Perficient for the last three or four years. They’ve built a career here at Perficient just like I have. I’ve heard them say that they are really grateful that I went to their city, told them about Perficient, and gave them the opportunity to come here. It is amazing.”

Since the internship program, María has actively participated in various stages of the recruitment plan, making a significant impact. In 2022, she was promoted to Associate Marketing Coordinator and quickly advanced to Marketing Coordinator the following year, supporting Perficient’s sales initiatives and organizing speakers for forums showcasing our technical expertise.

By 2024, María became a Senior Marketing Coordinator. In this role, she embodies Perficient’s values every day through campaigns and projects that align with our vision, mission, culture, and community initiatives. Her commitment to continuous learning and collaboration empowers her to consistently exceed expectations.  

“I make a difference by giving my best every day and challenging myself to be a better person and a better professional. I always try to learn new things, apply this knowledge to the work that I do, and work collaboratively in a team. I always listen to our clients’ needs and use my knowledge to provide solutions.”  

READ MORE: Explore María’s Recent Perficient Blogs 

Dancing Her Way to Success: A Balanced Journey  

Throughout her career, Perficient has supported María in achieving her professional and personal goals. A significant milestone for her has been achieving a healthy work-life balance, which allows her to advance in her career while enjoying quality time with loved ones and pursuing her passion for dance. “I work in a company that gives me everything I need to have a good life,” said María.

With Perficient’s work-life balance, María has also thrived as a professional dancer. For the past 15 years, she has specialized in traditional Colombian dance styles, including salsa and folklore. Two years ago, she seized an exciting opportunity to embark on a month-long international dance tour, fulfilling a lifelong dream. When María shared her aspirations with Perficient, she received overwhelming support to pursue her passion, traveling to countries like Bulgaria and North Macedonia to showcase Colombia’s vibrant dance heritage. “I really appreciate that Perficient has always given me the opportunity to do something that I really love, which is dancing,” said María.  

READ MORE: How to Prioritize and Maintain Work-Life Balance   

María’s Career Advice 

María shared her top three pieces of career advice.

1. Learn English because it is really important when you want to apply at a company like Perficient and grow your career in Latin America. I feel like this was the thing that opened the door for me at Perficient.   
2. Be open to feedback, to fail, and to learn, because without that, you will never be able to grow.  
3. Do not be afraid to speak up and share your ideas. When I first started working at Perficient, I thought that people might not listen to me because of my experience level, but they valued my ideas and always took them into account.  

Cultivating Success Through Community and Collaboration 

From creating impactful marketing campaigns to dancing 12 hours a week, María is a shining example of the discipline and dedication needed to shatter boundaries and make a difference.  

“Working at a company where we do so many great things and where I feel like my work is valuable is what motivates me every single day.” 

Her commitment to excellence, combined with a growth mindset and passion for learning, has helped her forge meaningful connections across Perficient, driving her success.   

“I think that, as human beings, we always have to do things in community and cannot do things alone. Without my teammates and the people that work here, I wouldn’t be able to grow. I wouldn’t notice things that I’m missing or have people to teach me what I don’t know. The collaboration that I’ve seen with my colleagues every single day is what helps me grow not only as a professional, but also as a person. They are always there, teaching me and giving me feedback to continuously improve.” 

MORE ON GROWTH FOR EVERYONE  

Perficient continually looks for ways to champion and challenge our workforce, encourage personal and professional growth, and celebrate the unique culture created by the ambitious, brilliant, people-oriented team we have cultivated. These are their stories.   

Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient on our Careers page. Connect with us on  LinkedIn here. 

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