In the world of technology, everything comes down to problem solving. Cars were created to solve the problem of how to get from point A to point B. Cell phones were created to find a solution to connectivity in an increasingly globalized world. No matter what kind of technology you're dealing with, the end result is something that solves problems and makes our lives easier in the process.

For Product Manager and IT expert Eduardo Mylonas da Silva, his entire job revolves around solving problems with technology. "I investigate thoroughly until we get to the real cause of the problem," says da Silva. "Then I bring people together and combine the different perspectives into the solution."

Eduardo Mylonas da Silva
Eduardo Mylonas da Silva Eduardo Mylonas da Silva

It's an apt description of the role of Product Manager, a leader that every company needs to guide the creation and deployment of technology within the company. For da Silva, it's a role that he's been working towards his entire life. Since graduating in 2002 with a degree in Mechatronic Engineering from PUCPR in Curitiba, Brazil, da Silva has had over 2 decades of experience working in the field of product management. His early roles saw him refactoring information management systems, designing and implementing internal tool requests, and performing other IT work that would deepen his experience with the finer details of technology.

He soon landed a role at IBM, where he rose through the ranks first as a Software Engineer and later a Lead Business Analyst. During his time at IBM, he was a co-creator of a Center of Competence, where his team eventually grew from 6 members to over 65. His role as the leader of CoC helped develop his career path as he defined and implemented product and requirements practices for all products in the team's portfolio.

Eventually, da Silva landed his first role as Product Manager. While working as a Product Manager for IBM, da Silva managed products for the company that included Demand Capture, AT&T, SMA/WFM, CTAz, and HR BI. But a Product Manager doesn't just manage technology–they also have to manage people. In his time at IBM, da Silva became inherently familiar with managing teams of developers, wrangling multiple perspectives into one unified team. He worked as a Group Product Manager leading 8 other PMs on a total of 14 products, managing a cross-product roadmap to ensure scope alignment and synchronization.

He even co-invented a patented technology that would prove crucial to IBM's data privacy protection strategy. His technology works by sifting through the data transmitted by each enterprise project and deciding the proper security steps for each piece of data. Da Silva's patent transformed how the company consumed data, which was key in later fund raises for the company.

Da Silva eventually left his role at IBM for the next step in his career. He became the business intelligence (BI) manager at Loadsmart, where he quickly recognized the need for an overhaul of the company's data platform. He proposed a solution to create a multi-level data platform that would connect the multiple entities at all levels of the business (strategic, tactical, and operational). The new system streamlined the reporting process by eliminating inconsistencies with the numbers and allowing the business to make stronger decisions based on the data at hand.

Never one to stay still for long, he joined the team at the technology consulting firm AE Studio in 2022, where he was brought in to manage critical programs and products. He put his problem-solving skills to work again at AE Studio, this time working on Blockchain projects and managing proposals and solution architecture. Currently, one of da Silva's roles involves working closely with the Vice President and Account Manager to ensure the success of their partnership between EVgo and Nissan, overseeing and leading all PMs in the account.

Eduardo da Silva is someone who knows how to manage. From managing teams of developers to overseeing the establishment of successful products from scratch, it's da Silva's unique problem-solving abilities that make him a force to be reckoned with in the IT world.