Meet Andrea Milano, Principal of Perficient’s Data and Analytics Business Unit
Andrea Milano is a dynamic leader in the Data and Analytics practice at Perficient who drives growth and opens doors for the company, her colleagues, and her own career. In her role as Principal, Andrea oversees project delivery, mentors and manages colleagues, and works with a diverse, cross-industry selection of clients. Andrea is a problem-solver who fosters a vision and culture that people want to follow by being a role model for excellence and displaying a positive can-do attitude.
Andrea is someone who colleagues and clients know they can rely on. She rises to the occasion when navigating challenging projects by uplifting her team members every step of the way while instilling confidence and trust. Andrea has been with Perficient for over 10 years and has developed her role’s responsibilities. She holds weekly office hours, facilitates a delivery leadership working group and community conversations, and provides executive leadership for Perficient’s Generative AI Innovation Lab.
Read More: Spotlighting Dynamic Women Leaders Driving Change: Andrea Milano
Andrea’s Career Journey
Andrea has spent 35 years in IT consulting. She started her career as a technical consultant working with document management and document driven workflow systems. She went on to lead the document management practice and was then promoted to Vice President of Delivery for Financial Services.
Andrea later moved to a different company where she managed projects and helped create a product group that developed software to sell services. That company was acquired by Perficient in 2013.
At Perficient, Andrea first served as a Director, managing large client engagements and helping to build the Data Solutions team. She was promoted to Principal in 2022 and is currently the leader for delivery of Perficient’s Data and Analytics practice.
“I have evolved at Perficient and worked on a wide variety of things. Over the years, I have shared my delivery excellence and delivery management expertise with industry leaders. This enabled me to lead several notable engagements. I learned all about data and expanded my knowledge to be a full stack data practitioner. I’ve continued to take on increasing responsibility and bring new ideas to the table to help our team grow.”
Andrea doesn’t shy away from a challenge. She is willing to raise her hand, brainstorm ideas and solutions, and then take action accordingly.
“I sometimes tell people my job is filling holes, jumping on bombs, and occasionally being a traffic cop to point people where they need to go. When I see growth opportunities, I jump in. If it’s something that I can add value to our team and I can help make it successful, I’m willing to do it and offer my services.”
She thinks of herself as an operationalist because of her ability to turn strategy into practice. Because of her adaptability and willingness to dive in, she is a key player in several major pursuits and project deliveries.
“I’m a problem solver, and I have an open-door policy where people can come to me to brainstorm solutions. I hold weekly office hours to provide a forum for people to pose questions or discuss topics with no agenda. I also try to make a difference by educating our leaders and future leaders through the delivery leadership working group and community conversations. These sessions cover a wide range of topics from people management, to building relationships with clients, and more technical topics as well.”
Andrea’s career journey highlights the values of hard work, commitment to her colleagues and clients, and innovative thinking.
“I think more in terms of continuous improvement than milestones. The great successes I’ve been a part of aren’t about one moment. They’re more about working hard over time, and then great things happen.”
Andrea’s Career Advice
Check out Andrea’s top four pieces of career advice.
1. It’s important to be a rock star on your projects and deliver strongly for your clients. Focus on self-improvement and continue to learn new things and grow your skillset. For example, get certifications, participate in training, create a career plan, and accept an assignment that causes you to go outside your comfort zone. By continuing to improve yourself, you will grow in your career.
2. Do things to make your company better. This could be leading a session to educate others in an area you are passionate and knowledgeable about. You can support colleagues in other ways such as writing blog posts, developing best practices, contributing to proposal efforts, conducting interviews for potential new hires, or signing up to be a mentor.
3. Engage. If you are heads down working on a project, your view of the company may not go beyond your project team and client. Make sure to stay connected to your company and find ways to engage outside your project team. I recommend participating in various special interest groups, going to a group happy hour or similar social activity, introducing yourself to new hires, and asking your manager to introduce you to people outside your team with similar skills to you.
4. Keep up with administrative tasks. Make sure to consistently submit timesheets, complete mandatory training, and handle performance review items. You don’t want to be the person that needs to be chased down to get things completed.
Key Takeaways
Andrea has helped drive global growth for the Data and Analytics practice at Perficient through her leadership.
“I’ve tried to grow into a leader who people want to work with and who people see as providing value. I believe in being a leader, not a manager. This means that in addition to managing, you also need to display true leadership, such as creating a vision and culture that people want to follow.”
Andrea’s commitment to her fellow colleagues shines through in her work. She is dedicated to making a difference and uplifting the people around her, both in her professional and personal life. Andrea is married and has a 17-year-old son. She prioritizes and treasures spending time with her family.
“Professionally, I’ve worked on many projects that I’m really proud of. On a personal level, my greatest achievements revolve around the success of my son. It’s incredibly fulfilling to watch him grow up, learn to drive, do well on his AP tests, volunteer with special needs groups, and start looking at colleges. Raising such an amazing young man is certainly my greatest personal accomplishment.”
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.
