Caterina D’Onofrio grew up in a swimming pool. The daughter of a water polo coach, she spent her free time playing in the water while slowly evolving into a competitive athlete.
From athlete to engineer, Caterina found that her competitive background translated swimmingly (pun intended) into the technology realm. After joining Celonis, the global leader in Process Intelligence technology, Caterina’s discipline and resilience allowed her to turn customer pain points into solutions as a senior value engineer.
How exactly? We sat down with Caterina to discuss the ways sports have shaped her technology career, including her top tips on balancing your extracurricular passions with your career.
While Caterina’s parents encouraged her to swim, her sister was the driving force behind her technology career. After leaving competitive swimming at 18, Caterina followed her sister to Milan to study engineering.
“University introduced me to the tech world, and after graduation, I worked in technology consulting at a Big 4 firm. This experience led me to Celonis,” Caterina recalls. “I joined when the Italian branch was just starting, and the team consisted of five or six people. Coming from a consulting background and despite lacking commercial experience, I was fascinated by Celonis' software. However, I underestimated the challenge ahead."
Despite the challenges ahead, Caterina would soon discover that she was well prepared thanks to a surprising (yet familiar) attribute — her athletic background.
Caterina D'Onofrio
"Launching a new branch for innovative software in Italy, while taking on a new role, allowed me to condense ten years of traditional company experience into just three years."
Harnessing the mental fortitude developed across countless competitions, Caterina hit the ground running as a senior value engineer.
Time management came effortlessly after navigating a structured training schedule, and juggling competing priorities felt like second nature.
“This made me a true optimizer, able to complete the maximum number of tasks in the shortest time while maintaining high quality. This skill is essential in my daily work, especially during high-intensity periods like fiscal year-end.”
Caterina could also isolate herself from the outside world, as she used to do in the swimming pool, to fully concentrate on a task and boost her productivity.
“My role at Celonis is highly strategic, as it represents the front line with the end customer and significantly influences their success with the software. The only variable I can control in my job is the preparation I put into my activities. It's similar to sports: the only controllable factors are the effort, time, and passion dedicated to training.”
Just like waking up to a sore throat on the morning of a meet, Caterina found that the technology realm has its own uncontrollable variables — from customer reactions to questions and feedback. “Training is the only thing that can save you, but on the field, you must also be able to handle unexpected challenges. Today’s unforeseen events are always lessons for tomorrow.”
Mimi Fraser-Andrews is a Talent Acquisition Marketing intern at Celonis. Based in London she completed her degree in Anthropology from the University of Bristol in 2022. Passionate about storytelling and showcasing the vibrant culture at Celonis, Mimi collaborates with employees to celebrate their successes, explore their daily experiences, and capture what it’s like to be part of Team Celonis.
