Profiles - Friday, July 23, 2010 10:05 - 0 Comments

Friday Five: Google’s Raul Vera

Every Friday we’ll profile a prominent figure from Australia’s IT, telecommunications or video gaming industries in the Friday Five.

Raul Vera is an engineering manager at Google’s Australia/NZ headquarters in Sydney, overseeing Google Maps engineering. He has been involved in digital media technology for over 25 years, as a software developer, architect, entrepreneur, and team leader. But he doesn’t spend all his time in front of a computer. Sometimes he does engineering the old fashioned way — working with his hands with more natural materials.

1. What was your first job ever?

My family was living in Switzerland, in Geneva. I worked for a summer in a shop that sold fabric and linens. I was the boy who put stuff away and cleaned up after the sales people had taken it all out to make a sale. I was 18 and had a great time. My French has a slight Swiss accent because of that summer.

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