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When Marta López joined Simms & Associates in 2017, the company was still at a very early stage. The team was small, the Madrid office on Calle Pez was where everyone worked side by side, and the future was still taking shape.
Looking back, Marta remembers the company as “a baby company”. There were only a handful of people, but the culture and the values were already clear.
What convinced her to join was not a traditional interview, but rather a conversation. The way Amanda spoke about the company, together with an interesting discussion with Jesús, made Marta feel that Simms could be a place where she would fit naturally and feel comfortable.
From the beginning, she noticed something that still defines the company today: strong values and a very clear culture. Even when the team was small, everyone seemed to share the same goal. The relationships between colleagues were close, collaborative and genuine.
Over the years, the company has grown significantly and the way of working has evolved. The team that once shared a physical office now works across different countries and time zones. Yet despite that transformation, Marta believes the essence of Simms has remained the same.
“The relationship between people is still the same,” she explains.
Growing through challenges and change
One of the biggest personal and professional challenges Marta faced was working in English every day. Operating in a language that was not her native one pushed her outside her comfort zone.
“Working in English has been a huge challenge for me,” she says. But at the same time, it became an opportunity to grow. It opened doors, expanded her perspective and helped her develop both personally and professionally.
Another major change has been the evolution of her own role. Marta joined Simms as a junior consultant and today she holds a senior position. As she explains, this has completely changed the way she contributes to projects and the level of responsibility she carries.
At the same time, the way projects are delivered has also evolved. What once involved working regularly on customer sites has increasingly moved towards remote collaboration and virtual meetings.
Despite all these changes, Marta believes the most important element of Simms has remained constant: the culture.
For her, collaboration and teamwork define how people work together. No matter the challenge, she says there is always someone willing to help.
“It doesn’t matter if someone is junior or senior, or even if they’re not on your project. You can open a Teams chat and someone will be there.”
That sense of collective support is what turns a group of professionals into a real team.
A future with no ceiling
After almost a decade with Simms & Associates, Marta says the reason she has stayed is simple: she feels comfortable and valued.
If people feel welcomed, respected and supported in both their professional and personal lives, she believes there is little reason to look elsewhere.
“If you feel comfortable, valued and you keep growing professionally, why would you change?”
Looking ahead, what excites her most is the feeling that the company’s journey is still unfolding. What started as a very small organisation has grown exponentially over the years.
Simms began as a partner of Kronos — now UKG — and today works across many more opportunities and projects. For Marta, that growth represents something bigger than the company itself.
“When the company grows, we all grow with it,” she says.
And that sense of possibility is what makes the future so exciting.
To close the conversation, Marta highlights the contribution of Trini Goyanes, describing her as someone who brings character, determination and strength to the team — someone who knows when to step forward and put things in their place.
As our 10th Birthday Series continues, we keep celebrating the people who have helped shape Simms & Associates over the past decade.
One story every week. One year celebrating the people behind Simms & Associates.