Customer service and community service are one and the same for Ana Paula Kagueyama, director of enterprise services in PayPal’s Sao Paulo office.
As it relates to PayPal Gives and giving back, Ana, the fifth employee hired to open the Sao Paulo office in 2010, devotes much of her time helping PayPal’s 200-plus Brazil employees and outsourcers become more active in volunteer and charitable activities.
“I had several reasons for joining PayPal,” said Ana. “It was my heart that said to listen to it and join this company that has the same personal values I have.”
What are some of the community projects PayPal Brazil and its employees support?
We participate in a variety of programs throughout the year. At Easter we volunteer at a home for senior citizens close to Sao Paulo where we have a celebration decorating eggs. Last year, we also built a house for Sao Paulo residents through Habitat for Humanity.
We’ve also done some projects to help our own colleagues in need. Last year when an employee of one of our outsourcers lost his home, we donated appliances and other items to help.
Tell us about the PayPal grant employees can apply for to help local organizations.
In 2015, we received one of the 74 grants PayPal distributed internationally as part of the first such program. The $10,000 grant went to a nonprofit community service organization in Sao Paulo called Comunidade de Amparo Social Asilar, an organization that supports elderly rights.
Ana receiving an award for the PayPal Brazil office for “Best Companies Customer”
You’ve spent much of your professional life ensuring exemplary customer service. As a result, PayPal Brazil has been recognized. Tell us about that.
We’re very proud we’ve been recognized for four consecutive years with the Reclame Aqui award, chosen by customers as the best online payment company. I gain great satisfaction from what we do to support our customers.
I am personally responsible for providing Portuguese support for our Brazil operation and Spanish support for our Costa Rica outsource operation, overseeing 10 different Enterprise Services teams with 60 employees and 200 outsourcers. I love managing people, listening to our customers and creating amazing experiences for them.
What do you do as director of enterprise services?
Besides customer solutions, I am responsible for risk and compliance operations and social media for consumers. We are challenged to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction and to deliver operating results that reflects great performance in productivity and quality. I am always busy and enjoy the pace.
Tell us about your background.
I am of Japanese and Portuguese descendent. I was born in Sao Paulo and received a degree in marketing services at FAAP, Armando Alvars Penteado Foundation and a graduate degree in personnel management at Getulio Vargas Foundation. I worked at Grupo Santander Brazil as senior manager of fraud prevention and at Banco Itau Personnalite as manager of customer service and operations.
What do you enjoy outside of work?
My husband and I have a 5-year-old daughter, Barbara. We love to go to the beach almost every weekend, playing with her and taking walks, and just celebrating life together.
Everyone in my family lives in the same district, and my mother helps me a lot, so we do a lot of things together as a family.