About César Zea
My Story: From Hands-On Code to Board-Level Strategy
For 34 years, my career has been a relentless pursuit of a single idea: technology is not just about code; it's the engine that drives business growth. But to truly drive growth, you need leaders who are fluent in both languages—the language of the boardroom and the language of the command line.
I’ve built my entire professional life on mastering that duality.
The Entrepreneurial Leap
My journey began not in a corporate cubicle, but in the trenches. After cutting my teeth as a developer and project manager, I took the entrepreneurial leap in 1999 and founded Jaune Sistemas. For over two decades, I didn’t just manage a company; I was the company. I was the lead architect designing the systems, the consultant selling the vision to clients, the manager building the teams, and the developer writing the code to deliver on our promises.
This experience taught me the most valuable lesson in our industry: a brilliant technical solution that doesn't solve a core business problem is ultimately a failure. I learned to measure success not in lines of code, but in client revenue, market share, and operational efficiency, delivering high-stakes projects for major corporations like EY, Telefónica, or nVent.
The Evolution into a Global Leader
My leap onto the international stage was as the Principal Architect for Celestial Systems. Working daily alongside the executive committee, I became the technical face of the company—the ultimate guarantor of technical success for our most critical clients and sales processes. My role was to own the entire technical lifecycle: I led global development teams, defined corporate-wide standards focused on ROI and quality, and provided strategic consulting for industry leaders like Hitachi Energy.
I was entrusted with the technical responsibility for new releases of commercial products for companies valued over $100M. I built the Data & AI department from the ground up, turning a strategic vision into a profitable, high-growth business unit and cementing my focus on applying deep technical expertise to solve board-level challenges.
My Guiding Philosophy
Business-First Technology
I always start with "why." What is the business goal? How will this drive revenue or reduce risk? The technology strategy is always the answer to these questions, never the starting point.Radical Ownership
As a Fractional CTO, I don't just advise; I integrate into your team and take full ownership of the outcome. Your challenges become my challenges, and your success is my metric.Battle-Tested Solutions, Not Theory
My advice comes from 34 years of building, rescuing, and scaling real-world systems. I deliver practical, robust solutions that work under pressure because I’ve been the one in the arena making them work.Let's Build Your Next Advantage
If you're looking for a strategic partner who understands that the best technology solutions are the ones that create a measurable business advantage, then we should talk.
