Leading with Purpose: Gen Z Leader Giovanna Pimenta Empowers Teams and Drives Growth

Leading with Purpose: Gen Z Leader Giovanna Pimenta Empowers Teams and Drives Growth

Giovanna Pimenta is a Lead Sales Development Representative at EPAM Hungary. She was a young professional when she joined EPAM in Hungary and was asked to build EPAM’s North American Sales Development Representative (SDR) team from scratch. However, her leadership journey started long before that. For Giovanna, leadership is not about authority or titles, but responsibility and enabling others to succeed.

Redefining Leadership

“Leadership is a responsibility to empower others to become better than you,” says Giovanna.

Empowering the team — this summarizes Giovanna’s leadership style. “My core values are independence, continuous improvement, solution-oriented thinking, and meritocracy. I bring these to life by encouraging autonomy; I expect my team to find solutions and learn, rather than waiting for step-by-step instructions.” she says. Giovanna prefers to build on what her team has created rather than step in to do the work for them. Helping her team members develop their skills is one of her top priorities; she believes this will help the team achieve long-term success.   

Soft Skills Essentials

Giovanna believes empathy, adaptability and communication are crucial skills for a good leader. “I’m a natural communicator and I enjoy connecting with people. I also adapt quickly, which helps me navigate complex situations and take action,” she says.  She also works hard to stay conscious of and improve her communication efforts. “I show empathy with my team in their different scenarios. I'm always trying to listen more, read nonverbal cues and ask questions. Working with different personalities has helped me find my style – especially during high-stakes conversations — and I’ve invested in coaching and self-awareness courses to strengthen these muscles,” shares Giovanna.

A Gen Z Perspective

Giovanna sees her generation as purpose-driven. “I believe that’s what sets us apart,” she explains, saying she and her peers value transparency, work-life balance, emotional intelligence and authenticity more than ever. “We don’t lead or want to be led from the top down — we co-create, empower and challenge traditional norms,” Giovanna says.

She often hears from leaders in other generations that connecting with Gen Z can be tricky. That’s where she steps in, bridging the gap by communicating openly and valuing everyone’s input equally.

Working with Multigenerational Teams

Different generations bring different work styles, but Giovanna relies on active listening and curiosity to understand what motivates her team members. “Instead of assuming my way is best, I ask questions and adapt. I individualize my approach — some team members want independence while others want daily check-ins. They learn and receive feedback differently. I try to meet people where they are. When you understand what motivates each person and tailor your leadership style to that, generational differences can become strengths.   It’s always a learning process; I learn from my team every day through their feedback, and that helps me to become a better leader,” Giovanna summarizes.

She also emphasizes that learning from her colleagues is essential; no matter if you are their leader, peer or team member.

“At EPAM, I’ve had to lead people who are older or more experienced than me and influence stakeholders with different perspectives. I handled these situations by staying humble but prepared. I’ve never stopped learning from my peers, mentors and my team. EPAM has been incredibly supportive; the people I work with are creative, collaborative and always open to innovation. My team trusts me and gives me feedback. We’re on this journey together to build something impactful,” says Giovanna.

Advice for Aspiring Leaders

“Don’t wait for permission — start leading now.” Giovanna encourages everyone to become leaders in their environment. “Leadership isn’t about a title; it’s about how you show up, support others and solve problems. Be vocal about your goals. Ask for feedback, take risks and trust your potential even before others do. If you stumble, that’s okay, just don’t stop! Growth isn’t linear, but it’s always possible,” says Giovanna.

Ready to lead with purpose? Join our team! Apply for your next role at https://www.epam.com/careers.