VIRGINIA MANTERO
Woodbridge,ON
Summary
For me, technology is the bridge between business ambition and real-world results. As an award-winning senior leader, I build and lead the global technology teams that architect that bridge, turning enterprise-scale vision into reality. I thrive on complexity, from orchestrating cloud-native transformations to my unique strength, modernizing and integrating complex legacy systems to unlock their hidden value.
This isn't just theory, it's proven in practice. My expertise was forged in the dynamic world of international banking, with field exposure spanning Canada, the US, and across Latin America and the Caribbean. There my work earned a nomination as Scotiabank’s Digital Hero by PEGA (2019), and a career highlight was leading the team that integrated biometrics into Teller systems across Chile, Costa Rica, and Panama; an innovation that won the 2022 The Digital Banker's Global Digital CX Banking award. Transitioning this expertise to Pharmacy and Healthcare, I delivered immediate results at Loblaw Companies Limited, earning Rookie of the Year (2024) followed by the prestigious 2025 President's Award for Pharmacy.
Ultimately, my leadership philosophy is simple; create a culture of excellence and collaboration where talented individuals are empowered to perform at their highest level. My colleagues call me, "Mary Poppins of Technology", because I have a reputation for making the impossible possible, and for doing it with a smile.
Highly skilled and multi-domain knowledge: Strategic IT Leadership & Execution, Global Team Building & Engagement; Large-Scale Program Delivery & Modernization; Cloud-Native & Legacy System Integration; Financial Technology & Healthcare IT (FHIR/HL7); Change Management & Stakeholder Relations.
Field exposure in Canada, US, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, & the Caribbean.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Pharmacy & Healthcare Shared Services
Loblaw Companies Limited
Toronto, ON
03.2024 - Current
- Responsible for several Systems developments within the Pharmacy Portfolio included Cloud Applications (Azure, GCP), .Net, Java, JavaScript, Cobal,and APIs.
- Developed national strategies and technology plans, ensuring timely accomplishment of strategic plan deliverables.
- Oversee the Quality Engineering for Pharmacy and Healthcare, including Central Pharmacy.
- Oversee the management of budgets and resources to ensure capacity for roadmaps and the overall strategic plan.
- Collaborated with senior executives to identify cost-saving opportunities and develop strategies for achieving financial objectives.
- Collaborated with partners to define short-term and long-term CX roadmaps that identify key changes required to deliver the target client experience and measurable business and client outcomes.
- Negotiated contracts with vendors and suppliers to maximize value for the company.
Senior Technology Advisor
Loblaw Companies Limited
Toronto, ON
10.2023 - 03.2024
- Aligning technology strategy, architecture & execution with business strategy & priorities, developing roadmap, guiding multiple teams in transformation within Pharmacy.
Director of Development
Scotiabank
Toronto, ON
03.2022 - 10.2023
- Responsible for several Systems developments within International Banking, including IT Risk, CRM, NPS, and Merchant Acquiring.
- Portfolio included Cloud Applications (Azure, GCP, and AWS), .Net, Java, JavaScript, Cobal, RPG, DataPower, and APIs.
- Developed global and regional strategies and business plans, ensuring timely accomplishment of strategic plan deliverables.
- Oversee the management of budgets and resources to ensure capacity for roadmaps and the overall strategic plan.
- Collaborated with senior executives to identify cost-saving opportunities and develop strategies for achieving financial objectives.
- Collaborated with partners to define short-term and long-term CX roadmaps that identify key changes required to deliver the target client experience and measurable business and client outcomes.
- Negotiated contracts with vendors and suppliers to maximize value for the company.
Director Global Technology Product Owner - Teller
Scotiabank
Woodbridge, ON
12.2020 - 03.2022
- Implemented the first use of biometric for branches in Chile, Costa Rica and Panama for Teller Systems.
- Winner of the - The Digital Banker's Global Digital CX Banking Awards 2022 for eTeller - Best Use of Technology for Customer Experience.
- Oversaw the management of budgets and resources to ensure capacity for roadmaps and the overall strategic plan.
- Collaborated with senior leadership to set long-term objectives for the group.
- Managed a global team of software engineers to design, develop, test, implement and maintain software applications.
- Created effective technology roadmaps to focus strategic decisions on long-term objectives.
- Portfolio included Cloud Applications (Azure, GCP, and AWS), .Net, Java, JavaScript, Cobal, RPG, DataPower, and APIs.
Director - Latin America Retail/Channels Systems
Scotiabank
Woodbridge, ON
03.2016 - 12.2020
- Developed and implemented software development strategies to ensure successful completion of projects.
- Managed a global team of software engineers to design, develop, test, implement and maintain software applications.
- Provided technical guidance in the selection of hardware and software solutions for new projects.
- Monitored performance of software products to identify areas for improvement and optimization.
- Collaborated with senior executives to identify cost-saving opportunities and develop strategies for achieving financial objectives.
- Lead daily stand-up meetings with development team members to review progress and discuss challenges.
- Maintained a high level of knowledge about current trends in software engineering best practices, tools, and techniques.
- Defined metrics for measuring the success of software projects and tracked progress against those metrics.
IT Manager - Application Owner
TD Bank
Toronto, ON
04.2012 - 03.2016
- Supporting the Core Banking Business Unit.
- Responsible for Portfolio and Project management.
- Responsible for helping to develop the overall strategic direction for the Core Mainframe applications, deliver strategic solutions and managing financial forecasting.
IT Operations
TD Bank
Toronto, ON
03.2001 - 04.2012
- Various positions within TD Operations.
- Operations & Availability Management at TD Bank.
- Managed the US Batch Operations team.
- Providing operational support for all mainframe associated application.
- Provide support to core team for the US Bank conversions.
- Managed the front-line team that supported first level support for all File Transfers within TD Bank.
- Provided leadership and motivation for my team to ensure the effective coordination and timely resolution of service impacting incidents.
Education
BCS - undefined
11.2001
Skills
- Problem-Solving
- Team Building
- Self-Motivated
- Analytical Thinking
- Technology Support
- Cloud Applications (Azure, GCP, AWS)
- Disaster Recovery Planning
- Pharmacy & Healthcare
- FHIR/HL7
- Incident Response
- Legacy Application Modernization (RPG, Cobol)
- Roadmap Planning and Prioritization
- Digital Transformation
- IT Risk
- Service Level Agreements
- Project Management
Languages
Spanish
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
English
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Awards
- President's List Award (2025)
- Rookie of the Year (2024)
- The Digital Banker's Global Digital CX Banking Awards 2022 - Best Use of Technology (eTeller)
- Identified as 'Top Talent'
- Nominated Protegee - IT&S Sponsorship Program (2020)
- Nominated by PEGA as Scotiabank's Digital Hero (2019)
- Consistently achieved 'Significantly Exceeded/Superior' performance ratings
- IT&S Best of the Best Top Individual winner
- IT&S Culture Catalyst Award winner (2018)
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Director of Pharmacy & Healthcare Shared Services - Loblaw Companies Limited
03.2024 - Current
Senior Technology Advisor - Loblaw Companies Limited
10.2023 - 03.2024
Director of Development - Scotiabank
03.2022 - 10.2023
Director Global Technology Product Owner - Teller - Scotiabank
12.2020 - 03.2022
Director - Latin America Retail/Channels Systems - Scotiabank
03.2016 - 12.2020
IT Manager - Application Owner - TD Bank
04.2012 - 03.2016
IT Operations - TD Bank
03.2001 - 04.2012
Computer Institute of Technology - BCS,