Who is Biase De Gregorio?
This is what Pavel has to say about Biase.
I first met Biase whilst trying to sell a sponsorship package for the Scrum Gathering conference in 2013. This somehow led to us working together. Biase is really good at mentoring others. He has facilitated numerous Scrum classes, and trained over a 1000 people in South Africa. I admire Biase’s ability to always stay positive and never get angry.
What is something people usually don’t know about you but has influenced you in who you are?
I was the youngest in my direct and indirect family by at least 7 years and as a result didn’t have a usual upbringing and was always more mature than my friends and colleagues of similar age.
What would have become of you, if you were not doing the job you do today?
I would have loved to be a professional footballer and once my career was over get into sports in some form or the other.
What is your biggest challenge and why is it a good thing for you?
Being the only guy in my family (Wife, 2 daughters, mother-in-law and even my dog is a female), which has taught me patience in many ways :)
What drives you?
Passion and pride in everything that I try and do.
What is your biggest achievement?
From a personal perspective it has to be my 2 girls. They are my life and mean everything to me.
Is there a piece of music that has a special meaning for you?
Cosmic Girl from Jamiroquai – reminds me of a happy place during varsity days
What is the last book you have read?
The latest Jeff Sutherland book - Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time
What question do you think we should also ask and what is the answer?
Q. Why did you get into Agile? A. I am a recovering project manager and based on my project management style of collaboration, relationship building and focus on delivery, Agile is very much aligned to my own values and style. It just makes sense.
Whom do you think we should ask next in South Africa?
Whom do you think we should ask next, not in South Africa?
Don’t really have anyone - sorry
How would you define your relation to the South African Agile community?
I’d like to think that I am respected by my peers and my colleagues inside and outside of my organisation. I am truly proud of what I have been able to achieve with my team and the difference we have made. At times, it is highly frustrating as most people don’t share the same passion and just don’t get it…But we keep on persisting and changing one individual or team at a time.
Johannesburg, January 2015
As a frequent sponsor of the Agile community events and conferences, we believe that this is the foundation in growing the community outside of the practitioners. This is not about promoting your own organisation, but rather about learning and sharing knowledge and experience to ensure that agility is promoted throughout the country. We have 28 Agile consultants in my team at the moment where we help organisations adopt Agile ways of working through coaching and training and we want to continue driving making organisations safe for employees again.
Johannesburg, November 2020
How to connect with Biase
Twitter: @handle