An Entrepreneurial Journey
Trek to Machu Picchu, Peru, 2019 | Salkantay Route, 7 days
After living in Argentina for a couple of years and with a background in visual communications and environmental management, Angela moved back to Ecuador and embarked on an adventure called Andean Discovery. She dedicated all her efforts, knowledge, and enthusiasm to working with her ex-partner to establish, run, and sustain this amazing tour operator.
In 2007, Angela co-founded Andean Discovery, a prosperous travel company that has steadily grown for almost fifteen years. Moving forward, in 2011 and excited about new challenges, Angela moved to Boston, MA to continue her journey in the travel industry; opening its headquarters in Massachusetts. Filled with energy in 2013, Angela went back to school to get a B.S. in Industrial Design at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA. Equipped with this new perspective and desire to apply all this new knowledge, Angela rolled up her sleeves to fuel Andean Discovery with her brand-new skills, creativity, and innovative ideas. She worked from the inside out to strengthen the business operations, brand, and partnerships. Her most valuable contribution was the design of the traveler's experience improvement, which was the result of integral and genuine guest feedback to create a brilliant human-to-human cultural connection.
Andean Discovery Website Header 2021
As a native Ecuadorian, Angela's passion for her cultural background had a crucial role in the development and soul of today's Andean Discovery as an organization. The inner mix of her roots growing up in a colorful family with origins from the coast, Galapagos as well as the highlands, gave her a great sense of appreciation for her diversity. She understands how history, geography, and biodiversity shaped her native country and the shared customs and traditions of the region. It is this rooted connection to the peculiarities of the Andean culture that contributed tremendously to the success of the business that is thriving today despite the challenges the pandemic brought.
Angela's trajectory
Photographs from archive
After fourteen years of work and establishing local offices in Weston, Massachusetts; Peru, and solidifying the operational office in Ecuador, the wind has opened new professional paths for Angela. Her ability to pivot under the most unpredictable situations has taken her to combine her entrepreneurial experience obtained developing Andean Discovery and her design capabilities to create AV Service Design & Innovation Studio, a collaborative virtual workshop that looks forward to working as a liaison to help organizations develop and implement service and experience design solutions in the US and South America.
A snapshot of hard work and endless fun
with the teams whom I worked with and
who made Andean Discovery possible!
Photographs with teams members from Ecuador, Peru & US office
TODAY
Currently, Angela works as a Service & Customer Experience Design Professional [Freelance], who facilitates thoughtful, and holistic guidance to clients through collaborative facilitation as a liaison of your organization. Identifying core features and strategies to execute various forms of radical innovation aligning organizational strategy to products and teams. Angela maintains and insists on the highest standards of business ethics and she is equally comfortable leading a team and serving as a team member.
