We are thrilled to welcome JP Soliz Molina to the Cadasta team as the Solutions Engineer & Land Information Systems Specialist. JP comes to Cadasta with more than 20 years of experience working to design and implement systems for land information around the world. At Cadasta, JP will be helping out Cadasta’s tech team, as well as providing some programmatic inputs and solutions. 

A software engineer, registry, and land administration specialist, Mr. Soliz Molina is a proven team development leader with considerable experience in managing and administering IT components and software development tools. He has worked as the Site Manager and Product Engineering Director, and managed teams with over ninety land information and geographic information system specialists, software programmers, business and data analysts. JP joins Cadasta with proven expertise in defining product strategy and roadmaps as well as product implementation and business development mainly in the Latam region. He managed development teams worldwide: Bangkok (Thailand), Kyiv (Ukraine), Austin (US), Cochabamba (Bolivia), and Sydney (Australia).

Read through the questions and answers below to learn more about JP and his ideas for Cadasta.

How did you learn of Cadasta and what made you apply to the position?

I have been following Cadasta for the last three years and havehad the chance to get to know colleagues working on land-related matters at Cadasta as well. The land ecosystem is not so big, so we mostly know each other.

I applied for the position so I could  work for a non-profit organization, as my past experiences were mostly with commercial companies. Of course, the worldwide impact of Cadasta’s projects is something that also attracted me and the opportunity  to work with a diversity of cultures.

What excites you most about joining the Cadasta team?

What excites me the most is the diversity of projects and cultures. Being a non-profit foundation, gives me the chance to make an impact on people and communities. It also gives me the chance to connect with people more personally, as you are looking into their land problems from another perspective. And of course, the use of technology to make this impact possible.

What do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities for Cadasta?

The biggest challenges, from my perspective, are to expand the footprint of Cadasta, to measure the success and impact of Cadasta’s projects, and to expand the value proposition to other areas of interest as well. Land is a very sensitive topic for many communities, and nowadays, this becomes more important to everybody. 

When you are not in the office securing land rights, what do you like to do with your free time? 

I’m from the Gen X generation, so I mostly like to hang out with friends and family, I love the barbeque (parrillada in Spanish), to have beers, read, listen to  rock music (classic ones), be at rock concerts (once it’s possible again) and to play “Rayuela”, which is a popular game in my hometown.

Can you tell us something unexpected or interesting about you?

I have bungee jumping and skydiving on my bucket list.

More about JP: 

• Bio: https://145944a268.nxcli.io/personnel/jp-soliz-molina/
• Twitter: @JotaPe97363321
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juan-pablo-soliz-molina-72632217