What Happens When You Grow With the Business

Katie Freitas didn’t join HSO as a cloud expert. She joined as a marketer and grew into a role shaping how HSO positions itself in the cloud and data space. This is a story about learning in real time, stepping into the unknown, and what happens when a business grows, and you grow with it.

Katie Freitas didn’t start her career in cloud or data. When HSO began expanding into cloud services, she was learning alongside the business itself. That's what made the difference.

Not arriving as an expert.
But being given the space to become one.

Stepping into something new. Building from the ground up. And growing with the opportunity.

Today, Katie plays a key role in shaping how HSO shows up in the cloud space. Not because she had all the answers at the start, but because she was willing to figure them out—and was supported to do it.

Starting in what she knew

Katie Freitas has always worked in marketing, making things happen behind the scenes.

“I started more on the operational side,” she explains. “Working on campaigns, content, analytics. Making sure everything runs when it should and performs how it should.”

It was structured and familiar; a clear path.

But her career did not stay there.

Stepping into something new

When Katie joined HSO, she stepped into a marketing operations role. A natural progression.

At the same time, the business was shifting.

“HSO was starting to expand beyond business applications and into cloud services,” she says. “And there was a real need to build something around that.”

Not refine. Not optimise. 

Build.

“There wasn’t much there yet. It was a case of, how do we create a foundation for this?”

For Katie, it meant stepping into something she had not done before, but not doing it alone.

“This was my first real exposure to cloud and data in that way,” she says. “So I was learning at the same time as helping shape it. I worked really closely with the service line leads and people who were deep in that space.”

Learning in real time

The shift was not instant.

“It probably took about six months,” she says. “Getting into it, understanding the space, working closely with the service line leads.”

There were moments where she had to get comfortable being out of her depth.

“You are suddenly in conversations about data platforms, migration, things you have not worked on before,” she says. “You have to ask questions. You have to learn quickly.”

That learning was supported, not expected in isolation.

“I was learning from the people around me every day,” she says. “There was always someone willing to explain things or bring you into the conversation. That is what helped everything click.”

What started as unfamiliar became engaging. Then it became something she could own.

From execution to ownership

As HSO’s cloud capabilities grew, so did Katie’s role.

From supporting activity to shaping direction.

“It moved into more of a strategy role,” she explains. “How are we going to grow in cloud? How do we position ourselves? How do we tell that story?”

With that came real ownership.

Katie began leading how HSO positioned its cloud and data capabilities in the market, working directly with senior stakeholders and collaborating with Microsoft.

“You are not just running campaigns anymore,” she says. “You are representing HSO. You are part of those conversations.”

That shift fundamentally changed the nature of the role from executing plans to influencing strategy.

Making something tangible

What made the experience different was not just the progression, it was seeing something take shape.

“I remember early on, we were still trying to define what we even meant by cloud,” she says. “Now it is a completely different story.”

That change was driven by the work itself.

“We were building positioning around data platforms and later things like Microsoft Fabric,” she explains. “At the start, it was as much about internal understanding as it was about taking it to market.”

Over time, that foundation turned into something real.

“It is now something clients are actively asking about,” she says. “You can see how the market has moved, and how we have moved with it.”

Microsoft Fabric became part of everyday discussions.

“You could actually see that progress happening,” she says. “Not just in the market, but in how we showed up as a business.”

Why it worked at HSO

For Katie, the decision to join HSO came down to something simple.

People.

“The interview process was long,” she laughs. “But with every conversation, it just felt right.”

The team. The energy. The sense that something was being built.

“I left those conversations thinking, I want to be part of that,” she says. “It felt like a place where people were actually making an impact, and where you could get involved in that early.”

And importantly, a place where growth was not fixed.

“You are given space to take on more,” she says. “If you are willing to step into it, people will back you.”

Growing with the opportunity

Looking back, Katie does not define her career by having a clear plan.

It is defined by stepping into something new.

Learning as she went.
Building alongside the business.
And turning uncertainty into capability.

“I didn’t come into this as an expert,” she says. “But I was open to learning.”

At HSO, that openness was matched with opportunity, support, and trust.

Because here, you do not have to arrive as an expert in cloud or data.

You need the curiosity to learn.
The confidence to ask questions.
And the willingness to step into something new.

Everything else, you build.