Building technology teams across multiple continents presents challenges that go far beyond simple logistics. The complexity multiplies when companies need to maintain speed, quality, and culture while scaling globally. Rose Hecksher Schamberger, a Fractional CTO and Global Technology Executive with over two decades of experience, has developed proven strategies for navigating these challenges successfully.
Translating Sports Lessons into Leadership
Schamberger didn’t start out planning to become a global tech executive. Her background comes from an unexpected place. “My journey started on the volleyball court a long time ago. And while I’ve traded the net for networks, the fundamentals remain the same: resilience, teamwork, and relentless pursuit of shared goals,” she explains. Those sports lessons turned out to be perfect training for managing teams scattered across different time zones. She’s worked with companies of all sizes over the past two decades. “For over 20 years, I’ve helped global teams scale technology across borders, from startups to enterprises with hundreds of engineers, transforming complexity into high-performing business-aligned tech teams,” she says. That experience taught her what actually works when you’re trying to coordinate people who never meet face to face.
Design For Global From Day One
Most companies think about international expansion after they’ve already built their systems. That’s backwards, according to Schamberger. “Scaling across regions isn’t just about hiring in different time zones. It starts with intentional architecture, both technical and organizational,” she points out. You can’t just bolt on global operations later and expect them to work smoothly. Getting this right from the start pays off fast. Her team proved this when they expanded quickly without the usual growing pains. “Right from the beginning, we grew our engineering footprint in India and the US by over 25% in just months. That speed came from having the right frameworks, not just the right people,” she explains. The secret wasn’t finding better engineers but setting up systems that let everyone work together easily.
Culture Is Infrastructure
Companies love talking about their tech stack, but Schamberger focuses on something else entirely. She’s managed teams everywhere from Poland to Brazil to China. “Technology is tactical, but culture scales. I’ve led teams from Poland to Brazil to China, and the differentiator is always psychological safety and shared ownership,” she notes. Without trust between team members, nothing else matters much. The proof shows up in the numbers when teams actually gel together. At IntellX, focusing on how people worked together instead of just what they worked on made a huge difference. “You can’t scale velocity if teams don’t trust each other. At IntellX, we saved over $12,000 a month and reduced development cycles by 40% just by aligning teams through cross-functional rituals, not just juggling tickets,” Schamberger recalls. Those results came from fixing relationships, not fixing code.
ROI Is Your North Star
Here’s where most companies get it wrong. They start looking for global teams because they want cheaper engineers. She thinks that’s the wrong question entirely. “Too many global scaling efforts start with ‘Where can we find cheaper engineers?’ Instead, it starts with ‘How do we grow impact?'” she argues. Chasing lower costs usually backfires in ways that eat up any savings. Every decision needs to connect back to real business results. That means looking at metrics that actually matter to the company’s success. “I align every decision, whether it’s opening a new center or rolling out CI/CD automation, with business KPIs including margin, customer satisfaction, and time to market,” she explains. This approach delivered serious results, boosting gross margins by 26% and creating multi-million dollar efficiencies.
Global scaling gets treated as a logistics problem, but it’s actually much bigger than that. “Scaling globally isn’t just a logistical challenge. It’s a leadership opportunity. When done right, it’s not about saving costs. It’s about unlocking potential,” Schamberger concludes. Companies that figure this out don’t just save money. They build capabilities they never had before. The difference between success and failure often comes down to mindset. Teams that focus on what they can build together usually beat teams that focus on what they can save.
Connect with Rose Hecksher Schamberger on LinkedIn to explore proven strategies for building high-performing global technology teams.
