Cintia Simoes — Experience Operations Application

Bio

"From São Paulo to New York, I've always been planning a trip."

I'm Brazilian by birth and American by choice. In 2012, I left São Paulo for an exchange program in Orlando — and when it ended, I didn't go home. Instead, I took my very first solo trip to New York City. That city became my home in 2017.

Some decisions just make themselves.

I grew up watching my dad crunch numbers in the Wall Street of Brazil — and somehow, the part that stuck was the parties he threw after. He would also organize company events, fam trips, and conventions at the best hotels in Brazil. At 15, I knew that second part was what I wanted.

There's something about making an experience feel effortless for someone else — getting every detail right so they never have to think about it — that has driven everything I've done since.

The Cintia Cinematic Universe: A Chronology

Scroll sideways. Yes, there's a lot. No, I'm not apologizing.

The origin story

2007

At 15, I watch my dad work — and fall in love with the part where he throws legendary company events. Enroll in an associate's in hospitality. Dad still doesn't know he started all this.

University days

2009

Last year of high school and the path is clear: University of São Paulo — one of the top universities in Latin America — to study Leisure & Tourism.

First real experience

2011

1.5-year internship at SPTuris, São Paulo's Tourism Bureau. I built itineraries, welcomed tourists, and stayed on top of every concert, opening, and cultural event in the city. That orientation toward people never left me.

The plot twist

2012

Universal Studios Orlando for 3 months. Immeasurable lessons in world-class hospitality. At the end: my first solo trip — to New York City. Spoiler: she wins.

Flying high

2013

Final year of university + Singapore Airlines. Known globally for setting the gold standard in in-flight customer experience, SQ sharpened my eye for excellence and the art of anticipating needs before they're even spoken.

Graduation lap

2014

Degree in hand, I did what any sensible person does: a 2-month solo/friends/family trip across Europe at 22. Madrid was the beginning. Many gelatos were consumed. No regrets.

New York calling (pt. 1)

2014–15

One year in New Jersey + studying Meeting & Conference Management at NYU. The city across the river was already plotting something.

Back to São Paulo

Jul 2015

International exchange travel agency: sharing my experiences with aspiring students. Speaking from passion caught my manager's eye immediately. Promotions were had.

The Hilton chapter

Aug 2016

Hilton traineeship — Alexandria, VA. One year. When the world's most iconic hotel brand calls, you say yes. Obviously.

She did it

Aug 2017

Permanently moved to NYC. The city that started as a solo weekend trip finally became home.

Entrepreneur era

Aug 2019

Launched CS Intercambio LLC — international exchange programs. Business was picking up. Then, right on schedule, the world had other plans.

Pivot season

Aug 2020

2020 happened. Enrolled in a Graduate Diploma in Project Management. When life gives you a pandemic, you get credentials.

White-glove years

Apr 2021

Back to corporate: C-suite EA at Tishman Speyer & Mavik Capital. Roadshows, executive travel, investor events. White-glove, zero-margin-for-error support at the highest level.

Leap of faith

2025

Left my corporate job. Enrolled in Data Analytics at Le Wagon. Traveled for ~6 months. Launched CS Travel. Rediscovered why I started.

🚧 Under construction (fingers crossed)

2026

Dream unlocked: join VAWAA as Experience Operations. Turn other people's creative dreams into perfectly orchestrated reality — one artist residency at a time.

Proof I Actually Do Things (Not Just Plan Them)

The spreadsheet that changed everything — yes, before AI made it cool

In 2021, during COVID restrictions, Tishman Speyer's admin team was responsible for sending a daily compliance report to HCM — gathering data from 3 separate sources. When it landed on my desk, it took around 3 hours per day to complete.

Using automation and Excel formulas — built entirely the old-fashioned way, before everyone had an AI assistant doing it for them — I rebuilt the process from scratch. Completion time dropped to 30 minutes.

I'm proud of it because it made a complicated, fragile process seamless for everyone involved. Bonus: leadership noticed within months. I was promoted less than 6 months after joining.

Before

3 hrs

After

30 min

83%

Time reduction

<6 mo

To promotion after

An obscure interest

The case that kept me up until 2 AM for almost a year

True crime isn't usually my genre — but Making a Murderer was different. The 2015 Netflix docuseries documents the case of Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man convicted of murder after spending 18 years wrongfully imprisoned for a separate crime.

What drew me in wasn't the darkness of the story — it was the system failures, the questions of justice, and above all, watching defense attorneys Kathleen Zellner (post-conviction appeals) and originally Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin fight relentlessly against an enormous institutional weight. Brilliant, strategic women navigating impossible odds.

I followed news updates for nearly a year. Still think about it.

▶

Making a Murderer

Netflix · 2015 · True Crime Documentary Series

The case of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey — and the American justice system put under a microscope.

Watch on Netflix →