Mariana Castro, Corporate Vice President, Commercial Solutions Areas Innovation & Acceleration, Microsoft

June 2026 — In an interview with Invest:, Mariana Castro, corporate vice president of Commercial Solution Areas Innovation and Acceleration at Microsoft, discussed South Florida’s role in the company’s long-term strategy, its investment in AI skilling and ecosystem development, and the rationale behind its move to Brickell. “We have deep roots here in Florida. We will continue growing here in Florida, and from Florida to the world,” Castro said.

How does South Florida fit into Microsoft’s broader strategy for Latin America and global markets?

Microsoft has a long history in South Florida. We opened our office here many years ago, and that presence has combined our Southeast U.S. team with the regional hub for Latin America. That setup was intentional. South Florida was chosen because it is a central place that connects Latin America in many different ways.

Over the last 10 years in particular, Miami has become an important hub for Latin America, for international companies in general, and for technology in particular. For most of that time, our office has been in Fort Lauderdale. Now, we are moving into the city of Miami, to Brickell, which reflects how we continue to see the region evolving.

We have always thought about Miami as a gateway between the Americas, and in recent years, probably a gateway globally. It connects us to customers in Latin America and the Caribbean while also placing us in one of the most dynamic business ecosystems in the United States. That combination is a big reason why Microsoft has been here for so long and why we continue to invest in the market.

What have been the most meaningful outcomes of initiatives such as Accelerate Miami-Dade in terms of job creation and workforce transformation?

In general, Microsoft has invested across the world in initiatives related to skilling and in partnerships with local and regional governments. The broad impact of that work is job creation, but also skilling at scale. We have worked with Miami-Dade, with the mayor, with the education system, and with different organizations across the region.

A major focus right now is AI skilling. As technology continues to move fast, we want to make sure we are helping people and organizations keep up with those changes. We launched Microsoft Elevate, a global initiative around AI skilling, with the goal of helping millions of people, and our broader ambition is to help at least 20 million people around the world with AI and digital skilling by 2028.

At the local level, that means training people directly, training educators, and working with nonprofits, organizations, and changemakers. Those are the kinds of programs we are running in Miami as well. The exact local numbers are something we would want to anchor carefully, but the direction is clear: helping people build relevant skills and supporting workforce transformation as AI becomes central to the way organizations operate.

How is Microsoft contributing to shaping Miami into a long-term innovation hub rather than a short-term trend?

We have been in South Florida for about 30 years, so for us this has never been about a short-term trend. Wherever Microsoft has a local presence, our focus is on long-term impact. That means engaging with local companies, engaging with the local economy, contributing to skilling and education, and strengthening the broader technology ecosystem.

That includes developers, but it goes beyond developers, too. When you look at Latin America, for example, the developer ecosystem has expanded significantly over the last several years, and Microsoft has invested consistently in that growth. The same principle applies in the United States. We invest in local ecosystems because we believe long-term innovation depends on local capability, local partnerships, and local talent.

When we say we are contributing to economic development, that shows up in skilling, in engagement with local businesses, and in strengthening the technology environment in the region. That is what makes an ecosystem durable.

How is Microsoft approaching talent development, recruitment, and retention in South Florida as competition for tech talent increases?

That is top of mind for us. We think about attracting, developing, and retaining talent as core priorities. Retention starts with making sure people have access to the right opportunities and the right development. People stay in a company when they can continue to grow and continue to learn.

Being at the forefront of AI development is one of the things that helps us attract and retain people. Microsoft is one of the companies helping shape AI globally, and that gives employees the opportunity to work on some of the most important transformations happening in business and society right now.

From a personal perspective, I have been at Microsoft for 34 years. One of the reasons is that it is an extraordinary platform for learning, innovating, and making a difference across geographies. In Miami, we attract talent from many parts of the United States and many parts of the world. Because the Latin American hub is here, and because the ecosystem is growing so quickly, people see South Florida as a place where they can continue building their careers and be part of something that is moving fast.

How do you measure the long-term success of Microsoft’s ecosystem investments in the region?

When we are in any geography, we are there for the long term, and we look at long-term development across several dimensions: business growth, talent development, and impact on the organizations we work with.

Our mission at Microsoft is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. That mission matters because it is both technology-centered and human-centered. It gives us clarity on why we do what we do and what success should look like in practice.

In a place like South Florida, that means asking whether we are helping people and organizations achieve more locally. With AI evolving so quickly, that mission becomes even more relevant. Companies are transforming the way they work, and more organizations are thinking about what it means to become Frontier organizations. Our role is to help enable that transformation in a way that drives meaningful outcomes over time.

Looking ahead, what does acceleration mean for Microsoft in Miami and South Florida?

If I think about our current strategy, it starts with helping companies rethink employee experience, reinvent customer engagement, reshape business process, and innovate in new ways. More recently, we have evolved that strategy around what we call Frontier Transformation. That concept aligns AI-driven transformation with human ambition and helps organizations unlock higher aspirations and greater growth potential.

That is important because it democratizes intelligence and gives more people more leverage. In a fast-growing economy like South Florida, those ideas matter a great deal. Talent will be drawn to places where AI is making a difference. Talent will be drawn to companies that are transforming faster. Investors will be drawn to places that are using innovation to unlock the next level of growth.

For us, South Florida matters for two reasons. It is part of the Southeast U.S. economy, and it is also a critical hub for Latin America. Bringing innovation to Latin American companies that operate through this hub is important. Bringing innovation to the people who come here to build, start companies, and create new layers of economic growth is equally important. That is why we continue to invest locally in that direction.

How has the Microsoft Innovation Hub model evolved, and what role does it play in Miami’s innovation ecosystem today?

Our Innovation Hubs are focused on accelerating the adoption of technology. We have dozens of them around the world, and their purpose is to help organizations move from envisioning what is possible to actually prototyping and using technology in ways that create value.

That includes education, skilling, and working with companies that want to use AI to drive innovation. Over time, that model has grown, and it will continue to grow. We are continuing to invest in Innovation Hubs globally because they are important vehicles for helping organizations adopt AI more effectively.

A big part of that comes back to our larger ambition around AI skilling and around helping companies become frontier organizations. This is not just about testing technology. It is about helping organizations rethink how they run their businesses. That is why these Hubs remain an important investment for us.

What final message would you like to leave about Microsoft’s outlook in South Florida?

Microsoft has strong momentum today, and technology has strong momentum globally. We see customers and partners embracing transformation at scale, and we see organizations using AI to harness the intelligence that already exists across their businesses in more powerful ways.

We have deep roots here in Florida. We will continue growing here in Florida, and from Florida to the world.