CROSSROADS
MBA WOMEN IN BUSINESS CONFERENCE
What if success meant something else? Left to right., Prof. Anneloes Raes; Margarita Salvans (MBA ’06), head of internal control at Mango; Andrea González (MBA ’12), CEO and co-founder of Jamonprive; Isabel Buil (MBA ’95), Reputation Director at Affinity Petcare; and Priscilla Lavoie (MBA ‘14), founder and CEO of Bida, in one of the sessions of the WIB.
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ecades after the worklife balance became part of the conversation on professional success, are we any closer to finding equilibrium? Does technology bring balance or overload? The third annual “Women in Business” (WIB) conference, organized by MBA students, took place on January 24. Executives from different sectors discussed how to find and define success for female executives.
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“Work-life balance is everyone’s business,” said Isabel Abellán (MBA ’03), institutional sales director at Banco Sabadell. It’s not just about motherhood. We also have to balance that with all interests outside work. The company’s level of commitment is crucial: do employees go home on time? Can they work parttime or from home? Are there other flexible arrangements? It is important to consider if this includes managerial positions and the core business departments. The right boss – even in the most inflexible company –
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may make balance possible. Eliana García Alonso-Lamberti (MBA ’10), investment director at CMC Group, said: “Nobody is surprised when you raise this kind of issue with your boss. You need to lose the fear of facing these topics.” According to Mireia Ribot (EMBA ’12), director of Regulated Revenues at Gas Natural Fenosa, “you have to stop and think about what you are doing and what you want.” Isabel Buil (MBA ’95), reputation director at Affinity Petcare and head of its foundation, says that: “A moment arrives when you ask yourself: does what I’m doing have real meaning?” Even in the best of circumstances, work-life balance can be tough to achieve. The speakers stressed the need to cede control in some things. “Don’t think that you have to be perfect,” said Marta Ortega (MBA ’97), senior relationship manager at Commerzbank. Laura Ros, head of Volkswagen Spain, encouraged women to take advantage of opportunities, even if they are not 100 percent sure if they have the required profile or
if it is the right time. “Don’t wait for someone to ask you to do something. Raise your hand. Participate.” When it comes to work-life balance, we’re often reluctant to set limits. Technology allows for flexibility but also for 24/7 connectedness. “You’ve got to learn to say ‘no,’” insisted Blanca López (MBA ‘03), founder of Belles Maisons. “We’ve created the culture of urgency. Nothing is urgent.” Continuous education also helps: it gives us more freedom and flexibility. According to Raquel Tejedor, account executive at Microsoft, “you have to be learning all the time.” The speakers stressed that there is no single definition of success. Anna Mialet (MBA ’03), innovation and analytics manager at CaixaBank, says “For me, it’s not about a position at all. It’s a combination of my personal and professional life.” And that definition changes over time. According to Priscilla Lavoie (MBA ’14), founder and CEO of Bida, “Success has evolved toward the concept of purpose. It’s about your legacy, what you build in life.”
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