Virginia's story; My career-long search for new challenges

Throughout my career I’ve been trying to balance the part of me who loves to be creative and the part of me who loves to methodically put things in order. But what really motivates me is the challenge; if it seems like something would be difficult to achieve, that’s what makes me really want to succeed. At high school I excelled at both Art and Mathematics. I knew becoming an architect would be difficult, which made me want to achieve this more.

Work-life as an architect

I started my career with an internship in Rome, then joined an architectural studio in Madrid before taking a role managing an engineering studio. This role, where I had huge gaps in my knowledge, sounded like the perfect challenge for me to conquer. After a few years in this role, the financial crisis hit. We had to start firing people. It was such a difficult and disappointing time.

However, once we were down to the minimum structure, those of us left decided to create our own studio. It worked and at the same time I completed an MBA in marketing, economics and management skills. The only problem was that when I was out on site, visiting the shops and supermarkets we were building, it was a very male-dominated environment and an unprofessional one too. I frequently felt uncomfortable so decided to leave and take 6 months to decide what I wanted to do with my career.

What happens to buildings after they are built?

During my time as an architect, I often wondered; what happens to buildings after they are built? This thought took me to Facilities Management (FM) and Technical Services which happened to be the field which perfectly balanced my creative and methodical skillsets.

After completing a master’s degree in FM and asset management, I applied for an internship with Sodexo. Because of my experience in architecture, my interviewer thought I was too experienced for an internship, but I knew that this path was right for me. I knew I could apply my experience to something different.

Promoted during maternity leave, twice!

I joined Sodexo and led the deployment of Maximo, an enterprise asset management tool, in Spain and became the country ‘Maximo champion’. Next, I implemented a new Asset Management Framework (AMF) for the first Spanish contract in Madrid and was then asked to cover a more regional role supporting Europe.

Soon after, I became pregnant and thought that would be the end of my career progression; after all, that’s what happens isn’t it? But to my surprise, I was contacted while I was on maternity leave to ask whether I would be happy to take on a promotion when I returned.

I spent three years supporting other countries in Europe. Then I was asked to expand my scope to support Sodexo sites in other parts of the world. 

Once again, I was offered a new role on my return from my second maternity leave as Global Technical Services platform development and deployment manager. Find out more about my experience in this video:

I love being out of my comfort zone

Since last June I’ve also been covering my managers maternity leave. As a result, I’ve had to learn to balance strategic level discussions about how we manage Technical Services within a region with practical level discussions with local project managers. I’ve gained a greater appreciation of the challenges our business faces in different regions around the world. Being versatile in my communication style, adapting to different levels of seniority, as well as different cultures, has been essential in balancing the two roles.

I love being out of my comfort zone. That’s what makes me accept positions where I know I am not an expert. I love to learn and prepare for a complex problem and then succeed.

Even the fridge has something relevant to tell you

To succeed in facilities management or technical services you need to be humble and listen to everyone and everything. Don’t assume you know everything already. Even a fridge will tell you something relevant and you need the input of everyone to be successful.

I’ve been lucky; my career has evolved as Sodexo facilities management has evolved. I’ve never felt that my gender has held me back; I’ve always felt respected, confident and comfortable. I like to believe it’s because of my way of presenting myself but I know Sodexo’s company culture and values has played a part too and I really appreciate that. 

I would love to see more career development programs, especially for women at an international level working in facilities management and technical services. I have a mentor, but I don’t know many other women in this field who have one. I would love to see more women given these opportunities.