Women in Business month has provided a fantastic opportunity to learn more about our fellow female staff members at EU. We are proud to work with such an international and diverse team of women, who specialize in everything from finance and management to communication and design.
We would like to celebrate their careers and share their valuable tips on life, business and being a woman!
This week, we meet a group of experienced professionals. They explain how their goals have changed throughout their careers and share their thoughts on the importance of personal and professional support networks.
Jannyrèe Góngora
Head of Sales and Recruitment – Barcelona Campus
Jannyrèe is originally from Venezuela but has lived in Barcelona for the last 10 years. She holds two master’s degrees, one in the communication of international armed conflicts and the other in international business. She speaks Spanish, Catalan and English but is also learning German and Mandarin.
What lesson did you learn while you were studying (in class or out) that you still use today?
Education and knowledge are the only things no one can take from you.
What was the proudest moment of your career?
I can think of many projects I’ve helped to develop and it’s very hard to select just one. I’m constantly looking to achieve new goals and I feel a deep satisfaction when I’m reaching those objectives.
If I have to pick one, I’d say it would be when I was in charge of an incredibly dysfunctional team in my previous job. It was a very challenging team to manage; before me, they had about six different managers who all stayed for less than three months. With a lot of hard work, I helped them to become a multidisciplinary sales team. When I announced I was leaving, my team prepared a surprise goodbye ceremony, in which they said how meaningful and helpful I was as a manager.
I love helping people and I always try to manage my teams in the same way I want to be managed. I have received many awards, certificates and lots of recognition during my career, but that spontaneous reaction from the people I was leading has been the most rewarding and proudest moment in my career so far.
Carmen de Lange
Social Media Manager – Barcelona Campus
Carmen grew up in South Africa and currently resides in Barcelona. She gained a bachelor’s degree in communication and journalism and has since worked in both fields. She loves spicy vegetarian food but is also a big fan of braai, a South African type of barbeque.
What lesson did you learn while you were studying (in class or out) that you still use today?
You can never know too much and you can learn something from every person that crosses your path. Make the most of those opportunities.
How have your professional goals changed throughout your career? Why?
I studied journalism, politics and public relations. I wanted to be a conflict correspondent or an investigative journalist, but I also wanted to travel and experience living all over the world. Working in communications allowed more career flexibility.
Li Na
Senior Regional Recruitment Manager – Barcelona Campus
Na Li studied a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature and then completed an MBA. She has lived in different countries, including China, the U.K., East Timor, Australia and Indonesia. Na Li enjoys cooking and her favorite app is Xia Chu Fang, an easy-to-follow Chinese recipe app.
What insight(s) do you have now that you wish you had when you started your career?
Nowadays, many universities, especially business schools, have a career service department, but when I was a student my university didn’t have this service. I wasn’t sure what to do after graduation and it would have been helpful to consult a career advisor when I was confused about my career path.
Do you have any rituals, (strategic or professional), during the working week?
At the end of the day, I review my work and tell myself, “Today, I have done a great job, I am one step closer to my ambitious goal this year. Tomorrow, let me stay focused on my target.”
Velislava Saavedra
Head of Admissions – Munich Campus
Velislava has been working at the EU Munich campus for the past six years. She has also lived in Bonn, Germany but is originally from Bulgaria. Her favorite app is Pinterest and she loves Italian food.
What insight(s) do you have now that you wish you had when you started your career?
Since I became a mother I have learned how to appreciate my free time more and not make compromises when it comes to my health. It gave me perspective.
With time, I also learned how to clearly divide my personal and professional life and I can see that it made me more productive and motivated at work.
Do you think it’s important for women to have personal and/or professional support networks? Do you think it is important for this network to be primarily women or does that not matter? Please explain why.
Yes, I appreciate having strong women around me who give me a different perspective and with whom I can exchange thoughts and ideas.
For me, having a network of women who are like me or who have different priorities, backgrounds and choices in life, is what helps me to move forward and learn. Having men in my network too provides a valuable input, which can sometimes change the way I would typically handle a situation.
Shanice Francis
Regional Recruitment Manager – Geneva Campus
Before moving to Geneva to study a bachelor’s degree with EU, Shanice lived and worked in India. She speaks English and Hindi and her favorite color is black.
What lesson did you learn while you were studying (in class or out) that you still use today?
The most important skills I developed during my studies were teamwork, leadership and presentation skills. During this pandemic, I realized the importance of teamwork as we stuck together, brainstormed, shouldered responsibility and were there to support one another.
As a sales representative, the presentation tricks I learnt really helped me, not only for in-person presentations with large audiences but also for the virtual environment in which we live today.
Do you think it’s important for women to have personal and/or professional support networks? Do you think it is important for this network to be primarily women or does that not matter? Please explain why.
A professional support network within the organization you work for is always helpful. Your colleagues understand the ups and downs of your work better than anybody else. So, yes, it is important to have a professional support network.
I don’t necessarily agree that a professional network should primarily consist of women. In my opinion, a professional network should comprise of individuals from all walks of life, even if they are from a different industry than the one you work in. What’s important is the advice that people in your network offer you. Every individual has a different thought process and decision making strategy; gender does not play a role in affecting those attributes.
Marián Melina Quevedo Rondón
Alumni Relations Manager – Barcelona Campus
Marián Quevedo has over a decade of experience in marketing and communications. She has spent the past five years working in higher education growth. Marián has three master’s degrees, an MBA and a bachelor’s degree. She is a hospital clown, a strategic thinker, a mother and a storyteller.
What lesson did you learn while you were studying (in class or out) that you still use today?
Relationships are the most valuable asset you will keep throughout your life. Be a gentle and honest support to your network.
What was the proudest moment of your career?
The moment I learned to fail. Collaboration and willingness to grow is everything in an organization and an individual.
