Happy International Women’s Day! Today, we honor the amazing women who have made our company strong, fearless, and a resource for innovation. Our digital team had the privilege of interviewing five women, whose diverse careers and experiences have lifted Velcro Companies to success. Check out their interviews below:
Carmen Talavera — Sr. Supply Chain Manager, VAP
My name is Carmen Talavera, and I’m the supply chain manager for Velcro Agua Prieta, and I’m also responsible for the Douglas warehouse.
What qualities do you attribute to your success?
I work in different roles: purchasing, planning, and inventory control. I was also involved in customs compliance. I learned a little bit about each one of those departments, and that helped me to understand the needs and to be able to make the right decisions for the company.
Now I’m coaching my team to do things in the best way — the most efficient way for them to have the expertise for them to continue growing.
Thinking back on your career, what advice would you share with young men and women?
Continue learning. To get to a degree, a master’s degree or to learn another language. Also, to be the best at what you do. Look for the dream job, enjoy the day to day, and if you do what you like and do that well, you will, for sure, succeed.
When you look back on your career at Velcro Companies, what do you want to be remembered for accomplishing?
I’m always looking to please the customer but also our internal customer — somebody that supports operations, that cares for the people, and helps them to grow. Also, be part of our cultural change in the company that makes Velcro Companies the most successful company in this industry. That’s what I would like to be remembered for.
Gemma Rovira — Solution Sales Personal Care EMEA Manager & GAM KC
My name is Gemma Rovira, and I’m based in Velcro Companies, Europe. I’ve been working here for 20 years. I started in the R&D department, and now I am in sales as a global account manager for personal care.
Thinking back on your career, what advice would you share with young men and women?
If I take a look at millennials’ behavior versus my generation, they tend to discover the need for a change at a higher speed. What I would say is you really need to be passionate about what you do. If you need to change it, that’s fine, but always be passionate about what you do. So that’s the advice I would share with the younger generation.
When you look back on your career at Velcro Companies, what do you want to be remembered for accomplishing?
I’ve always had a sense of customer focus, leading to a successful organization. I need team members within all the functions to focus on the customer. There’s always a customer behind any action we do. I would like to be remembered as an individual that contributed to a team that focused on customers and was able to achieve long-lasting customer relationships.
Gayathri Sharma — Innovation Scientist, Global R&D
Hi, my name is Gayathri Sharma. I’m with the R&D division at Velcro Companies. I’m a chemical engineer by training, and I grew up in a city called Chennai in the southern part of India. I’ve been with Velcro Companies for three and a half years and in my current role; I’m an innovation scientist within the disruptive innovations R&D team.
How did you discover your career passion?
Discovering my career passion fell into its place like a jigsaw puzzle. I cannot say that one fine day I woke up and said: “I want to be a chemical engineer.” I wish it happened that way. In high school, I realized that I was good at math and chemistry, so chemical engineering was a nice marriage of the two courses. I took up chemical engineering for my undergrad degree.
The fact that one day I can be doing something in the lab, and another day I can be interacting with a group of customers — I like the variety and exposure it gives me.
What qualities do you attribute to your success?
I would say hard work because there are no shortcuts to persistence. In addition, I would say being strategic in your work, not just hard work but strategic work. Also being an effective communicator, that’s important because you are the mouthpiece for what you do. You have to communicate, so those have been my differentiators.
Thinking back on your career, what advice would you share with young men and women?
We are in a well-connected virtual world, there is social media and so much of a connection that happens, but there is no price you can put on human connection. It’s important to network in person.
School does not prepare you for everything in life — empathy, compassion, and even resilience; all those things you cannot be taught in school. It comes only through experience, so get your life experiences early on.
Ursula Galceran – Textile Operations Manager, VESA
Hello, I’m Ursula. I have been working in Velcro Companies for 10 and a half years, and I’m responsible for textile operations here in Argentona’s site.
Thinking back on your career, what advice would you share with young men and women?
My advice would be to work hard and with passion. Try to be excellent in whatever job you do and be constantly open to changes. When we leave the comfort zone, that’s the opportunity we have to learn and grow — especially women; I would say not to let societal standards define us.
When you look back on your career at Velcro Companies, what do you want to be remembered for accomplishing?
I would like to be remembered for my contributions to results and for changing the culture based on teamwork and continuous improvement. Also, to create a better link between operations and other departments, like sales and marketing, instead of working alone.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a professional, and how did you overcome that challenge?
The current challenge that I, like a lot of other mothers and fathers, have is to balance their professional and personal lives. It’s not always easy. I would say that to successfully balance the two, you need to accept that we cannot do both perfectly. Always prioritize what the most important thing is.
Maria Del Carmen Rodriguez – Financial Planning & Analysis Manager, LATAM
What advice do you have for women in the workforce?
Since I started working, I’ve seen great achievements for women. I think we are on the road to equal opportunities. My advice would be to continue doing what we do well without losing our essence. In mixed environments, gender differences are enhanced — women have learned from men in the workforce, but we have also learned from other women.
How have you overcome adversity or challenges as a woman professional?
Sometimes the challenges women go through is the balance between personal life and professional development — a career or being a present mother. We have to try to find the balance. It is possible, and in my experience, when I feel fulfilled, it’s because I feel like the best professional, mother, wife and daughter I can be.
On this day and every day, we celebrate the fantastic women who work in our organization. Thank you for your lasting contributions around the globe!
