How have you grown in your career at Avery Dennison?
I started my career at Avery Dennison as a financial analyst in the Operations Finance department of LGM EMENA. I then joined the FP&A team for almost 2 years, before returning to Operations Finance as manager until last year, when I joined the Corporate Development team.
Several key factors helped me in this progression, the most important being the people I had the chance to work with: the Finance team in Europe whose knowledge and professionalism allowed me to learn and grow; the Operations and Supply Chain organization; and the Avery Dennison Reflective Solutions team, who inspired me with their passion and their teamspirit, and my managers who created an environment where I could fulfil my ambitions and supported my development.
Another critical factor was the opportunity to participate in various projects. It allowed me to interact with other functions, get new perspectives and enlarge my skill set.
What's the biggest stretch opportunity you've taken on?
I would consider my current role as my biggest stretch opportunity as it’s not exclusively related to finance and it happened during Covid. The pandemic played a paradoxical role in that matter. On one hand, transitioning roles virtually presented some challenges, on the other hand, I feel like interacting with people in their environment and going through a similar situation brought us closer on a personal level. I am also very thankful to my team who made this process much easier by maintaining an atmosphere of inclusion and being always eager to share their knowledge.
What role has mentorship played in your career?
Mentorship definitely played a role and one of the key lessons I learned would be that career progresses are made by taking risks, going outside the comfort zone and learning to bounce back from failures.
I would add that I also learned a lot from the younger generation, extremely talented and with a very educated perception of the current global challenges.
