WHN Miami 2024: Reina Irene Mejía of ThinkHUGE
WHN Miami 2024: Reina Irene Mejía of ThinkHUGE
In a fireside chat, former executive vice president of the IDB spoke about the challenges and opportunities that have shaped her career.
Speakers
- Reina Irene Mejía, Senior Advisor, ThinkHUGE (Former Executive Vice President, IDB)
- Maria Lourdes Teran, Vice President, AS/COA Miami
“You have to picture yourself 10 years ahead, looking back. What do you wanna see? What legacy do you wanna have when you leave?" asked Reina Irene Mejía of ThinkHUGE during a fireside chat at the 9th Women's Hemispheric Network Conference in Miami. The former IDB executive spoke about how this sentiment has guided her career in the private and multilateral sectors.
Mejía was candid about the struggles she's faced in her career. She spoke about how she's balanced her professional goals, personal obligations, and struggles, including illness. But Mejía told AS/COA's Maria Lourdes Teran that she's kept the same mantra through the setbacks she faced. "Do not be afraid. And if you make a mistake, stand up. It doesn't matter if you fall... You know what it matters? How you pick yourself up."
Mejía's career started in the private sector. However, she told the audience that when the time came to move back to Honduras and to work at the IDB, she seized it. Mejía noted, "And at that moment, I said, 'Now is the time to serve my region, to support the bank's mission, to improve life in Latin America and the Caribbean.'"
Mejía spoke of how she has maneuvered through all these work environments, especially as a woman. "Try to embrace the good things, and as in any place, there are things that you're not gonna like," she said. "But respect them. And that's diversity. You don't need to change yourself or compromise yourself just to fit in a culture."
