#womenASCOA: Ambition and Resilience in Uncertain Times
#womenASCOA: Ambition and Resilience in Uncertain Times
The panelists agreed that work flexibility, less travel, and talent unconstrained by geographic boundaries are company policies they’d like to keep post-COVID-19.
Speakers:
- Ruth Dowling, SVP and General Counsel for LatAm & EMEA, American Tower
- Erika Falfan Mayer, Head, Sam's Club E-commerce Business Unit, sams.com.mx
- Erika Herrero, CEO, Belcorp
- Agostina Pechi, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (moderator)
On the first day of the 9th Annual Women’s Hemispheric Network Conference, the panelists discussed how companies have shifted their strategies to adapt to working from home and keeping their employees and customers safe. Erika Falfan emphasized that working from home was difficult in “being a wife, being a mom, being an executive all within the same square feet.” She added, “We can see this situation as an opportunity. We are testing ourselves that we can manage all of these spheres of our lives.”
When asked about using resilience to face a challenge, Erika Herrero recalled that after she gave birth to her twins, all the people around her assumed she would stop working. “I didn’t even consider it, and seeing that people around me felt that it was obvious that I would stop working, it made me ask, ‘Am I making the right decision?’” she said. “I was convinced that I would be a better mom if I kept working.”
Ruth Dowling said that having a work-life balance taught her to be a more empathetic human being and understand people are dealing with things behind the scenes. “Your career is really a marathon; it’s not a sprint,” she said.
When Agostina Pechi asked which policies they’d like to see their companies keep after the pandemic, the panelists said that work flexibility, less travel, and talent unconstrained by geographic boundaries are elements they would keep post-COVID-19.
