HR Director of CIT (Center for Innovative Technology) Latin America

“I think the mark I have left in this field has primarily been my commitment to the company, to my team and to the community. At the same time, the contributions of my professional knowledge and my desire to excel have marked my professional life.”

When I first found out about ITAM’s curriculum, its academic level and its faculty, I felt they were very good, even though at that time (1980) it was a small university compared to others.

In such a competitive environment as we live in, I believe that skills (such as research, writing, communication, security in decision making, working under pressure and in a team, attitude), as well as values (professional ethics, self-respect and respect toward work, honesty, self-motivation, responsibility, discipline and commitment) and professional knowledge are key in making a difference.

I think today’s accountants should be prepared in the following three major areas, in addition to their own knowledge and the updating of their career:

1) International Financial Regulation Standards (IFRS).

2) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. This law regulates internal operations and audit reviews. All companies listed on the stock exchange or whose parent company is in the United States, must abide by the rules of this law.

3) Isolated software (accounting, administrative and control) is being replaced by integral platforms.

I don’t think that specialization within this career is really necessary. If you want to obtain a managerial position, in addition to professional performance and knowledge, the person must have skills in strategy design, decision making, team management toward a well-defined common objective, leadership, relationship management, communication, etc.

I think the most important decision I had to make in my professional life is when I was offered the position of Human Resources Director “of the Region” in the company where I presently work. The promotion involved managing the HR area also in Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Argentina. This meant spending time away from my family and having a lot of responsibility, which made me feel insecure. But even so I accepted the challenge. The first year was very difficult: professionally and personally. After six years at the post, I was given the position of Regional Director and I feel very fortunate to have the support of all the regional directors as well as that of the Corporative Office.