A Day In The Life…
Vanessa Gonzales, Vizeum President LATAM shares a snapshot into her life.
I wake up at…
This week I get to wake up in beautiful Miami. As a mother of a 4-year-old it can be hectic in the mornings, but I usually get out the door by 8:00am. Not every day is as beautiful and sunny as a Miami morning, when I wake up in Mexico DF I’m greeted with clouds and lots of noise, Buenos Aires provides a melancholic and hipster feel, and Lima is the city that never shines. But the mornings I love the most are the ones where I get to work from home with a coffee, in 80-degree heat accompanied by a tropical view. Waking up in a variety of different countries can really affect your sense of location and can ruin your intentions of an early morning gym class! However, it has allowed me to see the world, it’s so big and full of so many people and although we are all different in our own way, I’ve noticed we can be very similar.
My role involves…
My role involves connecting and working with remote teams across Latin America, this requires a lot of travel and adaptability. I took this regional role as President of Vizeum LATAM around 6 months ago and it has been fascinating getting to know the network and the talent that we have across the region. I think the magic of my role is being able to bring the best out of people, which allows us to deliver on a bigger promise, to bring value to our client’s business. I completed a big pitch process a few weeks ago, which included four of the major markets in Latin America — clocking up an impressive 50,000 miles in the air. It’s amazing how collaborative and motivational each market is, everyone respects each other’s ideas in hopes that we will be rewarded for all our hard work. I am one of the lucky ones who love what they do and hopefully I will be doing it for many more years to come.
I got this job by…
I moved to Dentsu after a long run at a competitor agency, I knew that I wanted to stay in this industry, but I needed a new challenge. I got here because I believe in myself and believe that hard work and tenacity pays off. It’s quite incredible how life works out because now I get to work with the same people that I started my career with. It was like fate.
A typical day for me…
With all this travelling my days tend to vary, there is no such thing as a typical day. When you’re on the road as much as me, you learn how to be pragmatic and rational, scheduling your calls for the correct time zone, responding to emails in a timely manner and packing for whatever the weather may throw at you. I have to be highly organised and focussed so I don’t forget what country I’m in! But it’s not all on the go, there are some weeks where I stay in Miami, it’s always a pleasant sunny drive down to the office. Most of the regional team work remotely as we’re based in and around Miami, Colombia and Mexico, we have learnt how to adjust and stay connected 24/7 using video calls and WhatsApp — I truly believe this work dynamic is the next step for teams. It shouldn’t matter where you are, if you are connected, available and committed.
After work I…
If I am home in Miami, I’ll rush from work to spend the evening with my daughter before getting her ready for bed. When I’m on the road my main priority is food! It doesn’t matter where I am London, Mexico, Sao Paulo — I appreciate a good meal. Depending on my workload I may go back to my laptop but there is nothing better than a good relaxed meal with a nice glass of wine or two…
I usually go home to…
I usually go home to my family, I am fortunate to have a job that allows me to work close to them and be present; I have missed few school plays, but I am there when it counts for the most important moments. The only advice that I can give is to do what makes you happy and if you are able to accomplish that, all the other pieces will fall in place.
I normally spend my weekends…
My weekends are always spent with my family either sat by a pool or beach, surrounded by food. We love to go out and explore new places, I’m always trying to find the best Peruvian restaurant in town as I love sharing my heritage. My husband is a big believer in unwinding, so we take this time to recharge our batteries before getting back to the road or plane on Monday. We live for the weekends.
