Life is a journey, not a destination.

Building relationships are long-term investments

After 5 years of working at PwC, I was looking for my next step. Richemont was one of my first and favorite clients at PwC. I had an excellent relationship with the Richemont Finance team and I knew that I wanted to join this company. Due to my strong relationship with the team, they told me, “Mariola, this is the perfect moment for you to join us”. As Montblanc was transitioning from Barcelona to Madrid in order to join the other Richemont Maisons, the timing was perfect. I joined the Group and started working in Montblanc as Head of Accounting in Barcelona. I spent my first 4 months in Barcelona and then relocated to the new office in Madrid.

Adios Madrid, hola Miami!

After 4 years in Madrid, I was open to new opportunities. The group was amazing! They really helped me to look for something else and proposed many different positions to me. The CFO ended up finding my current role on our internal career portal and told me to apply. I was unsure that the company would sponsor my visa, but five months later, I was packing my bags for Miami. This position was really a step up for me, because my team doubled from 5 to 10 people and I went from looking after two countries to more than 40!

When strangers become family

Before accepting the role in Miami, Richemont offered for me to visit the city, see the offices and meet the team. However, they did not inform the team that I was a candidate for the open role. My now manager told them that a colleague from Spain was coming for a few days. I can still remember how nice everyone was and how they shared so many tips on “how to spend 72 hours in Miami”. Just before leaving, one of my colleagues confessed… “I am sure that you are here for the open role, and we really hope you say yes, as we all want you in our family”. It was a done deal from this moment, and it is true, my finance team is really like a family!

What I love…

We are so lucky to be part of this bigger group, where we can interact with different Maisons and people. I really love the mix of cultures that I have encountered at Richemont. In my current team, we are 9 different nationalities. More importantly, we all come from such rich, diverse backgrounds. I am constantly learning new things from my colleagues, but also sharing my knowledge and expertise with them.

This group really cares about its people – when I wanted to move internally, the CFO, HR, and many people were trying to help me to make it happen. Even during these unprecedented times, we all feel that we are part of a big family and the company is taking care of us.

In my personal and professional life, I truly believe that life is a journey, not a destination, and mine is just getting started!