Together towards a better society

The evolution of our sector, and the increasing number of women in this and other work environments, is the best proof that all together, men and women with equal opportunities, we are moving towards a better society.  Equal opportunities enrich and form part of the reality of companies, although at the same time we must recognize that there are still some barriers to overcome.

ANNnews wanted to interview some of our female managers and thus make some aspects of their careers known, and why not, serve as an inspiration to many other female colleagues.

ANNnews: Among the different functions you perform, which do you think is the one that contributes most to the value chain of the Aernnova Group?

Marta Eguskiza: I am lucky to have had the opportunity to work in this group in a very transversal role. This experience has given me the opportunity to understand the group in depth, and this knowledge now allows me to drive important projects that involve a change in the different companies. The projects that this group launches, without a doubt, are always aimed at generating value, both from the point of view of improving efficiency and improving the reliability of our clients at Aernnova, and therefore, getting them planned and executed is the way in which my role add  value to this company.

Rebeca Parra: With no doubt I  would say talent management through the implementation of strategies that allow us to develop our teams in their skills and capabilities and expand their talents by improving their abilities, aimed at systematic improvement and positively influencing a culture of safety, integrity and collaboration.  With this approach we have made an impact with talent retention being one of the most important achievements as we have historically lowered staff turnover from 40% annualised to numbers such as less than 5% annualised.

Erika Molinillo: Advice on Corporate Governance and Compliance because they ensure transparency and compliance with the law, as well as in investment and divestment transaction of companies.

Gemma Ortiz de Barrón: The analysis of financial KPIs, which help the management of the plants, allow us to anticipate problems and identify risks and opportunities for improvement.

Maria De Miranda Petronilho: Among the various functions of the commercial and business development department, the one that doubtlessly adds most value is direct contacting with the customer, and the analysis and management of market expectations.

ANNnews: To date, what has been the most rewarding aspect of your work as a manager?

Marta Eguskiza: Probably working on the launch of new projects, the satisfaction of actively participating in these changes within the Company and making them happen, and above all, being able to work as a team at all levels and functions of the organisation, and in practically all the companies of the group, to drive these changes.

Rebeca Parra: Developing our people, seeing them grow and face new challenges. “Growing our people is like spreading their wings to fly as high as they can.”

Erika Molinillo: Probably the acquisition of Hamble , not only because of the phase that is always interesting and very demanding in M&A projects of negotiation and review of the general situation of the companies being acquired, in which I am also lucky enough to be able to work with the different areas of Aernnova and better understand each one of them (environment, quality, human resources, finance, etc.), but also because in this specific case, unlike what usually happens in other projects, I have continued to be involved on a day-to-day basis and this has helped me to better understand the reality of a company of this size and what we had been reviewing in the phase prior to the transaction.

Gemma Ortiz de Barrón: After more than 28 years in the company, I could talk about the beginnings, the growth, the establishment in other countries, the crises… But I always say that the most difficult and at the same time the most enriching thing is working with people. For me, encouraging the professional development of my team is the most rewarding thing.

Maria De Miranda Petronilho: Any new contract that is awarded to Aernnova is gratifying to the extent that we are guaranteeing workload and future for the company, especially in these last few years, which have been so complicated.

ANNnews: What aspect/dimension of your work is most demanding?

Marta Eguskiza: Probably the most demanding aspect of my job is the parallel management of a large number of major projects, because it is complex to prioritize and/or manage all of them at the same time, as the group needs them all to progress quickly, and the implementation of changes is not a task that you do and that’s it, it is rather a process with many people involved, and it is not always easy to move the changes at the speed we need in the group. On the other hand, but closely related to this, is the need to be present in the plants affected by the projects, given that, in my experience, it is difficult to implement major changes and get them to really take hold by managing them remotely. In any case, I have always understood that both things are inherent to the function I perform, and the possibility of being present and making these changes happen, however demanding it may be, has given me great professional and personal satisfaction that makes the effort to be worth.

Rebeca Parra: Taking care of our people, their safety and integrity as individuals.

Erika Molinillo: At times when we have been immersed in projects to purchase new plants (as has been the case in recent months with the purchase of the Embraer plants in Évora), it is difficult not to neglect the other functions and to maintain the expected level of time and quality.

Gemma Ortiz de Barrón: Meeting deadlines. In financial departments, we work with established and planned dates, but there are always incidents and unforeseen events that require immediate action and additional work.

Maria De Miranda Petronilho: It is quite demanding to be able to cover the whole process from the detailed definition of the costs to the construction of the price, guaranteeing the coherence of the technical and industrial proposal, without losing the global perspective. But in reality, the real challenge is almost always in knowing the client’s intentions and expectations.

ANNnews: If you had to choose one quality associated with good management, what would it be?

Marta Eguskiza: Team management, which inseparably implies good communication skills. A manager cannot do things alone, indeed, they should not, because their performance improves if they are able to mobilise the people they work with, bringing out the best in everyone, and promoting collaboration towards a goal. Both of these things are very difficult if we do not listen and empathise, and if we do not work on key messages and make sure they are understood. And this is not easy to achieve. From my point of view, you have to be aware of the level you have, and work actively every day to improve it.

Rebeca Parra: Leadership, resilience and humility, so that you can create the conditions for your teams to do their work in the best possible way. Managers who manage to maintain a good relationship with their collaborators and create a good working environment show the highest levels of success in their results.

Erika Molinillo: Efficiency, good leadership and humility.

Gemma Ortiz de Barrón: Being a good team builder, because for me this brings together qualities such as leadership, commitment and communication.

Maria De Miranda Petronilho: Impossible to choose just one! But from the outset, and from a commercial point of view, I think that communication skills are very important, possibly more so than in other areas. But of course leadership, flexibility and adaptation, teamwork, the ability to delegate, among others, are also essential.