EP 4 - On making your passion your career, levaraging your network, and creating a better future with Gerda Larsson

On this episode of Women Leaders - a podcast series by Nova -  I had the pleasure to speak with Maria Perez Hultström, Partner and Investment Manager at Priveq, where she has worked for more than 11 years. Priveq is a Nordic Private Equity firm based in Stockholm with 131 company investments since 1983 and 28 company IPOs. The investment focus is on small and medium-sized growth companies. Maria has been a Nova Member since almost the very beginnings of the network, she joined during her university years when the network had mostly top students (Nova 100 Sverige), so it was nice to meet someone who has seen the network grow to what it is today! After many years of experience, Maria has much advice to give for personal and professional growth. She was open to telling me many anecdotes and how she is in peace with the Maria of the past that could have made many mistakes. I hope you enjoy this episode, in which we explore how to find the right mentors in your professional growth, being a woman in Private Equity, and just making it in the industry.

On this episode of Women Leaders - a podcast series by Nova Talent - I met Silvia Mouronte Arcones, Quality Digital Officer Airbus Defence & Space, and The Nova 111 List winner from the Engineering & Energy vertical. When I first saw Silvia's profile on Nova Connect, I was impressed by the different positions she has had at Airbus and the growth she has had there. From an Intern to now a Quality Digital Officer. That really caught my eye, and I wanted to know more. Throughout our conversation, I discovered how her whole family is connected somehow to the Aerospace industry. So, from a young age, she has had a big love for aircraft and traveling. Her relation to that industry, also made her feel identified with Airbus' mission, vision, and values, which she considers crucial to be happy at your job. Plus we also discussed a variety of other topics and her experience as a The Nova 111 List winner. I hope you enjoy this episode and find as many learnings as I did. 

On this episode of Women Leaders -a podcast series by Nova- I met Giulia Voza, current Strategic Account Manager at Amazon Advertising and one of the first Italian Nova Members. The first impression that I had of Giulia is that she has a very bright and inviting smile, and let me tell you, through our conversation I could definitely sense her positivity and great energy. Giulia might be one of the youngest guests I have had in this program, but her professional trajectory is really impressive. She studied Applied Interlinguistic Communications at Università Degli Studi di Trieste, for which she speaks French, English, German, Russian, and of course her mother tongue Italian. After having had many international experiences, she decided to continue he education with a master’s degree in International Management from the Università di Bologna. Right after graduating, she worked at Google and then moved to her current role at Amazon. Thanks to her experience, in this episode we get to take a closer look at how the life of someone working at a tech company in an area other than engineering.  I hope you enjoy this conversation I had with Giulia where she gives her definition of success, tips on how to learn a new language, some "must-haves" if you want to excel at a Tech company, and much more. Sit tight and let's get inspired!

On this episode of Women Leaders -a podcast series by Nova- I met Cristina Balbás Co-Founder and CEO of Escuelab. Cristina has one of the most interesting profiles I have ever seen, being the reason for my excitement to meet her. From a young age, she had a strong passion for science and story writing. She first thought she was going to combine these two by becoming a science journalist. And even though she studied a Ph D. in molecular biology and took several courses on journalism, she ended up discovering in the same lab where she was conducting her research a new calling, to bring science education to all children in a democratic way.  In this episode, we learn the story of Escuelab, how Cristina found her true calling, and some lessons she learned by doing this. She also tells a very special and inspiring anecdote: the story of Luis (or Luisito as Cristina calls him), one of the success cases from her work. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode that reminds us that even though we might have a set plan for our future, sometimes life gives us other opportunities that you must grasp. 

On this episode of Women Leaders - a podcast series by Nova -  I had a conversation with Annette Herrera, Nova Member from our global network. Annette is a lawyer from El Salvador who can practice law in two different countries, El Salvador and in the U.S. Today, she is an International Law Clerk in a U.S. firm, but before working in the U.S. she practiced law for 6 years in her home country. Annette holds LLM in Corporate Finance, Security Regulation, Financial Institutions at Cornell University and a Master in Banking and Capital Markets from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. I hope you enjoy this episode in which I discover the role of a lawyer and speak with someone who has the best of both worlds: many years of experience and is also a fresh graduate.

On this episode of Women Leaders - a podcast series by Nova - I had a conversation with Virginia Stagni, Business Development Manager at Financial Times, CEO of Good Saints, and Forbes Under 30 Italy. Within many laughs, I got to know her views on the world, especially when it comes to creating a good combination of skills and knowledge that can lead you to excel professionally or academically.  Within the many topics we talked about, I also got to ask her about her own company, Good Saints (https://goodsaintslondon.com/), and about her new book that will be published soon. And again, how she is combining her full-time job, her entrepreneurship, and life as an author.  I consider that from now on, I have a new mantra, the way she defines success gave me a lot to think about, and I hope it makes you reflect too. 

On this episode of Women Leaders - a podcast series by Nova -  I met Ana Villanueva, CEO of Tiko. For a while, I wanted to know how is it the life of a young woman CEO, and I think Ana is a great example of how your different experiences can lead to doing what you really want, in her case, having her own technology startup. Ana has had experience at a law firm, working as a consultant, growing other people's startups, and founding projects. In this episode, Ana gives tells us her story of how she started not knowing what to do until she discovered what she really wanted to do, and all the anecdotes in between, especially when studying at MIT. I hope you enjoy this episode, learn a little bit about the journey of becoming Co-Founder and CEO Iberia, and make your own conclusions with the words of advice Ana has to give. 

On this episode of Women Leaders - a podcast series by Nova- I had a lively conversation with Gerda Larsson, CEO of Curitas Venture and Swedish Nova member.  I would say that Gerda is definitely driving change for a better future for women, she has founded many NGOs that are in line with her passion towards gender equality, and puts her "grain of sand" praising women while working in an industry where there is a lack of them. I was able to record this episode while I was visiting my family in El Salvador and told me she has visited the country with one of her initiatives, The Case for Her.  I hope you like this episode where I was reminded that every single person has her own timing, gained advice on how to “do it all” and make your passion your career, and the importance of leveraging your network. 

On this episode of Women Leaders -a podcast series by Nova- I had the wonderful opportunity to have a lovely conversation with Silvia Peschiera, Client Experience Leader at IBM Garage. When I e-met Silvia I was completely impressed by her positive attitude, her huge smile, and her eagerness to go the extra mile. Silvia studied Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering and thanks to a phone call after her master's dissertation (and a bit of luck) she started a journey at IBM. At her young age, she has had many roles at IBM, founded her own startup, completed studies in the USA and Italy, received numerous awards, and done many other fulfilling activities. Thanks to her vast experience, she has a lot of advice to give to others and this episode definitely has some of her top recommendations and tips. I hope you enjoy this conversation where Silvia defines success, gives tips for becoming more creative, and demonstrates how some unexpected opportunities lead to amazing stories. Sit tight! And let's get inspired! 

On this episode of Women Leaders - a podcast series by Nova -  I had a marvellous chat with Inés Bermejo Vilaplana. Inés is originally from Madrid, but has had the opportunity to live in the USA and Denmark, moreover she has visited over 50 countries! Today she is a Senior Product Manager at L'Oréal & Co-Founder at Maisha Crafts.  Inés, who is definitely a powerhouse, guided me through her teenage and university years, while illustrating how her "not knowing what to do" led her to an amazing journey in Tanzania that taught her many lessons. Inés also shared with me snippets of valuable advice and invited everyone to be proactive and learn by doing (specially learn from mistakes). I hope you truly enjoy our conversation where she defines success, fulfilment, and happiness.  Sit tight! And let's get inspired!  https://maishacrafts.wixsite.com/maisha