Inclusion and Diversity Sessions in Barcelona

Infor VP of Inclusion and Diversity Diana Cruz Solash recently made a visit to our Infor office in Barcelona, where she had the opportunity to meet with some members of our Inside Sales and Business Development Rep (BDR) teams. Diana led several I&D sessions along with a skill development discussion, which focused on differentiating yourself as a high performer within your organization. The Barcelona team’s willingness to engage, ask questions and express their opinions, made for a lively and insight-filled program. Some of the attendees offered their feedback on the day’s events:

“As a newly promoted manager, I believe I have a lot to learn, and the practice on how to build your personal board of directors really resonates with me right now,” said Desiree Van Roij, a Netherlands native and one of the first BDR’s in our Barcelona office.

Regarding the skills development discussion, Rayan Arab took to heart the importance of self-reflection and judging your own progress.

“I think my main take away was from the ‘Four Practices’ slide where Diana talked how important it is to master you craft before asking for more and looking to move forward in your career. This is an important point for me to think about and it’s something that I am working to enable my team members on.”

Jessica Guihard, Senior Manager, Business Development, took much from the discussion on key pillars and practices. “I really liked that session from Diana as she clearly emphasized the key pillars/practices a top performer should rely on. It echoed everything that we are coaching the BDR team on, since we built our own Development Plan/BluePrint and it was so refreshing to hear it from her and get an external point of view.”

When discussing the Barcelona office, Diana pointed out that one of the biggest strengths of the Barcelona team comes from the rich diversity they have, not only in gender but also nationality, language, and culture. “I really enjoyed the open question & answer session and the discussion with the Inside Sales and BDR managers because I had the opportunity to hear what is on people’s minds - from what diversity means in a global, multi-cultural organization to colleagues challenging each other to think more broadly about talent and potential. The team’s passion, sense of community, rich cultural diversity, and focus on our customers was energizing.”

Attendees were willing to challenge her ideas and the ones of their colleagues, which enabled deeper, more meaningful dialogue.

Learn more about Infor’s Inclusion & Diversity initiatives here.

 

See more from the attendees in this Q&A:

Rayan Arab

What’s your role at Infor?

Associate BDR Manager for India, Middle East & Africa, LATAM and HSP ( 2 Months in the role). Previously a BDR for Middle East and Africa. Started in March 2017.

What’s your cultural background / nationality?

Lebanese, born and raised in Beirut.

Where did your career start and where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I started my career in Zawya Thomson Reuters in Beirut, Lebanon after my Bachelor degree in Economics. Came to Barcelona in 2012 to pursue my 3 Masters degrees ( International Business, Marketing Intelligence & Business Analytics ). I started my own company in Barcelona ( Fly-Foot.com) with a couple of friends, a football travel agency. In 5 years I only want to see myself in Infor, I think it was one of the best decision I have my made for my career growth especially working in a multi-cultural and multilingual environment. I hope to continue growing professionally in the management ladder and with a great company like Infor that values the work I do. I appreciate the trust I have been giving by my managers to express myself and be able to lead others.

What were some key takeaways from Diana’s session on skill development and differentiating yourself as a high performer?

I think my main take away was from the “Four Practices” slide where Diana talked how important it is to Master you Craft before asking for more and looking to move forward in your career. I think this is an important point for myself to think about and that I am working on enabling my team members on. In addition, as a newly promoted manager, I believe I have a lot to learn and the practice on how to build your personal board of directors really resonates with me right now.

How can you apply those skills now?

I usually relied on myself and overworking myself to prove I can do the work and be the best, but sometimes you need to ask and get feedback from those who have filled these shoes before. This is something I will act on right away for sure. I want to find my mentor, sponsor…etc.

What’s a fun fact about yourself?

I wear 2 socks daily no matter what the weather is. Reason is I get scared from toes, even mine. More of a weird fact but some people find funny at the office.

I buy things in odd numbers. Like wine glasses, plates…

Desire Van Roij

What’s your role at Infor?

I am part of the S&E team (success & effectiveness team).

What’s your cultural background / nationality?

I am from the Netherlands, but living for 12 years in Spain already, so sometimes I feel Spanish too 😉

Where did your career start and where do you see yourself in 5 years?

My career in Infor started as a Business Developer. I was actually part of the first BDRs here in Barcelona. So that is 10 years ago already. Being for a couple of months in the BDR role afforded me the opportunity to become a team leader and after that I got promoted to BDR manager. After being a BDR manager for 4 years I was so keen on having more impact on their success and career development that I wanted to join the S&E team. Very happy in my role.

What were some key takeaways from Diana’s session on skill development and differentiating yourself as a high performer?

My personal key takeaway was that everyone has biases and that it is really good to ask yourself why we made ´that´ decision. Why this person, why this task etc.

How can you apply those skills now?

Doing it now, by just taking a moment in each meeting to ask myself the ‘Why?’ question. Was this meeting maybe too easy? Etc.

What’s a fun fact about yourself?

A hard one – My husband told me lately that I never finish my cup of tea. I always leave a tiny little bit …I don´t know why 😊

Jessica Guihard

What’s your role at Infor?

Senior Manager, Business Development. Based in Barcelona, Spain. I oversee a team of 30 reps and 2 managers covering the Southern, Western and Northern European regions.

What’s your cultural background / nationality?

I am French and have been living in Barcelona, Spain for 8 years where my daughter was born, she is 5 years old and speaks French, Spanish and Catalan. Prior to living in Spain, I was living in Ireland and before in France.

Where did your career start and where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I joined Infor 7 years ago as a Business Development Rep, covering the French market for Hospitality and then for Financials and Services and was always committed to be a top performer as an individual rep. I then decided to take the management route and evolved as a manager, 5 years ago, and since then covered multiple lines of business and teams across Europe, gaining experience every day and progressing in terms of seniority year on year. I foresee myself evolving still in a leadership role at Infor in 5 years from now, being more involved with strategic planning and participating into the continued growth of Infor.

What were some key takeaways from Diana’s session on skill development and differentiating yourself as a high performer?

I really liked that session from Diana as she clearly emphasized on the key pillars/practices a top performer should rely on. It echoed everything that we are coaching the BDR team on since we built our own Development Plan/BluePrint and it was so refreshing to hear it from her and get an external point of view. The Personal Board of Directors was also a great one for the BDR & IS team to hear about as it made them reflect on the importance of networking and being surrounded/supported by the right people. Last thing I would say as a key takeaway was the importance of asking for constructive feedback and being prepared for it on how to ask for it but also how to receive and action it, also an area of development for the early talents we have in the team.

How can you apply those skills now?

I am committing to coach more my team on building their board of directors and using RAVE more often to celebrate success!

What’s a fun fact about yourself?

As much as I like challenging stereotypes I like cultivating them for myself 😊, I am French and can´t live properly without good quality bread and good quality wines for a nice dinner.