Pledge 1%'s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Florencia Cattelani
COO, CloudGaia
Martínez, Buenos Aires, Argentina
What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.
The COO is a manager with broad responsibilities that range from managing day-to-day operations to providing strategic advice. They oversee daily administrative and operational functions, reporting directly to the CEO and being second only to this person for company affairs.
This year's International Women's Day theme is "Embrace Equity." What does this mean to you? How can we build workplaces that are more equitable and inclusive?
It's a fact that diverse teams give better results. In my opinion, the first thing we should do is to start being conscious of our bias. And second, reach out to minorities, understand different cultures and which things we should do differently. Mix teams, try to build some in company spaces (i.g. internal projects) where we define mixed teams (from different areas, backgrounds, cultures, nationalities, gender). Include in the holiday calendars holidays from different religions.
Do you have any mentors or role models who have helped you on your personal journey?
Liz Wiseman
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
“Winners never quit, and quitters never win.”
The past few years have brought many new and unprecedented challenges. What keeps you motivated or inspires you to stay optimistic?
Every challenge is an opportunity to learn something new, to explore different ways of doing things, to probe yourself that you can adapt. My purpose in life is to never stop learning. I feel alive when I have new stuff to learn.
Pledge 1% helps companies of all sizes and stages leverage their assets for social good. Why do you think it's important that companies prioritize social impact? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?
Companies are a big change engine. We have the power to change people's life and we need to use this power in an intelligent way. I had the chance to support students during the pandemic. You can see more details here.
If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?
Resilient
Do you have any unique or useful life hacks to help get through your day?
I give prizes to myself when I accomplished my tasks. For example, I'm a huge fan of Diet Coke. If I have to finish a presentation, I motivate myself by saying "when you finish, you'll be rewarded with a huge glass of Diet Coke".
Do you have any go-to apps or tools use love to use?
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?
I'm in the process of moving abroad while raising a toddler and working as a COO. My goal is to survive 🙂
