Fact sheet - Estela Gil Alberdi
Name: Estela Gil Alberdi
Company: Plumrose Latinoamericana C.A.
Career at ADL
Started: 1988
Left: 1999
Last career stage: Senior Manager
Location: Madrid / London / Lisbon
Career:
- 1986: Bs. Organic Chemistry Madrid Spain
- 1988: MBA IESE, Barcelona Spain
- 1988 - 1999: Arthur D. Little (Consultant, Manager, Senior Manager)
- 1999 - 2001: International Capital Corporation, Mozambique (co-founder and Managing Director)
- 2002 - present: Plumrose Latinoamericana C.A. (Director Strategic Planning)
Six questions to Estela Gil-Alberdi, Director at Plumrose Latinoamericana, C.A.
Why did you start working for Arthur D. Little?
At the end of Business School, I interviewed with several Management Consultancies and also with Investment Bankers. I felt that Management Consultancy was more rounded and would give me better opportunities to continue learning. Initially I thought I would only stay for a couple of years and then move on. However, I always found interesting opportunities in ADL and ended up staying for more than ten years during which I worked in several practices (Chemical, Health Care and Consumer Goods mainly) and countries (Spain, Portugal, UK, Netherlands, Poland, Italy).
What did you learn from Arthur D. Little?
The most obvious answer is that you learn to structure your analysis and to communicate effectively your conclusions. But also perseverance, innovation capacity, thoroughness and speed of thought, capacity to work hard, and a conviction that things can always be done in a better way. Also, after so many years in consultancy, one becomes a bit like Miss Marple in that one has examples of many business situations one can relate to and learn from.
What have been the main highlights of your career after leaving Arthur D. Little?
First, when I moved to Mozambique and was asked by a friend and former ADLer, Bengt Post, a brilliant professional and excellent person, to start up a branch of the consulting company he had founded together with another ADLer, Bernard Chidzero. It was very satisfying to recruit the personnel, do the business development and the case work. It gave me the opportunity to meet excellent people, to get to know a beautiful country and also to prove to myself that I could indeed sell in a very difficult and challenging environment. From a vanity perspective, my eldest kid got to see being interviewed on TV and he was very proud!
In Venezuela, I was hired, despite being pregnant, by one of the largest consumer goods companies in the country as their Latinamerican Strategic Planning manager. A lot has happen during these years but, what I feel is most impressive, is that year after year we have over-achieved our projections and implemented our plans. Since I joined the company, our profits have more than doubled, we have turned from negative EVA to positive EVA, and our ratios are on a par with our peers worldwide. I like to think I was part of it.
What do you enjoy most about your current position?
Being in charge of strategic planning I am in a unique position to bring new ideas to the Management Team and to ensure that, if and when, they are accepted, things are organized, resources are allocated and follow up is conducted so that the new business or new procedure is implemented. This is very enriching.
What advice would you give to a young consultant at Arthur D. Little?
First, be your own quality control and try your best in any task. Always think "so what", "what if" to enrich your analysis and expand the boundaries of the task.
Second, identify role models in Arthur D. Little and establish a good relationship with them. The more you work with a particular manager or director, the easier it is to do more interesting work.
Third, put yourself in the client's shoes. A little extra effort at the end of the project can represent a lot of value added for the client if it helps them translate recommendations into practical action plans including deadlines and responsible. Do not be stingy at the end!
What are your interests outside of work?
I love being with my family and friends just chatting, having a meal, enjoying a pre-lunch drink (aperitivo), having tapas, playing cards, going to the cinema or the theater or any other activity. In terms of sports, I like swimming, sailing, riding and skiing and I have recently started to play tennis with my kids. But what I really, really love is dancing although, sadly, I do not get a chance to do so as often as I would like.