Evelyn González has at all times believed that language ought to by no means be a barrier to management and collaboration. Fluent in English, Spanish, Chinese language, French, and Portuguese, she makes use of her linguistic abilities to attach with various groups and markets. She recollects a second throughout a market go to when talking Mandarin stunned a few of her male counterparts.
Her talents have definitely paid off, empowering her to develop the attain of her group. As vice president of marketing for Latin America at Puratos, González foresees the corporate evolving past conventional meals manufacturing into a real food-tech powerhouse—mixing innovation with deep-rooted experience to form the business’s future.
“Final 12 months was nice for us, however I need 2025 to be extraordinary,” González says. That is the best way she speaks. She is animated, charged, and filled with concepts that appear to be battling towards one another to flee her lips. Perhaps it’s all of the completely different languages, or possibly it’s the relentless innovation that drives the advertising and marketing director’s efforts.
“In one in all our key markets, we face a powerful competitor who at present dominates,” she explains. “Nonetheless, with the appropriate technique, portfolio, and creativity, I’m assured that we are able to drive important progress in Latin America. We’ve already taken main steps on this route, and we’ll proceed constructing momentum.”
One of many boldest strikes was launching an bold e-commerce platform throughout a time when some questioned whether or not the business was prepared. Simply earlier than the pandemic, when González had lately joined Puratos, she envisioned a web based expertise as seamless and interesting as high world manufacturers like Victoria’s Secret. The purpose was clear: create a digital journey that captivates clients and drives engagement.
“I simply bear in mind the staff at our firm headquarters in Belgium taking a look at me as if I had misplaced my thoughts,” the advertising and marketing director says, laughing. “I’m not an IT particular person by commerce, however I developed an ideal sense of collaboration with our staff, and I’ll always remember the day that it went reside. I began seeing the orders are available and the data flying round.
“Our first two years, we had been within the high 5 international locations for gross sales by way of common order-per-customer,” she continues. “But it surely’s not even in regards to the transactions, it’s in regards to the expertise we created.”
“Final 12 months was nice for us, however I need 2025 to be extraordinary.”
Evelyn González
González is at present centered on serving to Puratos evolve right into a food-tech firm. That may be a tricky mindset shift when the household firm is thought for the lengthy tenure of lots of its workers. That tenure is usually a double-edged sword: it displays a tradition that values its individuals, nevertheless it may also be difficult to drive transformation away from familiarity.
Then add the geographic problems. The advertising and marketing director oversees thirty-six international locations, 4 major languages, and the truth that to ensure that advertising and marketing efforts to achieve success, they should be reflective of the purchasers in communities through which Puratos exists. That’s a large swath
As González units her sights on making 2025 extraordinary, her priorities are clear: deepen customer-centric methods and leverage superior knowledge segmentation to unlock new market alternatives.She jokes that she tends to interrogate her family or individuals she sees on the grocery retailer about their shopping for habits. The advertising and marketing director needs to seek out new methods to find out about clients and the way they store.
“Whether or not you settle for it or not, you now have the choice to have a whole imaginative and prescient of your clients in a approach that you just’ve by no means had earlier than,” the advertising and marketing director says. “It’s instantaneous. You’ve gotten the metrics, and you may see the response in actual time. However earlier than you’ll be able to embrace that actuality, you must settle for it. It’s all a part of this digital journey we’re on.”
González additionally needs to associate with analysis and improvement groups to make sure that Puratos is delivering actually nice improvements for its clients.
“In the event you’re not innovating collectively, you’re dying,” González says. “I’m at all times seeking to construct new connections and methods to push Puratos ahead.”
She’s additionally growing her personal staff. González says she spent far more time connecting along with her personal individuals in 2024. She needs to higher perceive the priorities of her staff, how she will join and help them, and the best way to maintain evolving to create a world-class marketing perform.
González needs to lift up expertise each in her group and within the advertising and marketing neighborhood. As a Latina, González admits that there have been hurdles, however she’s extra centered on creating new alternatives for expertise than being indignant in regards to the challenges ladies and minorities face. She’d reasonably give her power to one thing she will change on her personal than one thing she can not.
“I attempt to maintain common suggestions periods with my staff to know what they’re working towards, what instruments I can present to assist them develop, and generally simply to hear,” González says. “All of us have the power to be taught one thing unimaginable from the individuals round us, wherever they arrive from and no matter their background is likely to be. I feel my staff is an exceptional illustration of that, and I simply need to proceed to create alternatives for them to succeed.”
This 12 months, González is tackling new tasks, embracing e-commerce challenges, and going through formidable rivals. Whereas frustration is inevitable, particularly on the tempo of change within the business, she cites resilience as what helps her bounce again. It lets her stay energized, centered, and unwavering in her mission to drive Puratos ahead—proving that innovation, technique, and management are the keys to lasting success.
