Our female CEOs: Germana’s story

I have always taken pride in my work and my relationships. It is through those lenses that leadership resulted. Leadership is not something that I solely strive for because good leaders must also be good followers.

By focusing on working hard and doing the best you can – while remaining committed to doing the right thing – you build up a personal brand of trust. This forms the platform for growth opportunities.

I adopt a management approach of collaboration and accountability. While we operate in a respectful hierarchy, I welcome the team’s input and feedback on how to improve and deliver for our clients.

No one is right all the time

I used to struggle with the need for perfectionism. We live in a dynamic world with deadlines, and we must accept that we cannot be right all the time. The quality of our decisions is a result of the information we have on hand. Therefore, we should do our homework before committing, and commit to the decision when it is done. I have learned to be at peace with results as long as I am certain I did my best. Lessons learned will serve as good experiences for me to avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

Rolling with the punches

Bouncing back from being let go in a previous job was one of the greatest challenges I have faced in my career. I had naively thought I would be there until retirement, but in that moment, the world felt like it collapsed. My husband was between jobs and I had a two-year-old child. I found another job a few months later and have come to accept that we cannot foresee everything that happens in our careers. There are unexpected things that we can only roll with. For this reason, it is important to be true to yourself, and be clear on what you want for your career. This will help you manage times of uncertainty and unforeseen challenges.

Also, keep investing in yourself through education. Build your network and trust yourself. I believe that you will be able to handle any challenge confidently if you are able to do so. This advice will steer you through the storm even when you are unfairly criticised or discriminated against, because deep down you will know you are better than that.

Exciting year ahead

I expect 2020 to be an exciting and challenging year. I was recently appointed CEO Latin America and Brazil, and I feel extremely proud and honoured to lead this region. While it will be the first year that I’m leading the Latin America business for Standard Chartered, I look forward to being a role model to my colleagues and to effectively communicating how our unique markets play an important role in the success of the Bank as a whole.

We are committed to having 30 per cent of senior roles held by women by 31 Dec 2020

I have learned to be at peace with results as long as I am certain I did my best