From Mexico To Madrid: Career Relocation
Tzigueri, Talent Attraction Leader for Europe and APMEA shares her experiences of moving from Latin America to Madrid and explains how MSXI have helped her adjust to life in a new city.
Relocating from Latin America to Europe
Last year, I was living in Mexico. I loved my home and I love my family, but I was thinking about relocating as I wanted to learn about other cultures and have more international experience. This meant somewhere where I could continue my professional development while also having the time for a personal life.
At the time I was working in the agriculture and the FMCG industry in a role that spanned Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Honduras, Guatemala, Peru, Puerto Rico and the United States. I was working on large projects where I was influencing different teams and regions, trying to making a mark on our customers. This included a 'transformation period' where my main focus was to help the wider organization embrace change. I had regional team too, where I gained a broader vision about other regions - something which has helped me in my current role at MSXI. In just 2 years, I have had Mexican, Brazilian, American and Italian leaders!
“When I was asked to join MSXI the timing seemed perfect; the company was already a market leader and it had just been acquired by a private equity firm. I love being in companies where mergers, acquisitions or transformations are taking place because they offer a unique opportunity to contribute and learn from different organizational cultures at the same time.”
I was also excited by the role - during my application they explained I would be responsible for transforming and standardizing how we attract new talent in Europe and APMEA. I knew it was a unique opportunity to develop and put my previous experience into practice!
Now I am responsible for standardizing and improving the process of ‘Talent Acquisition’ (Recruitment) in Europe and APMEA. Over the next 6 months I will help MSXI introduce innovative tools to help our employees deliver a consistent and scalable application process. If we want to keep attracting the best talent we need to focus on candidate experience, continue to embrace new technology and make sure we understand how the things that top talent looks for is changing. For example, we know that many candidates are looking for experiences that help them to learn and improve themselves. For sure they are looking to share this experience with others.
The hardest thing about leaving Mexico
I was excited but at the same time scared about moving: living far from my family and friends was not an easy thing. Although I had studied abroad in the past, I was so scared; living in a new country, working in a new company and managing 2 new regions was very intimidating and for sure I was terrified!
I have been working in MSXI for 10 months now. Although I love my job I sometimes miss the joy and spontaneity of Latin American culture; the familiarity, the diversity, the customs and its gastronomy! Mexico is still very traditional and above all the people are happy and full of joy: a person from Latin America always has a smile on his face!
“My advice for anyone else thinking of relocating would be to focus on the good of each country you visit as well as what you can learn from it. My favorite thing about living in Spain is the paella, the pinchos, the patatas bravas and the Real Madrid. Ole!”
I also feel lucky to have visited several countries! I love MSXI – it’s allowed me to visit our teams in Rome, Paris, Budapest, Cologne, Gothenburg, Nijkerk, Warwick and Colchester - we currently employ almost 6,000 employees across 80 countries! My favorite visit so far was to our Budapest office, the location felt modern and the city is so beautiful. Next up I’ll be meeting with employees from our APMEA offices.
The best thing about working for MSXI
My global team has been an important pillar and have helped me feel integrated and part of the MSX family, having them made the transition much easier. From the beginning all the people who interviewed me were kind, open and very intelligent. My Hiring Manager has also been a huge support; she really understands the company and has been so attentive. She was a pillar for my learning and adaptation in MSX! She is the best!
"I have learned a lot during my time here, I have discovered a very passionate world, full of challenges and complexity that makes you to challenge the status quo and think in a more innovative ways. I have developed several skills that I would never have imagined."
I also know there are good career opportunities for me here - in the time that I have been here I have seen several people moving country, role and area: I have met colleagues who have relocated from Brazil to Paris, China to Europe. Also, I have met colleagues who were working in Europe and are now based in North America.
As I said, in MSXI, you have a world of possibilities but in the end only you are the one who can pursue it to make it happen! You need to be passionate about your work, persevere and for sure be proud to be in the company. My advice to anyone thinking about applying: research the company, get to know the industry and ask many questions! In every meeting here, you will be meeting an industry expert that can help you to know more about the difference our work makes to the industry.
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