Winner of One Benchmark Value Award 2023: Collaborative
Maria Antonieta Ibanez | Job Role: Administrative Coordinator, Nutrition | Location: Ecuador
Maria Antonieta Ibanez
Maria demonstrated remarkable dedication in collaborating with the Belgium office, often going above her expected normal working responsibilities and hours.
Facing the challenge of a last-minute soft launch with limited budget and resources, she exhibited exceptional resourcefulness in the absence of Marketing support. Despite the constraints, she successfully planned three customer events, multiple workshops, and participated in two tradeshows. Remarkably, Ecuador achieved swift product registrations, a process that typically takes years in any LATAM country.
The impact of her efforts is evident in the collaborative support provided to the sales and technical support teams, enhancing their effectiveness in serving customers. Behind the scenes, she tirelessly worked to orchestrate “field trips” and “workshops,” contributing significantly to the success of these initiatives.
As part of a series of Q&As with our LOV Award winners we interviewed Maria to find out more about her role and what the Collaborative value means to her:
Can you describe your role at Benchmark?
My role is primarily rooted in operations, where 70% of my duties focus on regulatory compliance and administrative responsibilities, registers of products, ensuring our office runs smoothly and that we comply with all necessary enabling permissions. The remaining 30% of my time is devoted to marketing, where I contribute to the promotion of our brand and engagement with our target audience.
Can you tell us what you enjoy most about your work?
Collaboration. I like the possibility my job gives to collaborate across various departments. This cross-functional allows me to understand our company’s diverse operations and allows me to contribute on several projects and initiatives. But what I enjoy the most is to have people that value the work I do and from whom I can learn every day.
What does collaborative value mean to you?
Being collaborative means working together with others towards a common goal or project. It involves sharing ideas, resources, and responsibilities to achieve a better outcome than by doing it alone.
Could you tell us more about the workshops and field trips which you helped to organize last year?
During the year, we register several products within the Operations and Regulatory department, so I find it very rewarding to organize the events that will showcase the products that we work hard on making available for our customers. Receiving testimonials from customers is always a blessing because they acknowledge the importance of having certain products in their country.
