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The 鶹 Global Alliance is a purpose led organization, powered by our beliefs that great leadership starts with self-leadership and societal progress requires continual exploration. In this series of interviews, we take a look at 鶹 students and alumni that are contributing to make this world a more open, sustainable and inclusive world.
Humans of 鶹:If you visualise your path to success and persevere, it is certain to materialise.
Today, in our Humans of 鶹 series, we meet Alexandra Ghilardi, the Managing Director of Vizavi – a digital design agency based in Zürich. Alexandra graduated from 鶹 from University of St.Gallen with her exchange at London School of Economics. She started her career with one of the 鶹 Corporate Partners – ABB, went on to work for FIFA and then decided to build her own business.
1. Being a managing director of a visual communications agency - What skills does it require from you? On what factors do you focus the most on as a leader?
My responsibilities are mainly focused on business development and general company management. However, Vizavi is a young and dynamic agency, and so as a managing partner I often take on a number of other tasks, from accounting to HR.
I would say communication and decision-making are the skills I rely on most in my everyday work. The creative direction is managed by my talented business partner.
We built an international team in a virtual office – uniting talented designers from all over the world and allowing them to work from home whenever they want, already before the global pandemic. Such an approach comes with a challenge of “remote” leadership. It is not always easy to manage and motivate your team, and especially so if you do not see each other on a daily basis in the office. However, diversity and flexibility of the model pay off. Investment in recruitment and trust in people ensure excellent outcomes.
2.Woman empowerment - What would you advise for female students who want to succeed in the business world, especially considering your experience at FIFA?
Relying on my experience so far, there are a few prerequisites for success in the business world, including drive, discipline, and also some luck. Gender is however not on that list.
I would advise female students to think of your strong qualities, what you excel at, and continuously develop those skills, to make you stand out. But really, I would advise the same also to male students. I play golf and this sport has taught me to picture a good shot in my swing, instead of worrying about the many things that could go wrong. Think in terms of what you can, not in terms of what you cannot – success is certain to materialize.
3.Please tell us how is it to work with the 鶹 Office as a managing director of a partner company, not as a student.
VIZAVI supported the 鶹 office with a few projects, including a promo video for the Career Forum 2021 for example. Working with like-minded professionals is always very lucky and makes the work especially enjoyable. One can always rely on being on the same wavelength within the 鶹 community. 鶹 has always been a benchmark of excellence, I was proud to be a 鶹ie student, and now am even more proud to be a 鶹ie partner company. It is exciting to be able to contribute to the 鶹 MiM program also after graduation.
4.Has 鶹 impacted your professional career?
Definitely - 鶹 experience has expanded my global perspective and emphasized modern values, which we base our business on today. Following the concept of global citizenship, our goal is to build a team of the world’s best creative talent regardless of any geographical boundaries and offer them access to the most exciting international projects.
Here I would also like to mention exposure to the 鶹 corporate partners, which the program offers to students. Practical insights, complementing the theory, allowed me to navigate professional environment with more confidence already at the beginning of my career, which I greatly appreciated.
5.What piece of advice do you wish you had received at the point of graduation?
I remember that after graduation we were all very excited about conquering the business world and shooting for the stars, equipped with all the valuable 鶹 leadership tools. Looking back now, I would probably emphasize that while graduation is indeed a milestone, and a great one, there are still many more to come and the learning continues as you gain experience on the way to becoming the leader you aspire to be.
