Influential Woman · Consulting

Ariana Monge Valverde

Senior Manager Business Consulting, EY

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Business Administration with Focus in Finance Degree MBA from Harvard Business School affiliate in Costa Rica Member Harvard Business School Latin America affiliate

Her Story

About Ariana

Since I was very young, I was very good with numbers and math. When I got to college, I decided to pursue a career in business administration. I am from Costa Rica, so I started my education there and did all my education there, including my MBA. I started working in business, and then 4 years after, I made the jump into consulting, and I've been doing consulting since then. I moved to Florida 6 years ago. My main area of expertise is supporting and advising CEOs and higher-level executives. I handle very large teams underneath myself, serving different clients in different areas across various projects. I'm very people-focused, so I really love to spend a lot of time with my teams, helping them to learn, to grow, and to make themselves feel comfortable in this complex business. From a professional perspective, my most notable achievement is getting into a position where I'm able to build that trust bond with such high-level executives in order to help them make the jump into big, large transformations. I run very large projects right now, and that's not an easy decision for an executive. Being able to build that trust with them, to build that bond, to create that connection, is for sure one of my biggest achievements. The build of my self-confidence and understanding of the field and understanding of the business is an asset that I have, and I'm able to communicate and transmit that and create that trusted relationship with them. It's not easy to jump into a room full of guys and have the presence and create that bond, not only being able to communicate but also to ensure that they're listening. It took me years to build that self-confidence and to create this image of myself. I'm very much myself - I'm very people-oriented, I'm a talker, and that helps to break the ice in terms of my personality.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Ariana

01What do you attribute your success to?

My biggest motivation has been my family. I come from a family where my mom never said to me, you're not able to do this or do that. She gave me the freedom, she gave me the tools, she gave me the confidence and the courage to pursue my dreams, to believe that I can do whatever I wanted to do, and to be there for me. Unfortunately, she's no longer with me, but she was a strong, working, wonderful woman, and I learned from the best. That's where my motivation is coming from. I come from a median income family, and I work very hard to get where I am, to build what I have built. Believing in myself and believing in my capacities, even though most of the time it can cut off my confidence, just believing in myself and what I'm able to do has been key for me to get where I am.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I have ever received is to trust myself. I come from a median income family, and I work very hard to get where I am, to build what I have built. Believing in myself and believing in my capacities, even though most of the time it can cut off my confidence, just believing in myself and what I'm able to do has been key for me to get where I am.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I would say work hard, but never lose who you are because of the environment of where you are developing. Keeping true to yourself while navigating this crazy environment is key, and I think that's what keeps me grounded. That would be my best advice.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

I think opportunities are pretty much focused on digitization right now. Everyone is talking about AI, everyone is talking about the digital era, so it's for sure something all my clients are talking about, and it's part of the tools and solutions that we are showing them. Being updated into the trends and making sure that digitization is coming as part of the conversation is one of the new things coming up for sure. Even though they're not ready, I have to say, because I'm talking with so many different clients, some of them are like, yes, but you're not quite there yet, but it's important to have that conversation. It's also important for us as professionals who are advising - we need to get up to speed in what's going on on a daily basis. It's changing every hour, every minute, and we need to be on top of that to ensure that we're providing the best to our clients.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

Respect is number one, 100%. It's a two-way street - giving and getting respect. I think keeping myself grounded and being humble, remembering where I come from, is super important for me. The work that I do, not only for my clients and for my teams, has a very huge sense of responsibility from my end. I'm super responsible in terms of respecting everyone's time and making sure that I'm giving the best of myself for my teams and for my clients. I'm a believer, so I believe in God, and I keep God as the center of most of my things. I'm very spiritual, so I really try to do everything that I do from my heart, with my best energy.

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