Her Story
About Giulliana
I started my career really young in retail and became a manager at a very young age. I've been in sales and marketing since 1995, which is 31 years now. I started in retail and moved into wholesale in the 90s, but when I hit my 40s, I really wanted to have a deeper purpose in my work. I have a passion for pets - I had adopted two dogs and was volunteering locally at New York City Animal Care and Control. I wanted to work for an organization that had a purpose related to pets and animals, but also a business that really recognized and set forward paths for women, which was something I had not had the opportunity to be exposed to since I worked in very male-dominated industries. Mars had a reputation for both. The specific brand I work for, Royal Canin, was actually introduced to me because my dog had gotten sick with pancreatitis, and it actually helped him out a lot. Through the journey of what I could do in the second half of my life and career, I looked for a business that aligned with my values, and Mars was one that did a ton of programs for women and I really trusted the brand because it had literally helped my dog medically. One of the things we used to say when we volunteered is we speak for those that have no voice, and I wanted to work for a company that really supports animals. I originally started working with veterinarians directly within the New York City area, really focused on education, nutrition, and prescription sales of dog and cat food to help with specific ailments in dermatology, gastrointestinal, and urinary issues. That led to working with veterinary corporate groups, working with C-suite and medical directors to still drive that education and the importance of nutrition as part of holistic care. That work led into the e-commerce that I manage now - I manage the veterinary online pharmacies to support the prescription medicated food for dogs and cats across all our e-tailers and pure players pharmacies that sell the veterinary diets for Royal Canin. On top of that, I also founded the Tu Voz Hispanic Alliance group within Royal Canin North America in the summer of 2020. I led that for 4 years, and now I lead it behind the scenes with a whole new co-lead that I support. I'm really proud of that because we've done a lot of work related to translations for materials for pets and veterinarians so that brochures are in Spanish. We've done a lot of work related to shelters, and we're working on a project now because of all the deportations - raising awareness that sometimes a pet's not listening because it was taught in a different language command, like they know 'sit' but not 'sientate.' We're raising awareness to issues that are important within the veterinary community that affects our culture.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Giulliana
01What do you attribute your success to?
I'm a true believer that you need a community of people to grow. I started my career really young in retail and became a manager really, really young, so people have always moved me. What I find most rewarding is when I can see people growing, and if there's something that I've been able to influence to give them the courage to speak up, or the confidence to ask - because sometimes when you don't ask, you don't get. I think people are probably the most important thing. I'm always trying to ideate and connect with people in all different parts of the business, so I don't lose touch of what's going on. I try to travel once in the field quarterly, because how is what I'm doing influencing what's actually happening in clinics and happening with people? I love connecting with young minds as much as I love connecting with tenured minds, because even my direct report the other day said something, and I was like, oh my goodness, I never thought about doing it this way. You'd be surprised, but I think networking and jobs and opportunities and all that comes if you genuinely connect with people that you enjoy speaking to. If you connect with people organically, you're able to expand your horizon in a very genuine way, and everything else will fall into place.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think sometimes the stories we tell ourselves in our head are more critical than the reality. So, give yourself grace. Talk to yourself kindly. Because that's how you gain your power and your voice back. We as women don't talk to ourselves kindly. A lot of times as women, we get so caught up taking care of everyone else, we don't take care of ourselves. When you stop talking to yourself kindly, when you stop giving yourself grace, you start building doubt on your capabilities, on what you can do, and you start giving your power away.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Communication and language are so important to me, because I truly know how difficult it could be to not be able to speak. I'm an immigrant - I wasn't born here. As a child, I didn't know I was other until I became other. I didn't even speak the language when I first got here. To go to school and not be able to talk to your friends or your teachers - that's all very difficult for a child. So for me, communication is so important. The work that we do to raise awareness of the importance of duality in language, the importance of communicating in people's languages so they understand it, is very close to my heart. The name of the group is Tu Voz Hispanic Alliance, which is literally 'your voice.' For me, having a voice, whether you're a pet or an individual, and ensuring you're heard is something that is really important. One of the things we used to say when we used to volunteer is we speak for those that have no voice. I wanted to work for a company that really supports animals. Family is probably the most important to me, to be honest with you. I have two grandkids, both 2 years old right now, so I think babysitting and family is really what I like the most.
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