This Hispanic Heritage Month, Eloisa Andre Gaona reflects on her cultural background

In the United States, National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated September 15 through October 15. This month-long observance lasts through the independence days of 8 Latin American countries and provides an opportunity for Infor to spotlight our Hispanic and Latinx colleagues who have contributed to our success. Our first spotlight Q&A focuses on Eloisa Andre Gaona who reflects on her cultural background, career opportunities and growth, and the importance of people connections.

Eloisa is the Marketing Director for Latin America at Infor, focused on demand generation in the region, and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“My journey through life and encounters with many different cultures has shaped my way of thinking and working.” — Eloisa Andre Gaona

Tell us about your career at Infor

In 2015, I was studying for a master’s degree in branding and integrated communications at the City College of New York. During my studies, I interned for a year at Infor’s headquarters in the Events team within the marketing department. After graduating, I joined Infor full time as marketing specialist for executive events. In 2017, I moved back to my home city of Buenos Aires as a field marketing manager for Latin America, restarting the demand generation engine for Infor in the region. Now, I’m celebrating my 5^th anniversary at Infor and I was recently promoted to marketing director. It’s been a thrilling ride so far, and I’m excited to see what comes next!

How has your cultural identity shaped your perspective?

My cultural background has shaped my personal values and priorities, such as family and friendship. My journey through life and encounters with many different cultures have shaped my way of thinking and working. I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, where I got my drive and urgency to work hard I then had great semester-abroad experiences in Germany and England, and finally lived in New York for a few years, attending one of the most diverse colleges in the city. I studied, worked, and made friends with people from all over the world and realized how different our ways of thinking could be when solving the same problem. That helped me see the value in each person’s contribution and point of view. It also made me realize that I have a lot to learn from every person I work with, and that being open and honest is always the best way forward.

Which cultural traditions/customs are most meaningful to you?

Family and friendship are big priorities for me as an Argentinean. This typically translates into massive get-togethers that take place every weekend. Usually Saturday nights are for friends, meeting first for dinner with a more intimate group of 5 to 8 people and then meet later for drinks with even more people. It’s also likely that every Sunday the family will meet at lunchtime for a barbecue, which will end up taking all day, and usually involving the extended family (cousins, aunts, grandparents, etc.). So, over the course of a weekend, you might have conversations and share meals with 20-30 people. I think this has shaped the way in which I connect with people and network. This is one of the things I missed the most while living abroad, and I’m definitely missing it now during the pandemic.

Why are employee networks so important?

I joined Women’s Infor Network (WIN) when I was working in the New York office, and it really helped me connect with coworkers that I wouldn’t have met otherwise (It’s a big office!) and learn from them. When I moved to Buenos Aires, WIN didn’t have a chapter in Latin America, and I helped start it along with some other colleagues in Brazil and Mexico. The office in Buenos Aires is smaller and there was already a great established community. The WIN network has helped to bring important topics to the table and spark conversations.

Having worked in the New York office, being a part of the Buenos Aires office now, and having had the chance to travel several times to other offices in Latin America, I can say that employee networks are very valuable in improving project collaborations and key for making our day-to-day jobs better. It’s been so much easier for me to work out of Argentina and still connect with the people I work with in the rest of the world, because we have either already met in person or through an employee network.

Look for more employee features in the coming weeks on the Infor Blog.