Paula Pontes
Consumer Brands Executive
“You will meet many supporters, mentors and friends but at the end of the day you are the captain of your career and you need to have confidence in yourself.”
Can you share a little about your background and how you’ve gotten to where you are today?
I moved from Brazil to the U.S. to go to college. I wanted to understand what it meant to live and work in the U.S. I went to Wharton Undergrad at the University of Pennsylvania. My first job was with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) for a two year program. The head of the BCG New York office at the time was a woman, which at the time was kind of unheard of. She was incredible even though she was super tough. Seeing a woman in a male-dominated world was so inspiring and motivating for me not only in the beginning of my career but through today. At the end of two years, we were expected to go back to business school to get an MBA but for me it was too soon and I wanted to get more work experience so I followed a manager for whom I had worked at BCG and went to work at Toys “R” Us. Unfortunately, this manager left six months after [I started]. That is when I stopped following. I realized “I came here to learn a new industry and understand brand management and my work is not done here”, so I stayed at Toys “R” Us for three years. At the end of that [experience], I was ready to go back to business school so I went to Harvard Business School (HBS). After getting my MBA, I rejoined BCG in New York for four years focused on the consumer [industry]. During this time, I had the opportunity to live in Sydney, Australia for one year. After four years in the most analytical role of my career, I decided it was time for a change. As much as I loved the work and people [at BCG], I [realized] that I didn’t want to be a Partner. Money has never been my biggest motivation. Money comes if you’re successful, but it wasn’t my main driver. So I joined L Brands, and stepped into the creative world. I worked for an incredible seasoned creative designer. It was an incredible experience even though my initial job description was nebulous, but all of my job descriptions have been completely nebulous. I am comfortable with ambiguity. I took the job because I wanted to understand how the creative world worked and that, partnered with the fact that I had a great feeling about my [future] boss, was enough for me so I took the job. My career path has been somewhat unorthodox. I’ve been lucky enough to have a varied career path. I’ve done a lot of [different] things. Starting off in [management] consulting puts you on a [varied career] path. I did most of my work with consumer goods [clients] and I was able to specialize [in my career] early on. Relationships and a little bit of luck play a big role in your life and career. [Drawing] from your experience and taking the time to reflect...there’s always something to learn.
You’ve worked in several countries. What are some of the motivators that propelled you to do this?
I am originally from Brazil. Since I was young, I was always curious about the world and wanted to explore. My father traveled a lot for his career and I loved hearing his stories. I came to the U.S. by myself when I was eighteen because I ultimately wanted to live in New York City so college in the US seemed like a good first step. I moved to New York City after college but my curiosity did not stop there. I have now traveled to more than seventy countries and have lived in Sydney, Barcelona, Zurich and Los Angeles. It is A LOT of change but the experiences I have accumulated are priceless. I can truly say that I am a global citizen and a global leader. The world is a much broader place and every place teaches me something. I’ve always read The Economist and I listen to the BBC podcast for my news; both great sources of information.
My move back home to Brazil for three years [with Estée Lauder] was driven by my career. I was the country manager and had responsibility for all Estée Lauder brands. It was my first P&L experience. It had been something I had been working towards in my career.
What’s the number one thing women who work in corporate should keep in mind?
The corporate world is a business transaction. You will meet many supporters, mentors and friends but at the end of the day you are the captain of your career and you need to have confidence in yourself. Of course, you will have to work hard. Expect that there will be many bumps in the road but the most important thing is what you do after you hit a bump. I have always been very comfortable with ambiguity and I think that has helped me tremendously. I drew my career path with two dots, one starting and one of where I wanted to get to which was to [ultimately] manage a consumer business with a strong brand and have P&L responsibility. What I did not draw were all the roads and turns I would take. I adapted quite often but always made sure I was driving in the right direction. I asked a lot of people for advice but my GPS was my gut! Most people are very uncomfortable with that, and they want a concrete career path to be given to them. Of course many succeed, but I find that every detour [I’ve taken] has given me the most memorable experiences. Also, [you can’t] be afraid to make lateral moves if it’s going to add something. Always have a long game and a short game. In my long game, I wanted to run a business. When I went to Brazil, I went as an acting general manager and was told that the title would only come after six months if I proved myself. I wasn’t happy with the title but I couldn’t say no. I had confidence in myself and I knew I’d be able to do it.
Do you have any special sayings or expressions?
I’m super focused on getting shit done and I hate “no’s” and “can’t be done”. I am a true believer in “when there’s a will there's a way”. For me, the worst thing is to say “what if”? That’s my mantra on how I approach my career. The worst that can happen is it doesn’t work, but you will have learned so much that I guarantee any experience you have will teach you something. Don’t be afraid to fail, because there are so many lessons that you can get [and] it teaches you a lot about life.
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
