02What it took

What did it take to get here that people don't see?

What people don't see is how much listening happens before transformation can begin.

I stepped into an organization with deep histories, strong identities, and people who have built these businesses over many years. Before trying to change anything, I have to understand what is worth protecting, where the friction really lives, and what our people need from us to believe in where we're going.

It has taken numerous conversations, difficult decisions, challenging old assumptions (including my own), and the discipline to balance urgency with trust. Integration may look like structures, systems, and timelines on paper, but the real work happens in the moments when people decide they trust the direction enough to move forward together.

03Who carried you

Who carried you, and what did they teach you that you still use every week?

My family carried me first, and they still do. Growing up in Uruguay, I learned that ambition and humility can, and should, live side by side. My family taught me to work hard, stay grounded, and never forget where I came from.

Today, my husband and my two boys are my greatest source of perspective and strength. My husband has believed in every big dream, taken every leap with me, and reminded me that none of this matters if we don't build a life we love along the way. My boys keep me grounded in a completely different way. They remind me to be present, curious, and to see the world through a lens of possibility.

Mentors, colleagues, and teams have carried me too, sometimes by believing in me before I fully believed in myself and sometimes by challenging me to think bigger.

What I carry into my work every week is simple: listen before you lead, stay grounded in who you are, and bring people with you as you grow. Nothing meaningful is built alone.

04For the leader coming up

What is the one thing you'd tell the leader coming up behind you?

Don't wait until you feel completely ready. Some of the biggest opportunities in my career came before I felt I had every answer, but I trusted that I could learn, adapt, and figure it out.

Stay close to the people, have the courage to say what needs to be said, and don't change who you are to fit someone else's definition of leadership. Your background, your accent, your experiences, and even the moments when you've had to work a little harder to find your place are not things to overcome. They are part of what makes your leadership uniquely yours.

And as you move up, keep reaching back. Success becomes much more meaningful when your growth creates space for someone else to rise too.

05Adelante

Adelante means forward. Where are you taking your function, your company, or your industry next?

For me, adelante means building an HR function that doesn't just keep pace with the business. It helps define where the business goes next.

I want to continue moving HR from a function people turn to after a decision is made to one that is at the table shaping the decision from the beginning. That means using data and technology more intelligently, building leaders who can navigate constant change, and creating organizations where culture and performance reinforce each other rather than compete.

At La Costeña USA, that means helping build one organization from multiple legacies and creating the people strategy and capabilities to support our next stage of growth.

And personally, adelante means continuing to open doors. As a Latina leader, I want the path behind me to be wider than the one I walked, so the next generation doesn't just have a seat at the table; they have the confidence and opportunity to help build the table itself.