Today we are happy to introduce Ramona Voivoda, the Chief Marketing Officer of LANCO Group GmbH, as she turns 5 years with the company.
Happy workaversary! HOW DID YOU START WORKING FOR LANCO
I was not looking for a job at the time. I was working for a performance marketing agency and I was in charge of the team managing our international accounts and I really loved my work. So when the executive search company tried to get in touch with me I was really dismissive let's say, but they were persistent enough to get me to talk to them and, long story short, a couple of months later I signed the offer. That's how exactly five years ago I started my first day at LANCO.
So you switched from the agency side to an in-house marketing team. Tell us more about what you did before joining LANCO.
Yes, exactly but this was not my first time on the in-house team side. For 20 years I had always been involved in marketing, PR or sales positions with private companies and public institutions, as a team leader, a member or as a one-woman show. I had done both inbound and outbound marketing, online and offline, acquired expertise in various geographies and verticals, plus a couple of years in a franchising business. I had sold or marketed to B2C and B2B customers so a wealth of experience where I was involved in pretty much everything: budgeting, planning, executing, leading… you name it, I did it (laughs).
I have always been eager to try new things and to learn, always to learn, and this mindset has opened a world of opportunities to me. I may have not enjoyed all my experiences, but I am for sure grateful for all of them for what I have learned along the way, including about myself, as well as what they have shaped me into.
And the change was a good idea in the end, wasn’t it? LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU (DIS)LIKE ABOUT YOUR JOB.
I think the 5 years with the company speak for themselves pretty much, don’t you? (laughs). I for sure wouldn’t have made it so far. You know how they say that the culture of an organization is measured by how you feel on Sunday evening, and I must say I am never bummed. Au contraire! I’m always singing on my drive here and happy to start a new week, a new month, a new year. I was the first member of the marketing department and then I was able to design on a white canvas the structure, the work, the processes and select the team members. I have taken on new assignments and with our company growing, there are always new things to learn, new heights to conquer, so it feels a lot like changing jobs really although within the same company. We are never bored here (laughs).
I have a boss that has always given me space and challenged me to grow. I work with great colleagues and partners, all wonderful, competent, different people, I travel a lot, I find meaning in my work, I learn and I grow and not a day goes buy without also laughing a lot. These pretty much check all my boxes on the perfect job checklist (laughs).
NO DISLIKES? THAT’S HARD TO BELIEVE. ISN’T YOUR JOB STRESSFUL?
Of course I have moments where I feel a bit overwhelmed with everything that's going on: deadlines to meet, projects to start, projects to finish, calls to answer, emails to reply to, team members to support. And I do have a bit of an anxious personality, but I know this thing about myself and I know what helps me deal with that and everything that's going on at a given point in the office.
We have a clear vision of where we're going and clear goals on how to turn that into reality and all the tools we need to make it happen. So when I feel trapped in a web of things to do, I try to figure out what needs to be done and split that into smaller chunks and get it done. All it takes in the end is taking a step back, finding the mind space to think things through and as soon as I have clarity I can pass it forward and prioritize and delegate effectively.
And how about your compensation packages? How are they in comparison with other companies in your area or industry?
We have a great compensation package. I think all grounds are covered in that we have access to Bookster, an online library, and a book club for the spirit, sports subscription and supplementary health insurance for the body and very cool, fun team events for the spirit. We work in clean, welcoming spaces, we have the latest equipment and all the software we need to perform. We are treated fairly and with respect, we help each other and work well together. I really don’t know what more one could ask from a workplace. And with all the new colleagues joining us these days, we really get to learn a lot about how things are in other companies and LANCO wins by far. And this only proves that treating people fairly and taking care of them pays off because we are a top company in terms of revenue and overall performance while being a great place of work.
So needless to ask you whether you would recommend LANCO to someone looking for a job.
You are right. I have done that, and I will definitely continue to do so. No doubt about that. Because of everything that I said and because at LANCO we know that having fun is fuel for finding flow, it’s a community where we bond around shared values, feel valued as human beings and have a voice in the decisions that affect us.
Enough about work. What do you like to do in your free time?
I love to travel and I get to do a lot of that with my work, too. Whenever I go somewhere for work, I take a couple of extra days to explore a bit on my own.
I love the sea and the beach, so I make sure I get to spend 3-4 weeks every year at the seaside.
I love to read, I love the people in my life, I love to dance, I am a foodie and I love my beautiful dog, Alma.
I love my life!
And do you have a favorite place in the world from all those you have visited? How about a favorite book?
My favorite city is Paris and my favorite country is Italy.
I read a lot of business books, but from the fiction ones I have read, my favorite book is Fredrik Backman’s “My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry” which is a story of a seven-year-old who is different and a grandmother like no other, her best and only friend. It’s a charming, heartwarming novel about life and death and one of the most important human rights: the right to be different. I loved it and so I bought a dozen copies and gifted it to my friends to share the joy with them.
Do you have a favorite quote or motto?
I have some, actually:
- Between what’s right and what’s wrong, I choose what makes me happy because thoughts are not always honest, but emotions are.
- When I don’t know what to say, I say yes.
- No one can go back and make a brand-new start, but anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending. So, cheers to new endings! (laughs)
And there is one more that I like: I hope to arrive to my death, late, in love and a little drunk.
