Marcella Wartenbergh (Pepe Jeans, Hacket and Façonnable): «I really like to get my hands in my garden»

Marcella Wartenbergh (Montreal, 51 years old) directs the Multinational AWWG (All We Wear Group) that groups the Pepe Jeans, Hacket and Façonnable brands, and distributes other firms such as Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein in Spain and Portugal. Wartenbergh, who spent his entire childhood in Mexico, moved to Europe with 25 years and today directs a company with more than 4,500 employees and a turnover of 594 million in its last fiscal year. His free time is in constant dialogue with the demands of his work, but when the obligations Amainan take refuge in his home in Mallorca, in his garden and in his love of cuisine. Is more about planning holidays or leaves space to improvise? They tell me to plan everything to change everything. I make many plans, but I am always very flexible and I like to decide based on what we want at all times. I'm always going to Mallorca. There I have my refuge: a little house in the mountains where I go with my husband. And what does it do to disconnect? R. Over there [en Mallorca] I have a small garden with tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers … I started doing it a couple of years ago and being in nature dirtying my hands very much. I also cook a lot, I love to cook. It is a way to find myself, to work creativity. I read many recipes and invented my own. He directs a fashion -centered company. Do you like to go shopping? R. I like it, but I am very fast. I think that after so many years in the industry – I think many hours seeing stores for work – I enter a store, I go directly to what I want, I decide quickly and do not usually change anything. How many hours do you work per day? All. Being able to organize some time for me every day is very difficult. I really like my job, but I think it is very important to learn to disconnect, know that there are answers that can wait two hours and that the family feels that you are enjoying when you are with them or that your friends see that you are there. And vice versa, it is also very important that they know and know that there are times when you have to work. What is the greatest satisfaction that your work has contributed? R. What gives me the most satisfaction is when the people with whom I work feel comfortable coming to work, because that should be the result of leadership and a good organization. From the point of view of the business, I think that having left the pandemic, having survived as a company, was a very large satisfaction. On a personal level, when I reached the first vice presidency of a company, with 32 years and being the youngest to arrive. That was incredible. Did it always be clear that I wanted to direct? R. Very light. My father was director of a company and since childhood I saw that he was very good organizing, guiding, putting a whole team to achieve excellence. On the other hand, my mother has always sought to overcome: she sold, she went to classes and had her own business. I had examples on both parties. He began working in the world of automotive. In the city where I lived, in Mexico, there was a great automotive industry, my father worked on that, it was natural for me to end in a company in that sector. Then I decided to come to Europe to change air and discover the European atmosphere, which seemed more modern and there were more opportunities for women … In the newspaper I found a job in the fashion world, I started in the purchasing area and I was growing. I accepted all the orders they made to me and that gave me the opportunity to learn a lot. Is it demanding in your work? R. I believe that perfection does not exist, but I believe in excellence, in passion for what is done. I don't like being mediocre.p. If you had to highlight a virtue that you like to see in people, what would it be? I like simple and honest people, but who is passionate. Someone who has no passion or energy is like flavor. But surrounding yourself with someone who just wants to succeed, does not seem adequate either. If someone is very passionate, but he is a hypocritical person or is dishonest, he is dangerous. Instead, if you have a very honest person, but boring, without passion, who does not want to succeed, it is not good, because you are not going to live anything else about love. What if I had to choose a professional goal? R. I would like to transcend, know that I have left a mark of excellence, work, commitment, honesty and that is something that gives me a lot of satisfaction, so I believe that the balance between personal and professional life is a very personal decision. My partner has supported me a lot and I think that I am a much I owe it to that support. You have to look for the balance that is perfect for each one and prioritize what one wants at every moment, because life is changing. Do you like change? R. I really like change, I think it's the only constant in life and, at the company level, cling [a lo que siempre se ha hecho] It can leave you behind. As with the holidays, everything planned to improvise everything. Here you can consult the latest interviews' after work's all economy and business information on Facebook and Twitteror in our weekly newsletter