Ruth Díaz Barrigón (Amazon): “I would like to have the wisdom today that I will have at 90 years old”

Her path to becoming the general management of Amazon in the Peninsula began with the launch of the company in Spain in 2011. Today Ruth Díaz Barrigón (San Sebastián, 50 years old) leads a team of 28,000 employees of more than 100 nationalities. Your recipe for balancing work and personal life is simple: never step outside your red lines.Question. When you were little, what did you want to be? Answer. Many things. For a long time, the health aspect caught my attention, being a nurse, doctor, surgeon, to help others. I decided to study business, go another way. Q. And you started in consulting. I was 19 or 20 years old when I started working, I have many memories. Being able to see 15 or 20 companies a year, meeting with financial directors and understanding finances not as numbers, but as the reality of a company is an enriching experience. I had very good coworkers with whom I am still friends. Of the 30 years I have been working, the first 10 have been in finance and consulting, the second 20 I have been in digital, technology and general management. Q. What is a normal day in your life like? A. I don’t have many normal days (laughs). I try to take my two daughters to school almost every day, unless I am traveling. I organize the logistics to do it, with the school close to home and close to the office. I work very efficiently and managing time. I love coming home and having dinner with my husband and daughters, and talking to them about their daily lives. Q. What was Amazon like when it started? A. I arrived 13 years ago. Then Amazon was a promise in Spain and in other places it was not what it is today. I thought about the long term. I told myself: I want to learn from the best. Q. What do you think when you hear that Amazon is increasing the planet’s carbon footprint? A. I would love for people to know the truth. Perhaps these speeches are made out of ignorance. Amazon is the largest buyer of renewable energy in Spain. Buying online has less carbon footprint than a physical purchase. Q. How do you balance work with your personal life? A. I often hear that you can’t have everything, but I don’t want to have to choose. Obviously you have to do things intentionally. I have a very rigorous agenda, I am clear about my barriers, what is important to me, how I have to do it to make it work. Q. What do you do on weekends? A. I like simple things. I have many hobbies but I do almost all of them wrong (laughs). I like sports, I try to do it three days a week. This summer I ventured out to surf lessons. I fell and got up all the time. I like to read, I read two or three books at the same time. I like making plans with friends, walking, going to the movies. Q. Where have you been on vacation? A. We were in Formentera and Biarritz. My husband has a French mother. Q. What do you read? A. From books where I let myself be fooled by the story to others that talk about skills, and then I get into themes. Suddenly I get into food or the importance of sleep. I read a lot of psychology books. Q. A trip that you remember? A. Many, I love traveling for pleasure. Before having the girls I loved taking long trips like traveling to India, Costa Rica, Africa… now when traveling with girls I think about where the nearest hospital will be, I do it with more caution. But I will return to my adventurous travels. Q. How do you deal with stress? A. I guess fine. It helps me to feel good about what I do, to do things in accordance with my values, to feel that you are doing everything you can in all facets of life. Q. To what extent are demands made of a manager like you, of a multinational, in his work? A. I am convinced that I demand more from myself than anyone else. I don’t need anyone to pressure me, I already do it. Q. A person you would like to meet? A. Many people impact me. I meet very brilliant people, but I am also impacted by a look, a behavior. Q. How connected to mobile are you? A. I can be very focused on working and after an hour I put my cell phone in a room other than mine and I don’t touch it. We work with different time zones, sleep and rest is important. Q. What advice do you usually give? A. Be brave, take risks, learn, listen, surround yourself with people who inspire you, live life. Q. And one that you would have liked to receive? A. That everything is possible. You can have a happy personal life and a job that you love. Don’t let anyone tell you how things should be, you are the owner of your life. Q. What bothers you the most? A. The injustice, the suffering, that people do not listen. I would like to have the wisdom today that I will have at 90 years old. You can read the rest of the interviews in this section here