Dutch companies with Leading Women in Mexico: An interview with Regina Granados from Leaseplan

During March, the world commemorates the International Women´s Day and as part of these activities in Holland House Mexico we would like to recognize those women´s careers that flourish, inspire others and pursue goals without barriers.

As every year, Expansion, a well-known Mexican magazine launched their Top 100 leading women in Mexico, a ranking that defines who were the most influential women in the country during 2022. This ranking explores those leaders, not only based on their hierarchical level but also on their leadership and influence in promoting more equitable and inclusive businesses.

Women's leadership positions should be celebrated, it is important to emphasize the relevance of gender equality and the impact these positions make in the workplace in Mexico. A great example of discipline and leadership is Regina Granados, one of the selected top 100 leading women in Mexico in 2022, Member of HHM Board, and CEO of our Orange Member Leaseplan.

We did not want to miss the opportunity to have a brief conversation with Regina, congratulate her on this nomination, and ask her a few questions about her opinion on the role of women´s leadership positions and gender equality.

Regina, congratulations on being nominated one of the Top 100 leading women in Mexico, we would like to know, for you, what is the relevance of gender equality in the workplace?

Thank you very much! The importance of equity at work is to be able to form a high-performance team focusing on the talent of each one, regardless of whether they are men or women, profession or career, the important thing is that they have the experience, knowledge and skills to develop the position. For me, it goes beyond gender, if not the capacity of each one, that's why LeasePlan makes us a stronger team.

As a female leader, what are some of the biggest challenges you have faced and how have you overcome them?

I think the first challenge is to believe in yourself, although there are social stigmas that say a certain job is not for a woman. You need to believe in yourself and be clear in what you want to achieve, in that sense, you will have no mental limits that can hold you back to achieve your goal. Also, you need to be mentally prepared for obstacles and discrimination, which you are maybe going to encounter and take it as a motivation to show yourself you can overcome them. Because the worst judge we can have is always us, and if we do not believe that we are capable of doing something, for sure we are going to fail. 

Being a leader in today’s workplace is all about leading by example, as the CEO of LeasePlan how do you engage with and empower the members of your team?  

I think you cannot be a leader if you do not lead by being an example, if I am going to demand that my staff needs to send information on time and respect the commitments they make, I am the first one that needs to send what I committed on time. We need to realize that we are role models and that we are helping to develop people, that is why we need to be congruent with our actions.

My way of working is also to make my people think differently, challenge them to find a better solution because we cannot expect different results acting in the same way. In that sense, I empower my people, recognizing their ideas, and respecting their comments.

Besides, I think support is crucial, sometimes we need to send information that was not planned, and I am the first one that supports, giving follow-up and asking how I can help my staff, not saying it is their work and leaving it to them is not the solution. I make the members of my team feel I am part of the team and give value to the people not treating them as a number, because I believe that when you respect your leader and you love the brand, you can make amazing things and exceed the results.  

What are some strategies that can help women achieve the success they want in their workplaces today, especially in male-dominated industries?

Today the role of women in the economic reactivation around the world will be key. It is time that women continue to take more leadership positions and lead organizations and institutions towards a new normality in which talent comes first, without distinctions or reservations regarding gender or any other condition. The same goes for the salary gap, an evaluation of positions based on experience, knowledge and responsibilities is essential, not on the person, which by having this evaluation you can compare it with your current staff and standardize them and in this way there will be equity based on skills and not on gender.

What is your advice for the next generation of female leaders?

Throughout my career I have had different challenges where I thought it would become impossible to achieve my dream of being a CEO. Nothing stopped me, so I worked, prepared, and focused on achieving my dream. Nothing stopped me from getting it.

My advice is to never stop chasing your dream. If you are clear about your goal, it is easier to achieve it and you need to enjoy the way, the obstacles that you might have that at the end makes you stronger.

We would like to thank Regina Granados for agreeing to this interview and sharing her experiences with our community.

If you want to know more about our Member Leaseplan, visit https://www.leaseplan.com/