Interview: Mobility Experience with Vinita George

 

 

An international mobility experience can be an important career accelerator and over the last years, many managers have grabbed this experience with all its implications for both their professional and family life. There are different resources in place that help to support the partner of the “driver of the expatriation” like the International Dual Career Network.

Today, we meet Vinita George, who moved from Dubai to Paris and was followed by her husband six months after her arrival with a very high “out-of-comfort-zone” factor for both of them. 

 

 

Vinita George : I studied Commerce in my home country India and hold a Bachelor’s degree. Additionally I did different vocational trainings in e-commerce, international tourism and Six Sigma (a set of techniques and tools for process improvement – Ed). 

 

 

Vinita George : Yes, in India, you often have the possibility to explore different subjects and I was always interested in learning new things. Therefore, I enjoyed discovering different topics before I finally landed in Supply Chain. 

 

 

Vinita George : It was my opportunity with L’Oréal, who approached me while I was working at General Electric (GE). I started my career in Dubai, working for GE in Operations. As an American company, it is very structured and they put a lot of effort in developing people. I had the chance to have managers that helped me grow a lot during my 6 years in the company from a Process Quality position to Finance and Commercial Analysis.

I was contacted by L’Oréal because they were looking for somebody to structure their Supply Chain department. As I was coming from a process-oriented company, I was the perfect fit. From the beginning, my experience with L’Oréal was very fruitful. I started from a Demand and Supply planning role to become the Manager of the Demand & Supply team and finally the Supply Chain Manager of  3 of our Business Units.

I was very satisfied with the pace of my growth but realized that the next step, Head of Supply Chain, was only achievable with an international experience. The Middle East region is a real cultural melting pot. You need to have experience in adapting to different cultures. This is when I decided to actively look for an international mobility. Together with my husband, who was also very open to a move; we decided to go where the first of us found a job. 

 

 

Vinita George : L’Oréal offered me to go to France. It was not necessarily my first choice but for me it was interesting from the start because it represented a very high “out-of-comfort-zone factor”. 

At the time I did not speak French and everything was new for me: the food, the weather, and the people. In the Middle East I never felt foreign because I knew the culture very well, but in France I really needed to adapt! 

At the same time it was a great decision for my career. The heart of operations for L’Oréal is situated in France and in terms of visibility and networking opportunities it was the perfect choice. So I accepted the offer and my husband joined me six months after I left. 

 

 

Vinita George : My decision was a real brain decision. I did it because I saw the positive aspects for my career and I knew my husband was supportive.

When I finally arrived in France I nevertheless experienced a big shock. Especially the language barrier was challenging. In these types of situations you always have two choices – swim and try to make your way through or sink and give up. And as I refuse to sink and was determined to gain from this experience, I worked very hard on my integration and my language skills. In the end, I am very happy with my decision because it definitely made me stronger. 

 

 

Vinita George : In the beginning we were not at all aware of the International Dual Career network. I learned about it upon my arrival in France because as an expat you are automatically in their contact list and you receive their information. I immediately put my husband in contact with them and he got really involved in the community. It is really a great platform to exchange, not only about professional development but also about personal adaptation to the new environment.

Finally it was a very quick process because there was a company looking for the exact skillset that my husband had to offer. It was really the good bet to be so active in this network for him and for us because it does not always work out, especially because of the language barrier. 

 

 

Vinita George : It is always easier for you when your family supports you and is with you.

In the beginning, when I decided to go to France, we were aware that it would be a challenge to find the right job for my husband. I was very lucky that my husband was supportive of my ambition and accepted to make it happen with me. All of my friends respect him a lot for that, especially because it is normally the wife who follows the husband.

I would also have followed him, but back then I had the opportunity first and we decided together to go for it. No matter how it works, it is always a challenge for both partners. What is really important is to understand your partner’s needs and then to use the resources that are available to help. 

 

 

Vinita George : It helped me to know that my husband was supported with an organized network that targeted expat partners in Multinational companies. He was attending language classes and was actively involved with the IDCN and this filled out his initial day. It really helped that we did not arrive in France together because I was already settled in and could help him with his integration process. And as this experience turned out to be a success we are very encouraged now to take the next challenge. 

 

 

Vinita George : We would really like to move to another country – preferably English Speaking. We are again very open-minded and we will move whenever one of us gets the opportunity but this time, we do not want to learn a new language. At the moment we have our experiences in Europe and once we know this zone very well we can move on to the next.

My ambition for the future is to know different zones and markets to be able to support the business in the best possible way. 

 

 

Vinita George : I think that my children could stop me from moving one day. Right now we have one daughter who is two years old and too small to really love a place, but once she gets older we may decide to settle down. 

 

 

Vinita George : First of all, it is very important to give yourself the time to get adjusted and to accept the differences.

Secondly, you need to stop comparing your home country to your host country. Simply try to get the best out of your experience and work on your integration. We put special attention in making new friends who are French or expats like us. Being with your own community is comfortable but the integration is better when you network with the locals.  If you understand your motivations for this experience, then you also know that you will have to accept change in order to make it a success.

And finally, it is very important to enjoy the experience, build your network and grow your career. I feel that I have grown three-times faster on this mission, especially in terms of soft skills and the capacity to adapt in a “foreign environment” which is an important career accelerator. After 3,5 years of this expatriation experience I can say that I am much stronger and I definitely recommend it to everybody.

 

 

Interview conducted by Christina Hillebrand (L’Oréal), for Eve le blog.