“A job done with commitment and tenacity is always recognized”

Raquel is Managing Director at ANAPE (Spanish EPS Association) and she accept to be interviewed to share her experiences in the EPS world.

Work and responsibilities

“I am a Building Engineer and started in the expanded polystyrene industry 18 years ago as a technical construction coordinator at Anape. After two years and completing my training in finance and budget management I was appointed as managing director. During this time, I have also had to take care of technical packaging and environmental issues.”

Biggest challenges and achievements in her career

“The hardest thing was to be taken seriously in technical forums when I was a young woman and participated as an expert, especially in the construction business. You have to overcome the reluctance of other people who think you don't have enough experience or knowledge. In general, most of those who show this attitude change when they see your involvement and the results of your work. To be able to reconcile professional and personal life, especially if you have children and travel a lot, you also need a great involvement of your partner, a lot of planning and an equal distribution of the tasks at home. Making a great team at home is very important!”

A word of advice

“The EPS business is like any other, the difference in the development of women in companies depends more on the size of the companies than on the business itself. It is always more complicated for SMEs to manage human resources than for large companies, replacements or leaves of absence in case of need are more difficult to cover. But in any case, a job done with commitment and tenacity is always recognized.”