My souvenirs from Peru

It was exactly one year after my career started at Beiersdorf Italy when my boss told me about the open position in Latin America. Though I was still a comparably new member of the Beiersdorf family in Milan, I was instantly enthusiastic about the opportunity to dive into a new culture, a new language, and to see Beiersdorf from a completely different angle. As it has always been my wish to work for a multinational company, I have been toying with the idea of working abroad ever since. About Peru though I had very little information at that time: Latin America, Machu Picchu (how many “Cs” were in these two words?), Inca culture (or was it Maya maybe?). How would it be to live and work over there every day, in a city like Lima that is the second largest city in the Americas region?

In October last year, the moment to find out had finally arrived: 40 new colleagues were waiting “for me” at Beiersdorf in Lima. Compared to the Italian team, the Peruvian team is more or less half the size. It consists of many young talents that I got to know over the time as top-level professionals who manage the affiliate with high commitment and an exemplary work ethic. On top of that, the local office on the 18th floor of Torre Parque Mar right in front of the Pacific Ocean adds extra motivation and has the potential to stimulate one’s creativity tremendously. Even though the country, its language, the local team and offices were new to me, I never felt like being far away from home. I was welcomed in a way that said “Hi, great to have you back – how was your trip to Europe?” This positive feeling was also reflected in my professional tasks: the marketing team entrusted me with very responsible roles such as being part of one of the most important product launches of last year and presenting one of the main campaigns to one hundred perfumery owners. Working in a different function with unfamiliar processes was of course challenging but the support I received from the whole Peruvian team – regardless of their position – really helped me grow. Should the opportunity to work abroad arise for you then go for it! The value of such an experience for one’s own development – workwise and personally – is tremendous.  

And since the word “work-life balance” is being taken very seriously over there, I also had the chance to discover Peru. It is a very complex country with so many beautiful destinations to explore. When seeing the Pyramids, many people ask: How did Egyptians build them up right in the middle of the desert!? A similar feeling came over me when I saw the Inca’s Machu Picchu Citadel, an UNESCO World Heritage in the heart of a mountain. Quoting Hiram Bingham, who discovered Machu Pichu: “Few romances can ever surpass that of the granite citadel on top of the beetling precipices of Machu Picchu, the crown of Inca land”. And even though you may suffer from vertigo, you cannot miss the experience of visiting The Colca Cañon, the world’s second deepest canyon.There are so many other positive stories about the Beiersdorf team and the country left to tell, but I will stop for now and take a moment to say thank you! Thank you to both Beiersdorf teams in Italy and Peru for making this incredible experience possible! Terms such as ONE TEAM, CARE, COURAGE, TRUST are not just written words, they are omnipresent values that are truly lived by the colleagues working in Lima’s offices. This conclusion is the greatest souvenir I could ever take with me from Peru. 

See you soon! or ¡Hasta Luego!  

Mirco Di Maio works at the Shopper & Customer Marketing department at Beiersdorf Italy. He has been working with the company for two and a half years in different divisions such as POS and Shopper Marketing, before he took over his current position as Promotion & Revenue specialist. During his two years at Beiersdorf, he did a six-month overseas assignment at Beiersdorf Peru in Lima.