Mover & Shaker: Silvia Lucena Gosalvez, M&A Director, PwC Spain

 

Silvia Lucena Gosalvez has spent her entire career on the M&A team for PwC Spain, having joined 15 years ago after a short stint at a family business while finishing her tax advisement master’s degree. And for her that has been a perfect fit.

“Being on the M&A team has given me the opportunity to work on complex international projects, exploring the full continuum of deals — from restructuring to execution to post-deal integration.”

Proud of Her Ascension
Lucena says that when she joined PwC, there was an evenly divided split of men and women at the lower level, while the top of the pyramid had very few women. She acknowledges that though the firm is still working to reach a more balanced proportion, everyone is quite conscious of it and focused on improving the numbers. And she herself is doing her part – after what she describes as “12 years of hard work and sacrifice,” she became the second female M&A director in Spain, with the goal of becoming a partner.

She says that before joining the firm, she assumed that the opportunities were the same for everyone, but she knows now that is not the case – you need to be proactive in identifying opportunities and seizing them. “If you are passive, they will pass you by.” And part of that is having active sponsors and mentors.
She believes that has played a crucial role in her rise, and has felt continuously supported by some of the professionals higher up. Their generosity in sharing the background on their own careers has helped influence the moves she believed she should make to replicate their success. However, you´ll find barriers on the way that will need to be sorted out. A positive mind and not giving up will be key.

“Directing your career means that you should be well known externally but also internally,” she says.

Currently she appreciates the role she has in leading her team as they work with top clients, providing creative solutions to meet their needs. “It’s vital for us to position ourselves as trusted advisors,” she says.

The Model Professional Role Model
While Lucena doesn’t have one specific role model, she said she has worked with many professionals who embodied the qualities a role model should have. She believes the key attributes that a role model should portray are to be: motivated about their work with a desire to inspire that in others; hard-working; a good listener; impeccable skills; trustworthy; and a greater manager in stressful situations.

“If the person at the top isn’t showing that, it’s hard for the rest of the team.” Mostly, she believes that a leader has to be that person who inspires others to do their best.

In herself, Lucena believes that the qualities that have led to her success include her positive attitude, being hard-working, her persistence – her ability to see a goal and pursue it; combined with her ambition. “By that I mean ambition in the positive sense – not that you want to harm others but that you are eager to achieve success.” She also knows it’s important to be yourself – that everyone has their own way of doing things and there’s not one right way. “If you are not natural, you will lose credibility,” she says.

Committed to Equal Opportunities
Lucena believes that the firm is conscious of cultural barriers and is proactive in addressing those issues. She says PwC Spain has identified factors that need to be changed and is taking actions to achieve results, though the implementation will take time. On a global scale, PwC is committed to International Women’s Day, which celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of women. While research and media are currently dominated with a focus on women in leadership and on corporate boards, the firm knows that to achieve sustainable change the public and private sectors must change the conversation: they must also focus on developing talented junior women now for future leadership role.

And that is the focus of a group in which Lucena is active — the global Women in PwC group, which was formed by women partners as a vehicle to share their experiences and the barriers they have overcome, to help pave the way for other women. It needs intensified efforts to achieve measurable results. And aside from formal groups, Lucena says that PwC offers access to a variety of ways that professionals of both genders and at all levels can improve their skills. “PwC is focused on supporting the best and the brightest.”

Outside the Office
Lucena enjoys the time she has with her 10-year-old son in the morning, taking him to school. She appreciates that PwC allows her that flexibility to spend that special time each day.

Cooking on the weekend relaxes her – paella is a specialty, and she enjoys skiing and biking with her family. “Since my work is time consuming, whenever I have a personal moment, I recognize the importance of it and take the time to revel in it and make the most of it.”

By Cathie Ericson