Interview with Osvaldo Garcia

Please tell us about yourself and your career journey within Centrient.

My name is Osvaldo Garcia. I am 26 years old, which is fairly young for everyone here in Finance. I started working for Centrient about 2.5 years ago. Most of my time with Centrient has been on site in Mexico as a junior Finance Controller, focusing mainly on regional finance of Mexico-Latin America (MLA), doing sales analyses, budgeting and handling financial data. I was always eager to learn more and expand the scope of my work within the business. I often took up new projects and challenges, trying to gain knowledge of the business beyond my role. This helped me get a fast tracked promotion to a global role as the group controller.

What does your current job look like?

Now, I am working as an Assistant Group Controller and Finance for Growth Project Director. I have been in this new role since August 2020 and had the opportunity to move to Rotterdam in September. Day by day, my work mostly consists of providing analysis and information needed to make proper financial and operational strategic decisions on a global scale. Working on a corporate scale has been a big shift from my regional role, as I am now working directly with executives in our business, having to understand corporate language and interactions on a global scale. Within Centrient, I have always felt heard and very much valued by the senior management, and that open collaboration is what has given me the opportunity to explore, learn and grow.

What do you like the most about working with Centrient?

The part I appreciate most about working with Centrient is the people and the knowledge they share. On every project, we work as a team and collaborate with colleagues across every function. Getting to see the organisation from the global perspective that I have now, it is clear that our leaders are very globally connected and involved. Each day I feel empowered by the leaders and colleagues that I work with.

I also like working at Centrient because it is a company that has strong values related to caring for the community, something that is very important to me. The current MLA project which supports refugees to be part of technical operations is one of them, this not only gives them a new opportunity, but also returns them to be a productive part of the society.

How did Centrient enable you in meeting your career aspirations?

Centrient always provided me with open avenues for development and promotion to larger responsibilities. Whether it was collaborating on new projects or taking up new roles, there is always adequate opportunities to grow yourself here. Leaders within the organization are eager to give responsibility and trust to those who work for it.

One of my primary goals in my career as a Finance professional is to eventually work on my way to achieve better positions, so I am very excited that Centrient gives a strong path toward these goals and I am excited about it. Leadership programs, continuous training and working abroad programs are matching with my professional experience.

What advice would you give to others on finding new opportunities and growing within the organisation?

Never stop questioning. You must ask questions to forward your knowledge. Understand what you are doing, why you are doing it, and how you will execute it most efficiently and effectively. Challenge your results to always be searching for better. If you want to develop within Centrient its not only knowing about your position but also knowing about everything you can know to understand the business: customers, suppliers, and competition. Development is an ongoing process and challenging your boundaries by asking questions will always take you far.