Graduate shares experience leading an e-commerce company

He is an industrial engineer from the Soacha campus and holds a master's degree in supply chain management. He chose UCundinamarca because of its curriculum and its proximity to home. “I liked that the program had a multidisciplinary approach, encompassing finance, administration, production, logistics, and occupational health. Also, at that time, I lived in Bosa El Recreo with my family, which made commuting convenient.”.

While she was studying for her degree, she learned from a friend that they were hiring cashiers at the Cencosud supermarket chain, unaware that this would be the start of a successful career. “I went through the entire interview and psychometric testing process, and in the end, they accepted me to work at the warehouse in Bosa.”.

This went on for quite some time, until he learned there was an opening for a purchasing analyst in the home goods section. It was 2012, and he had already graduated. “I applied again, and thanks to the training I had received at university, I was chosen to handle negotiations with suppliers, promotions, and accounting closings. From there, I soon moved up to purchasing professional in the hydrocarbons department. There, I was responsible for acquiring all the fuels for their network of service stations.”.

Speaking deliberately, he explains that in 2019 he decided to change jobs, working for a textile company that handled supplies, and then for Unilever, a multinational with 149,000 employees worldwide and a presence in 54 countries, producing items such as shampoo and soap, among others. “The latter was a very good experience, as I managed two people who handled negotiations with suppliers for e-commerce.”.

But his biggest challenge came later. Thanks to his experience and life skills, the democratic values, civility, and freedom he received at UCundinamarca, he arrived at Laika, an e-commerce company that is already shaping up to be a multinational, with a presence in Mexico, Chile, and Colombia, and is on track to become a unicorn startup—a company that reaches a valuation of $1 billion—in the next decade.

“I work there as a purchasing manager, and I'm responsible for acquiring all the mass-market pet products, such as food, medicine, and accessories. I have six subordinates who help me achieve this goal of providing excellent customer service.”.

She now lives in an apartment near Boulevard Niza and is a true reflection of the idea that education is the path to social mobility, as economists call it; that's why she doesn't hesitate to give advice to the new generations. “I would tell them that you graduate from university and think you're going to have it made, and that's not true.

In that vein, and from a personal perspective, I would recommend that they come with an open mind and always with the desire to learn and give their best in order to climb the ladder in the professional world. Professionally, they should focus heavily on advanced Excel skills, and those who are interested in the world of systems should at least complete a diploma in software development or programming.

This is the young man who plans to study a master's degree abroad and learn a language in the future, goals that he will surely achieve, since his education bears the mark of the Transmodern Digital Educational Model of UCundinamarca.

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