Women In Leadership: Martha Angelica Triana

The Women In Leadership series by Bureau Veritas Certification compiles a variety of interviews from our female managers, providing a platform to speak on the challenges and opportunities they have faced throughout their careers. Join us each month to hear the stories of some of our many #WomenInLeadership.

Upon receiving her degree in Chemical Engineering, a newly graduated Martha Angelica Triana began her career in product inspection 26 years ago. Today, she heads Commodities and Certification for Colombia after working her way up through Bureau Veritas Certification. She speaks on the importance of gender equality in the workplace and how managers can help their teams overcome obstacles resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

What does your average workday look like?

Colombia has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, so a typical workday today looks very different than 18 months ago. I spend a lot of time in meetings and my days usually comprise five or six video calls with clients and teams. As my role involves both commodities and certification, I manage around 800 people. Out of those, around 300 fall under the certification umbrella, including our team of auditors. Managing a team of this size is no small feat while working from home but we have put the necessary tools in place to be able to work as efficiently as possible.

This past year has presented us all with never-before-seen challenges. For me, it has been harder to carve out time to think about strategic projects. This is a key part of my job and something I value, so it’s important for me to find those moments where I can gain perspective and think about the future.

How has your career evolved over time?

I hold a degree in Chemical Engineering and that led me to my first job at Bureau Veritas as a chemical products inspector. I soon moved to inspecting products coming off ships at ports in Colombia. I then spent 10 years in sales and marketing, which was hugely beneficial and eventually brought me to my first position in managing certification. I started that role in Venezuela and after about a year and a half came back to Colombia.

I have been in my current position for 10 years now, with new responsibilities being added yearly. This is how I returned to Commodities two years ago – but this time to head it. It’s an area I’m passionate about, and I see real synergies between the two businesses.

What challenges have you had to overcome in your career and how did you succeed?

Working at the ports could sometimes be very tricky. The environment was complex and I found myself being refused entry to some ships just for being a woman! Thankfully, my bosses and mentors were supportive and took this type of incident seriously.

Bureau Veritas Certification promotes and respects gender diversity and equality. Although there are some areas of our work that remain male-dominant, female empowerment is a core value for us. A lot of auditors for certification schemes are women, but female commodities inspectors are less common. This is something we are aware of, talking about, and working to improve.

Do you still see barriers for women in leadership today?

The pandemic has shown us that the gender gap is still widespread. In Colombia, many women who have managed to keep their jobs are burdened with working from home while simultaneously running a household. I firmly believe that family responsibilities should be undertaken by both women and men, and this is not yet the case universally.

At Bureau Veritas Certification we have taken on this challenge. We accommodate everyone, whether that means adjusting meeting timetables or allowing flexible remote days. Working from home has become the new norm and we must recognize the situation this has put many parents in and enable the fair division of household work during and after the pandemic.

Thank you to Martha Angelica Triana for taking the time to answer our questions. For more of our #WomenInLeadership series, keep an eye on our website. We have more great interviews coming soon.