Maktub!

Maktub is an Arabic popular saying that means "It was written!", meaning it was always meant to happen/to be.

I have come to appreciate and notice this word more and more.  As I have found that there are things that are meant to be…  One of those is working for ExxonMobil.  Today, I celebrate my 24th anniversary with the Company. Something that never crossed my mind, as I came to Mobil Oil Ecuador, at the time, to get the work experience required to enroll in an MBA.

All these years have been filled with growth, opportunities and challenges that have shaped who I am today.  If you pay attention to the picture that I am sharing today, look at the word on my overall… Yes! The name of the company where many years after I will embark on my professional journey.  Maktub!

At University one of my internships involved creating a marketing and sales plan for a service station… My friends at school joked with me that I was going to end up working at a gas station… and to my surprise I became the HR Manager of CORS (Company Own Retail Stores) for Latin American and later in the US. I had the honor to care for and manage an organization of 6,000 employees and a team spread in various countries.  It was the best experience in every sense possible.  That business showed me the birth, growth and closure of an operation.  But most importantly the power of a team (together everybody achieves more)… we truly created the “Dream Team.”

CORS and the collection of many other assignments prepared me for Guyana, where I had the pleasure and honor to be on the team that built the ExxonMobil affiliate to give birth to the Oil & Gas industry for the country.  I led the HR operation establishment and growth.   One of the most rewarding experiences that I hold close to my heart.

ExxonMobil has been my chosen playground for many years.  I am grateful for the work and international experiences, the awesome people and friendships, and most of all the growth and opportunities to develop myself and those around me.  I have become a better person and I am happy that my efforts touched many communities and people’s lives in the countries that I have worked for.

Maktub … a powerful word … ExxonMobil was meant to be in my professional journey…