Author Archives: hkoffron

What is invisible but essential about YOU? or ESADE? or Barcelona?

The year 2010 proved disastrous for my family. My father, a businessman, faced severe business issues and got embroiled with considerable debt. The family struggled, and as a teenager, I faced financial and emotional issues at home. Faced challenges on multiple fronts, I also learned the most important lessons of my life at this time. 

My grandfather took charge of the situation and played a significant role in helping us decide the next steps. As a lesson, he advised that to err is human and, the family needs to overcome hardships like these together as a team. That year, I truly understood the need and value of being a part of the team.

“The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives’’ so aptly applied to our family crisis  and we, as a family, survived this ordeal together after a struggle of 2 years. The situation also gave a new perspective to my approach in my professional as well as personal life. The lesson made me understand the true meaning of teamwork, and ever since that day, I have genuinely applied it in my professional life. Whatever I have accomplished today, it would not have been possible without the people who worked with me. And I think, full being able to understand what it means to be part of a team, and supporting each and every member, and at the same time learning from them, is one of the two important invisible but essential about myself.

The MBA has only helped me improve on this ability, it has made me look at things from such a broad prospective. I have realised, Knowledge can come through intense conversations within the walls of the classroom or even casual discussions of mutual interest. And it’s not just knowledge; instead, it’s the mindset that I have been able to adopt from the brilliant minds of this MBA Class. So always listening, and learning from others would be my second invisible but essential trait.

My years of self-improvement have led to my meaningful transformation and groomed me to become the person I am today, and this wouldn’t have been possible without my invisible but essential traits. The ability to support team members, and being truly loyal, at the same time, listening and understanding people, is what truly defines me, and I am only looking for more experiences that I can help me improve myself.

What is invisible but essential about YOU? or ESADE? or Barcelona?

What’s essential about me is that I am passionate about Inclusion & Diversity and mental health, particularly in the workplace.

With 2 science degrees (Bachelors and Masters), I am a scientist by training and a mining professional. My interest in geology and the resources industry comes from the very practical application of scientific practice and thought.

What is not widely known is that the mining industry in Australia continues to be male-dominated, with only 18% of the workforce being women. Furthermore, people who work in the mining industry in Australia suffer much worse levels of poor mental health, exhibited through the fact that mining professionals are 80% more likely to die from suicide.

These two core issues have spurred me into action in the workplace, and I am motivated to work each day in the mining industry to make it a better place than where I found it, both as a professional and as a leader.

On a personal level, I have experienced gender-based discrimination, misogynist attitudes, and sexual harassment on the job. When I was hired for my first position, my peers often asked (“jokingly”, I was told) if I was hired as a receptionist. Even with two geology degrees, many people assumed I worked in administration, rather than as a geologist. I have frequently been the only woman in production meetings, and have also experienced the gender pay gap firsthand.

In reaction to these experiences, I have strived to build an inclusive workplace by mentoring young women in mining. Along with campaigning for female specific work uniforms (Personal Protective Equipment) and speaking up about sexual harassment and assault in the workplace, I make it a point to promote a ‘safe to speak up’ culture in my teams so that I can develop all team members to achieve their career goals.

Like anyone, my mental health goes up and down, and is particularly at risk if I am stressed, fatigued, or when there are external factors outside of my control (such as work or family situations). As such, I ensure to keep on top of my mental health by seeing a psychologist when I need. I view this as very normal (after all, you go and see a doctor when you have a cold, why wouldn’t you see a psychologist when you’re feeling down?), but unfortunately, I feel this is still incredibly stigmatized. When I became a people leader for the first time, I made sure to get my Mental Health First Aid, so that I could respond appropriately to mental health crisis situations, and also be a better supervisor. I also speak up about my own mental health journey to reduce the stigma.

The promotion of I&D and mental health is a core of who I am. It’s turning into my life’s passion, and I can’t imagine having a career without having a component of this advocacy work. Perhaps it’s not particularly invisible about me, as I am vocal and unapologetic about it, but it’s of vital importance yet still invisible to some, as we don’t talk about it enough.

What is invisible but essential about YOU? or ESADE? or Barcelona?

What’s essential about me is that I have an aptitude for risk, and this has enabled me to authentically develop myself as a global professional.

People may be surprised to learn that not only was I offered a job on a two-hour plane ride, but that I accepted the position and relocated from Canada to England for the role.

As I smiled at passengers shuffling into their seats on a plane ride from London to Austria in 2016, I would never have guessed that a few hours later, one of those strangers would be my future boss.

Most people call me an extrovert. I’ve always found it easy to strike up conversations with people I meet. Naturally, I fell into a discussion about the eCommerce industry with the man who sat next to me on the plane. As a Bachelor of Commerce student close to graduation, I was delighted to have the opportunity to ask an expert about the booming industry.

After entertaining my questions, the man revealed he was the managing director of the company we had discussed. As the plane ride ended, he handed me a business card, said he liked my enthusiasm and asked if I would consider relocating.

A few months and virtual interviews later, I started my 6-month internship at a cross-border eCommerce solutions company in London run by the man on the plane.

And that is only the beginning—my next step was to move to Taiwan to work for 4 years. What most people don’t know is that I moved without having visited Asia before, and without having a job lined up.  

Like my move to London, I let myself jump into the unknown because I knew I would learn more about myself through immersing myself in a different culture.

Taiwan is incredibly different from London or Canada. There were very few other foreign female professionals in Taiwan — especially under the age of 30 like me. Although incredibly rewarding, it could be a challenging new environment to navigate at times.

But along with the challenges, I learned to be completely comfortable in my own skin. I felt that by pushing my boundaries yet again and succeeding, I found a new level of confidence and developed valuable skills, like communicating beyond language barriers.

Even in a professional context, I was exposed to different working styles, and learned how to work with people from all around the world.

I am grateful for my unique international career and can’t wait to see where I will be after the ESADE MBA.