Candidate stories: Carlina Marani
Gepubliceerd op 17-07-2022
From studying Italian language and literature to completely taking apart and rebuilding computers, Carlina’s career path is full of surprising twists. Recently, she embarked on a new role at Accenture in Dubai. We had the opportunity to contribute to this exciting step, and we spoke to her about her experience.
You've been working at Accenture for a while now. Can you tell us more about your role and the organization?
“Accenture is a consultancy firm, and within consultancy, they have several areas of expertise. Before I was hired, these fields operated somewhat independently. Accenture wanted to strengthen the connection between the different business units but realized they lacked enough sales capacity for large, complex deals. That’s where the role of a market maker comes in. Accenture wants to increase revenue, particularly from these bigger deals, which is what I focus on in my role. I do this for the Asiam region (Africa, Southeast Asia, India, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East).”
"Ten years ago, I could never have imagined that I would be sitting here today as a Senior Director at Accenture Dubai."
You're now a market maker, but how did your career begin?
“I studied Italian Language and Literature in Leiden. After my studies, I decided that since I had studied the language, I wanted to explore the country as well. So, I moved to Italy and lived in Milan for five years. In Milan, I found myself in the sales world, taking on sales and consultancy roles for various companies, mainly within the chemical sector. It was difficult to progress as a foreign woman in Italy, which was one of the reasons I returned to the Netherlands. Meanwhile, I had developed an interest in computers. I could take apart and rebuild my PC, which led me to explore the IT sector. Eventually, I ended up at Dell, where my career in the IT world truly began.
After that, I worked for several IT companies like Microsoft, InterAccess (now SLTN), which is also an IBM business partner. After InterAccess, I spent ten years at IBM in various roles, starting in software sales and advancing to a global position as a director. Then Elles crossed my path…”
How did the process with Elles and Women in Sales unfold for you?
“Initially, Sabine reached out to me on LinkedIn. It was for a position that was below my level and based in the Netherlands. My first reaction was a bit irritated, and I said the role was completely beneath me. But hats off to Sabine—she convinced me to have a conversation. During the call, I explained more about my profile and what I was looking for. Specifically, I had been exploring opportunities abroad, with a strong preference for Dubai. Sabine mentioned that Elles had a call scheduled with Accenture in Dubai and suggested I get in touch if I was interested. I wasn’t open to Accenture Netherlands, but I was open to Dubai, and I was already in a global role and wanted to keep it that way.
So, I spoke with Elles, and she took my CV into the process right away. Soon after, I had my first interview. After many interviews, I took a week off in May to complete the final interviews, so I didn’t have to juggle them alongside my current job. By the end of May, I signed the contract and resigned from IBM. The moving container was already at my door before my background check, references, and other formalities were even completed.”
It might sound cliché, but what does your future look like?
“Honestly, I have no idea, but I think that’s a valuable career tip. The HR director at IBM once said, ‘Your career path isn’t a straight line.’ What I hope is that, in the next ten years, I’ll be as happy at Accenture Dubai as I was for ten years at IBM, and that I can take a few more steps forward. I also hope to stay in Dubai for the next eight years, so my daughter can finish school here. But above all, I hope my family and I continue to enjoy our time here. If Accenture doesn’t work out, I don’t see that as a problem, because, as I said, my career isn’t a linear path. Maybe moving to Dubai was meant to be, but I might end up at another company, or stay in this role for the next eight years. We’ll see, and I’ll do my best to make it a success. Ten years ago, I couldn’t have imagined that I’d be here now, as a senior director at Accenture Dubai.”
