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NAAHP Blog

Laurence Bigio

12.28.2015

Leadership Spotlight

Article By: NAAHP

What is your occupation and academic background and how did you come to work in this field?

I am a mother of three beautiful children who studied marketing and international business and went on to become Executive Vice President and Board Member for Haiti’s first multinational and largest private industrial group. Individually ranked, the GB Group is the largest private contributor to the State and collaborates with over 4,000 employees across Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, St. Maarten, Panama and the United States.

Having studied marketing, it was a natural step that I form and lead the Marketing Department as Marketing President being responsible for the group’s corporate image as a whole, its 9 divisions (Agriculture, Construction, Consumer Goods, Energy, Finance, Infrastructure, Logistics, Media & Trading) and its 24 operating companies.

What is the biggest challenge of your work? Identify one or two of your proudest achievements?

This variety of business segments makes for a daily challenge: how to market an individual company with a specific target market that in-and-of-itself is part of a greater division while preserving the holding Group’s corporate presence. It’s not an easy task but one that I’m faced with and tackle everyday to the best of my ability constantly seeking innovation and improvement.

Another great test is balancing a very demanding job in which 24/7 is sometimes an understatement while fulfilling all the other vital roles in life: mother, daughter, friend, self.

Most recently (my biggest challenge and proudest achievement in the professional spectrum), I spearheaded the launch of Haiti’s first and only weekly news magazine: Challenges, where I continue to serve as publisher. This is an entirely new field for me as it is for the GB Group. Having taken about a year to research, develop, and ultimately roll-out, Challenges magazine not only involves an impressive circulation in Haiti but also carries an aggressive multi-platform campaign including: a comprehensive bilingual site, vigorous presence in all the main social media channels and a state-of-the-art app. Challenges aims to bridge the gap with the diaspora, offer in-depth articles that show Haiti in a different light, and is ultimately committed to Haiti’s long term development.

What leaders, thinkers or doers do you admire most? Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In ten years, I see myself expanding our GB Media division to create a comprehensive multimedia platform including tv, radio, vlogs, blogs and any new medium available to bridge the gap between Haiti and its diaspora. Additionally, I will spearhead a new GB Marketing division not only to continue serving the Group’s ever-growing publicity, advertising and merchandising needs, but to also lend this expertise to other companies looking for integral marketing solutions.

I greatly admire my father, Gilbert Bigio, for all of his genuine accomplishments always leading by example and noble principles. He is a man of few words; words I treasure for their perspective, profoundness and wisdom. I take no advice of his lightly and measure my actions emulating his. These values I try to instill in my children and this is the attitude that I bring to work everyday in the hopes that I may become a mentor and example to my team and coworkers. Being an independent woman, I also admire strong, determined, intelligent women such as Golda Meir, Indira Ghandi & Margaret Thatcher for their audacity and resolve.

What would be your advice to young people who want their careers and lives to have impact?

My greatest advice would be to study something that truly inspires and challenges you. Loving what you do each day with great passion is what ensures a responsible work ethic, a positive attitude and a professional approach to obstacles. In addition to a suitable formation and an ongoing necessity to improve and perfect on your technical skills, your values and principles are what keep you loyal, get your foot in the door and guarantee your livelihood.

NAAHP
NAAHP

National Alliance for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals

NAAHP is focused on connecting a global community of peers with career advancement resources as well as fostering transformative relationships to strengthen Haiti through philanthropy and social entrepreneurship.

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