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Maria-Claudia
ALVAREZ
Argentinean citizen
Aviation Department, Refining &
Marketing, Paris, France. International
Negotiator.
Business and corporate management degree
from Universidad del Centro Educativo Latinoamericano
(UCEL) in Rosario, Argentina and an MBA
from Universidad del CEMA (UCEMA) in Buenos
Aires, Argentina.
Seniority in the Group: 8 years. First with
Total Lubricantes Argentina and then with
the Aviation Department in Paris.
After graduating from UCEL in Rosario, I
first worked as a purchasing manager for
Unilever in Argentina. In 1998, I decided
I wanted to go back to school to get an
MBA. There weren’t any programs available
in Rosario, so I had to go to Buenos Aires.
On deck for the
opening of Total Lubricantes Argentina.
I started by looking for a new job in Buenos
Aires. I’d heard that Total might
be opening a lubricants subsidiary, so I
applied. After a few interviews, I was hired
as head of logistics and marketing for the
brand new subsidiary, called Total Lubricantes
Argentina.
My duties were quite vast, as I had to recruit
and train teams to manage purchasing, marketing,
the warehouses and after-sales service.
I hadn’t forgotten about my MBA, however.
Thanks to our relationship of trust, I was
able to juggle work and study on a flextime
basis. Total financed 50% of the program,
which I did in 1999 and 2000.
1999 was also the year in which Elf and
Total merged. The merger took effect in
Argentina in 2001, and I was appointed logistics
manager for the two brands.
Off to France.
In June 2002, I came to France to take up
a position as International Negotiator in
Paris. I joined the Aviation Department—or
to be specific, the international unit.
There are five negotiators, each in charge
of a specific region. I handle Latin America,
Spain, Portugal and Central Europe. It’s
a job that requires strong people skills
and a great deal of travel to see customers.
To sell our Jet A1, commonly known as kerosene,
we respond to requests for proposals from
airlines. In my region, I’m responsible
for managing the customer portfolio, tracking
the markets and setting price policy for
the airports where we work. I manage some
40 airlines and 20 airports, representing
a total of around 400,000 metric tons of
Jet A1 per year.
Support over the
long term.
The thing I like best here is that Total
really puts an emphasis on developing its
people, on supporting them over the long
term and transmitting know-how. Training
and career management are two of their strengths.
Take me for example. Since moving to Paris,
I’ve been through seven training courses—understanding
the Group, human resources, negotiation,
management, foreign language, etc.
The last session I attended was the 10-day
Business Skills course, which develops managerial
competencies by focusing on finance, human
resources, economics, marketing, and more.
It was a natural step in a career path that
could well include greater managerial responsibilities
in the future. It’s also a great opportunity
to meet and exchange with other Total team
members. You can build up a network within
the different businesses and get a broader
view of the Company—a multi-professional,
multi-cultural view in particular.
Normally, we change positions every three
or four years. For my part, my next assignment
should also be in Paris, at headquarters,
with the goal of gaining new competencies.
In the long run, I’d like to leave
Paris to help lead a subsidiary, for example.
Base: summer 2006.
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