Women in the procurement sector can often be underrepresented. At Proxima, we’re passionate about changing this and supporting the careers of the women in the business every step of the way.
In the latest installment of our Women in Procurement series, we spoke to Principal Consultant Amie Garcia and Consultant Jessica Giannecchini about their experience moving from in-house procurement roles to consultancy.
Amie joined the delivery team in our Chicago office almost two years ago, with a background in industries including Restaurant, Retail, Manufacturing, and Not-for-profit. Bringing a wealth of experience to her role, Amie has successfully delivered a number of projects and is currently leading an engagement for a Fortune 20 retail pharmaceutical chain.
Making the leap from industry to a fast-paced consultancy such as Proxima is not without its challenges. By leveraging the experience of her consulting colleagues and stepping out of her comfort zone, Amie has actively sought opportunities in our business to pivot her career and accelerate her professional growth in the world of consulting – showcasing her strengths to deliver award-winning results for her clients.
Amie has quickly progressed to Principal Consultant and, following on from her own positive experience, goes above and beyond her day-to-day role, taking great pride in mentoring and coaching others. Amie sees this element to be one of the most rewarding parts of her role in Proxima, particularly during a rapid period of growth. She has found it satisfying to support her colleagues in developing their skillsets, technical capabilities, and self-confidence, sharing learnings from her experiences in the industry as well as from management consulting along the way.
Like Amie, Jessica also joined Proxima around a year and a half ago from an industry role but is now based in our London office. Having kicked off her career in the automotive industry, and with further experience in the cosmetics, NGOs, and manufacturing industries, Jessica was prepared for a new challenge working with the experienced team at Proxima.
During her time at the company, Jessica has worked across a range of projects and teams. The transformation projects have stood out in particular, helping Jessica to develop a new skillset, and deliver long-lasting change for our clients through their procurement function.
Proxima has supported Jessica’s career through an enthusiastic knowledge-sharing culture. She has used available resources and tools since her first day on the job, and these have helped her to grow her confidence and further leverage the knowledge she had already acquired in industry. By excelling in this way and always looking to add value in her role, Jessica was promoted to Consultant within eight months.
Similarly to Amie, Jessica has made the most of the friendly and supportive attitude of our senior colleagues, who have eagerly shared their insights to help build her confidence while at Proxima and encouraged her to pass that knowledge back to her colleagues through our buddy scheme and informal support networks.
Aside from her client work, Jessica has been involved in creating our Committee On Race Equality (CORE) and holds initiatives around D&I close to her heart. Despite finding it challenging at times, she has found it rewarding to be a part of internal initiatives like CORE. Her key piece of advice to aspiring consultants is to challenge yourself, as it builds resilience, great knowledge, and helps you truly immerse in an exciting new environment.
We’re proud to have such experienced professionals such as Amie and Jessica on board at Proxima. We’re excited to see how they continue to apply their outside knowledge to our client briefs.
At Proxima, we believe gender equality is a necessary foundation for creating a prosperous and sustainable workplace. Find out more about our group the Gender Equality Network, which champions equal opportunities for all employees.
