Here’s an interview question that Ana Fitzgibbons, Diageo Director of Alcohol in Society, North America, has pledged to never ask: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”
"At any point in my career, or almost any point in my life, I would have gotten the answer to that totally wrong. I would’ve been eliminating what I consider to be key to many of my proudest accomplishments: going for the uncomfortable choice," she explains.
Aspiring to work in a company with similar values
Five years previously, her role, as it’s defined today, didn’t exist. Five years before that, Ana admits she would never have put Connecticut on her list of places to live. Five years before that, she wouldn’t have quit her job to go to grad school in Spain. "You get the point!" she adds.
"At a young age, those risky, uncomfortable choices were taken for me. It’s how I wound up in Ohio at 10 years old after living in Venezuela my whole life and how I wound up spending most of my life in Miami, where I first joined Diageo in 2015. It was, at the time, exactly what I was aspiring to – an internal comms role at a large company whose values aligned with mine," she says.
Finding a home with Diageo
Ana knew early on that she had found a professional home at Diageo. After a year of being in her role working for Latin America, an opportunity came up to do a very similar role in Diageo's then North American headquarters in Connecticut. This wasn't where she thought she and her husband would move to as newlyweds, but it was an opportunity to make a real impact on culture and work for Diageo’s largest market.
"Lucky for me I’d just married a man who was fully aligned with my uncomfortable choice approach and has always been my biggest fan," she says.
Learning about strategy and business
Ana loved the role. She got to travel to Diageo sites and meet the people behind the brands, which gave her an understanding of how Diageo's strategy and business operates.
"I even had the chance to lead the internal team that designed our gorgeous bar at our current HQ in Manhattan, Bar Deco!" she adds.
Making new career moves
In 2020, as Diageo launched its Spirit of Progress 10-year action plan, an opportunity to get involved in Diageo's Society agenda came up – a longtime personal passion for Ana.
"It was scary to move into a new space, but I had to do it! Today, I beam with pride any time I speak about the work I lead in Promoting Positive Drinking. I look forward to the next career move that makes me uncomfortable – just don’t ask what I see myself doing in 5 years," she concludes.
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.