OUR EPIC WOMEN

As one of the first trainees of EPIC Ethiopia, Almaz displayed quick learning skills and got appointed as a Kansai Operator. After seeing her performance, the management soon promoted her as a Line Leader. She constantly outperformed herself, and with consistent results, she got promoted as a Line supervisor just a few months later. She has also won prizes for her excellent performance.

Most of her time is spent interacting with the associates and educating them about the Right First Time Quality. She also ensures to briefly check on the well-being of their families and themselves. Upon asking, she revealed, “Every leader is first and foremost a people’s person because to get the work done, you have to understand people, guide them in the right way, and keep them motivated”.

Her father was the sole source of income for the family. Being the eldest among 5 children, she always wanted to support her family. Since the beginning of her journey with EPIC, she has been able to support her siblings by taking care of their college fees.

Her Family feels proud of her and says, “Every day seeing her growing gives us satisfaction. Girls from our village are inspired by her. She is a role model for them.”

This is about the aspiring career journey of Fatema. She is the eldest child of her parents. She was very good at academics but due to poverty, she was married immediately after completing her SSC. Initially, she had to overcome many difficulties with her in-laws but luckily with her husband’s support, she continued her studies till HSC. But then suddenly her husband lost his job and she had to discontinue her studies. She then came to Dhaka, knocked on the doors of various factories for a job, and finally landed a job in PGCL.

She started her job as a Quality Inspector. Around the same time, her mother passed away which devastated her. Despite that, she continued to work hard. Management was impressed with her work and saw the potential in her. She was awarded a certificate for her work and was promoted to Quality Supervisor, with better remuneration.

Today she can independently support her family whenever they are in need. But her career aspirations do not stop here. Now she wants to work even better to become the Floor-In-Charge to take on more challenging responsibilities.

Angelina grew up in the Netherlands and gained her business sense from observing her then Businessman father since she was a little girl. She learned from him that no job is ever too small as he did whatever it took to drive success for his company and his employees. He has always been her inspiration in business, and she knew that she wanted to build the tenacity and work ethic that her father always showed her.

She has spent 18 years on the retail side as a merchant, beginning her career as an assistant buyer and moving up to VP DMM. She was an Omni-Channel merchant, and her knowledge has helped our customers to achieve their desired growth results in digital channels. Being on the supplier side now for 3 years, she has quickly pivoted to providing great customer service to our retail partners.

“I love what I do. As it is not just about driving and executing our strategies but helping our customers deliver and execute their strategies. That’s how we win.”

She emphasizes a lot on family time and balances the demands of this high-level job with being a wife and mother of 3. “Balance is important, and I truly do believe we can be successful in both our personal and professional lives and have it all”.

Zahara exemplifies the mantra of work-life balance as a wife to her husband and mother to a little girl.

Her experience within multiple spheres of work, both local and foreign counts for over 15 years. She had been with EPIC for nearly two years and been an integral part of the Senior Leadership team.

A citizen of Sri Lanka, she has lived and worked internationally for many years of her life, where she learned of the richness and subtleties of cultures, ethnic practices, and diverse viewpoints. Specifically, the hard work it takes to thrive in the fast-paced industry that is manufacturing for retail. Yet never losing her sense of care for the thousands of people who constitute this workforce. That for her is the make-up she wears to shatter the glass ceiling.

She never stops learning. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology (Clinical) and a master’s in international human resource management. She is presently on her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior. Yet for her “life” is her greatest university.

“I believe that all women have it in them to drive greatness, be it at work or home making– it is about how authentically you provide other humans the space to grow, their voices to be heard, and their ambitions to be lived.”