August 5th, 2013 – Lima, Perú – Armando Cavero, Managing Director of AIMS Perúpresents each month one newly appointed CEO in the leading business magazine “G de Gestion” in Perú.

Armando Cavero, Managing Partner – AIMS International Executive Search Perú, Ecuador, Bolivia has started in April 2013 to present his new column.

The intention of this column is to interview a newly appointed CEO or high profile “C” position, from the line of sight of an Executive Search Consultant and share with the readers insights of the person, his/her style and among other things, the reasons for him/her to get a new job. The column is called “RECIÉN CAZADO”, which means in English to the point “Just Hunted”.

The forth interview was led with Rizal Bragagnini, the CEO of Quimica Suiza

About Rizal Bragagnini:

  • Current position: CEO, Quimica Suiza (Quicorp)
  • Previous Position: CEO, San Fernando
  • Age: 48 years
  • Marital status: Married, two children
  • Hobby / Sport: Numismatics. Basketball. Reading novels, business books and books about personal improvement
  • Education: Catholic University of Peru, Industrial Engineer

Interview:

Rizal Bragagnini: “I see the organigram reversed: the CEO is at the service of the others”

Does your appointment as CEO of Quimica Suiza mark continuity or a change based on your educational background and experience?

It is rather a summary of everything I’ve done so far. Quimica Suiza covers a wide spectrum in the health sector, mass consumption, serves the industrial market and is developing in retail. I see the opportunity to do this all in Quicorp.

And what does “do everything” mean for a CEO, especially for your direct reports and the organization as a whole?

I think the CEO is at the service of the others and not vice versa, I see the organization inverted. The CEO must be at the base and work for his team which finally enables the client, which is who pays our salaries, to be completely satisfied.

So what do you think what would the people respond who have worked with you if I asked them how you are and what did Rizal Bragagnini expect from you when he managed you?

They would say that I let them the freedom to work, I gave them the support they needed to succeed and I worked for them and with them. In return I waited and I always await commitment, loyalty and passion.

Do you have a recipe, a basic principle that you apply in your day-by-day management?

The three basic ingredients in my recipe are:
Strategy, people and operations.
I have to understand the business, have to know where we are going in the short, medium and long term; where we play and how we will win. As for talent, an adequate organizational structure is key, and in operations, we strive for excellence with the best processes, tools and controls.

Do you forgive mistakes? What do you not tolerate?

Yes, but always ask to “fail fast and cheap” and then learn. What I cannot stand is the lie.

You have been trained in a large corporation like Procter & Gamble and then worked in family businesses. This should have taught you new things. What do you especially remember?

I learned that in family businesses culture forces us to be more flexible because entrepreneurship is much appreciated typically at the beginning. We must be near the shareholders to understand the essence of the company and must take care of the “how” as much as the “what”.

In your previous experience, do you remember anything that surprised you, or was there any
operational or management factor that was not on your horizon?

I remember the incredible thrust of the Peruvian women at Unique, expressed among the direct sales directors. I bear witness of that great effort which was something really amazing, something that surprised me pleasantly.

Do you admire someone special, a mentor to inspire you in your role as CEO?

Two. Steve Jobs was an inspiration for his vision of the future, saying that “the best way to predict the future is to create it”.
As a manager, I admire Phil Jackson, the former coach of the L.A. Lakers and the Chicago Bulls, for its ability to handle geniuses and letting them grow, but in a structured way, within a strategy created by him, the “triangle offense”. That is a concept that has allowed me to surround myself with people who are smarter than me and serve them to achieve the expected results.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

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