#Newsmaker: Fara Naomi Macias, new head of marketing at GC Aesthetics

Within just two years, Macias was able to achieve market leadership in a highly competitive environment. She was instrumental in driving demand generation, category creation and market recovery, as well as building customer and partner engagement across the region. Her extensive experience with GC Aesthetics products and other aesthetic adjacent products as compression garments, skincare or surgical tools will serve her well in this new position.

Fara will be based in Barcelona, Spain overseeing worldwide marketing efforts and will be working in connection with all departments and particularly with the sales team in order to execute several upcoming product launches coming up at GC Aesthetics. Her capability in brand building, digital marketing and organisational leadership will be integral for GCA to continue its global growth.

We caught up with Macias who shares with us more about her career journey and what it took to get to where she is today.

1. Congrats on your appointment. How do you feel about it?

Very proud and deeply humbled. It's exciting to be a part of a company that puts women’s health first.

2. When is/was the effective date?

I started in my new role on 20 July.

3. What excites you most about the company and where it’s going?

There are a lot of exciting opportunities that come with this role. First, working with “the world”: different countries, languages, local custom and uses, but also, I'm excited about many launches in our pipeline, that will contribute to plastic surgeons and women having more options when it comes to aesthetic enhancement and breast reconstruction.

Additionally, I’m very excited about where the company stands... Over three million women across the world have our breast implants today, and we work tirelessly to keep safety on the top of our agenda. It just thrills me to be a part of GCA.

4. What do you love most about your career in marketing?

I love that no two single days in my career have been the same. It’s an everchanging world and an everchanging field… I like the fact that you can never assume you are at the top of your game. I love the continuous learning, the new tools and finding new ways to connect to your community, customers and people.

5. Any career highlights you’re particularly proud of?

For starters, this new position! It feels like breaking the glass ceiling! I started out as a copywriter in a medical device company and worked my way up: hard work, commitment and believing in myself were key drivers.

6. Tell us a bit about your experience and how it has equipped you for your new position.

I started as a copywriter and in my quest for being the most experienced and knowledgeable person writing about medical devices, I found myself reaching out to the right people… I wanted to understand the best way to 'sell' these products, so I took myself to the front line, hand in hand with the local sales team going door-to-door. I needed to understand not only who we were selling to, but how, and this is a key differentiator in marketing: you can say the right things and do the right things, but if you’re not in the right place, 90% of what you say isn’t getting to whom you need.

The fact that I’ve been eight years in the medical device business and have this experience will be and is a differentiator for me and how I envision getting things done. I have no fancy PhD… I have field experience in launching the GC Aesthetics brand in Mexico and making it, with a fabulous and very talented team, the breast market leader. I always say my experience is about: passion, patience and persistence.

Do not settle. https://t.co/xH1GoH9Jsy

— Fara Naomi Macías (@FaraNaomi) August 30, 2017

Can I say absolutely everything?! I love the new life I’m creating (I relocated from Mexico to Spain), the being able to start with a new team (that is, by the way, 100% female), the product launches in our pipeline… This new role has a lot of exciting challenges. I look forward to excelling in all!

8. What’s at the top of your to-do list (at work)?

A new product launch that is taking place in October! It has been quite a challenge in these last 50 days I’ve been with GCA. I’m so excited that everything is coming together. My main focus overseeing the final plans for execution.

9. What are you currently reading/watching/listening to for work?

Currently between two books: The 5 AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life. by Robin Sharma and The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. Both are great and have helped me these last couple of weeks. Recommended read!

10. Tell us something about yourself not generally known?

I was the first woman in my Mexican family to have a degree. Different circumstances as poverty, sexism and social structure had made it difficult for previous generations… That is why I am so proud to be here today... I am trailblazing a path, while humbly and gratefully recognising those who paved the way.

Not only marketing, but the world. First, I must say, gender shouldn’t be a factor in whether or not someone can be a great leader — the leadership abilities should depend on individual strengths and personality traits. However, I truly believe women make great leaders, and there should be more! Nothing excites me more than seeing news about women being appointed CEOs, CFOs, heads of marketing, and seeing women succeed in their own companies… The future is female.