Building Legacies and Breaking Barriers: Melanny Lopez
We recently had the privilege of having an insightful conversation with Melanny Lopez, Co-Founder of Mogul 360 Marketing, a marketing consultancy serving F&B and FMCG brands in Dubai and Manila. With more than two decades of experience in marketing, communications, business, and channel development, Melanny has a proven track record of driving growth and brand excellence across industries. With her expertise spanning across multinational brands as well as start-ups, Melanny Lopez skilfully balances agility and stability, while offering value for the business and consumers.
Spark Behind the Journey
We started the interview by asking, “What inspired your journey as a female leader, and how have you navigated the challenges of being in a leadership role in a foreign country?”
Melanny shared, “Although I grew up used to being in leadership roles back from the time I was a student to the beginning of my career, I didn’t join companies with the agenda of being in higher management someday. Office politics never interested me at all. For the roles I was recognized in, my being female had nothing to do with how I worked. It was mainly my drive to achieve objectives for my function and contribute more and beyond to the group.
Climbing up the ladder came gradually. Being in a foreign country is more challenging since I felt that most of the credentials I have that would’ve given me leverage back at home, such as having graduated from our country’s top university or being a state scholar from high school to college, are not even factored here. Being in a country like the UAE, which has over 80% expats, with its vast cultural diversity and fierce competition makes it tough for anyone to navigate through.”
An Empowering Story: More About Melanny Lopez’s Role
Interested to learn more about her role and current offerings, we posed the question, “Can you share more about your current role and the business you lead? How do you use your platform to drive inclusivity and empowerment?”
“I’ve been in marketing and business development roles mostly from top multinational companies, starting from the bottom as a marketing assistant to eventually working my way up. Currently, I have my marketing consultancy managing projects for both start-ups and MNCs mostly in F&B. Lastly, and the most fun is, having built a beach house for holiday rental in one of the nicest resorts in the Philippines.
I use my platform to offer opportunities to young talents, regardless of their gender or nationality. While some basic experience is required, I welcome those who are eager to learn and broaden their horizons by assigning projects that I know will give them good solid experiences. I respect young people who have the drive to succeed early in life and are not afraid to take risks and go beyond their comfort zones.” Melanny explained.
Navigating Through Prejudice and Challenging Phases
We were interested to learn what obstacles Melanny Lopez faces as a woman in leadership, particularly regarding gender or racial bias, and how she overcomes them.
She mentioned, “Although I’ve never considered my gender or nationality to be a drawback, it is quite unfortunate that being a female coming from a third-world country could sometimes still be a challenge. Sadly, there are still people who see home as the main place for women. Also being a Filipino woman, whose majority of the workforce come from the domestic service industry, which they do so greatly and proudly, I sometimes can’t avoid the prejudgment from others. There were a few times that I’ve been insulted or my opinion disregarded because of prejudice.
Being in a region where males are still considered as dominant and breadwinners, being a woman more so not speaking the local language nor being a Westerner puts me in the bottom of a list, whether it’s for a job application or promotion. And I’m not saying this out of gut feeling, I have had several firsthand experiences of this bias, even including a couple of harassment cases. However, I don’t let those experiences intimidate or dishearten me from pursuing something I want, and I know I’d be good at. At the end of the day, your work, credibility, and legacy will speak for you, not your gender or your nationality.”
Envisioning the Future of Food Industry
We requested Melanny Lopez to share her thoughts on the future of her industry, and how businesses ensure equal opportunities for diverse talent in the field.
She added, “I’m fortunate enough to be in an industry I love, which also happens to be a basic human need – food! Dubai is such a global food hub which makes it even more exciting. In my 20 years here, I’m always thrilled to see new concepts and innovations restaurants and food brands constantly come up with. It gives me pride knowing that I contributed in that space to have launched products that are now successful in the GCC and I’m looking forward to launching more soon.
Regarding equal opportunities, it’s good to see that while males are still dominant, the region is also now evolving to empower women more, far from how it was before. Companies are also now making extra effort to have a good mix of gender and nationalities, even in leadership teams. I think the key here is acknowledging accomplishments and giving credit to where it’s due regardless of anything else. Also, when it comes to tough times and companies must downsize, they should not decide who to let go based on whether a person is a ‘family man’ or a ‘single woman with lesser responsibilities’ or a ‘married woman with a husband to rely on’. That tough decision must be solely based on performance or relevance of the function, not on gender or marital status.”
Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Leaders
Addressing the leaders of tomorrow, we asked, “What advice would you give to women and aspiring leaders striving to break barriers and make an impact in your field?”
Melanny responded, “As a single mother of 2 daughters and a son, first, I always encourage them to pursue what they want. On breaking barriers, I tell my girls that gender bias exists – but never use it as an excuse not to achieve anything. On the other hand, being a woman must not also be used to take advantage of a situation. If they want people to take them seriously regardless of their gender or race, that mentality should start from themselves. Next is while it’s great to have a man who can look after you financially, it’s even greater to have financial independence and reap the rewards from your own efforts.
With regard to leadership, an important note is to treat the company you’re in as your own. Make decisions based on that mindset. Don’t be too proud to roll up your sleeves from time to time if needed to do work that’s ‘below’ your job title. At the same time, also draw a line to keep a balance so that other people don’t undervalue or take advantage of you.
Another advice is to strive to be the manager you wanted to have when you were a junior. True influence comes from respect, not from intimidation.
Finally, never stop learning from experiences and people. Take in all your learnings, combine them with passion, hard work, and most importantly fairness and kindness and nobody could ever bring you down.”
The Art of Balancing in the World of Melanny Lopez
Leading a business comes with challenges—how do you maintain a work-life balance while staying committed to your mission of empowerment and inclusion, we inquired Melanny Lopez.
“I’m lucky to be doing something I love so I do enjoy my work. When I want to take a break from spreadsheets and presentations, I cuddle or play with my fur babies. My 11 cats are also hard work, but they help me keep my balance. I also love learning; may it be a new hobby or a new recipe. I enjoy dining and wining with friends and spending holidays on the beach. Lastly, I find spending time in a shooting range or driving a fast car with rock music blasting to be exhilarating.” Melanny shared.
Follow Melanny Lopez on LinkedIn.
Find Mogul 360 Marketing on LinkedIn and visit their website www.mogul360marketing.com.
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