3 min read
Working in FOREO: Evan Lai, General Manager of Spain and Portugal
![Evan Lai, General Manager of Spain and Portugal FOREO](https://assets.foreo.com/files/static/images/mysa_work_03.jpg)
We’re turning our attention to the Iberian Peninsula to catch up with GM of Spain and Portugal, Evan Lai, to hear her perspectives on business and balancing the professional and personal.
Before we dive in, can you tell us a bit about the professional background of one Evan Lai? My professional background is diverse, with over 11 years of experience working with MNCs and start-ups within conglomerates. My experience has been around building structures and teams. I have been extremely fortunate to have worked in the hospitality, travel, retail and health & wellness sector. And what was it about FOREO that made you want to join the team? The opportunity to help build a brand that is essentially the pioneer of its sector and driven by innovations and endless possibilities. In doing so, I am able to be a part of something that can ultimately make an impact on different people! As one of FOREO’s female leaders, how would you characterize the corporate culture for women in the Iberian market? Despite the progress since the days of Franco and an increasing number of women in managerial positions in Spain, unfortunately, the corporate landscape is still predominantly male driven. Women in Spain, like many other countries, are still needing to fight the societal stereotypes of being female. Stereotypes that are reinforced at a very young age, from the roles we should assume, the princesses we all want to be, to the colours we want to wear and the career paths we want to take. The corporate culture of a company is increasingly important for fighting these stereotypes and can be used as a tool to encourage, empower and support women to fight and shatter any preconceived notions or labels. Even though women have been fighting this since the new era of democracy, we are really only starting to see changes, with more awareness and exposure of the topics such as women executive representation, gender pay difference, treatment of women in the workplace, and very recently with historical appointment of 11 (out of 17) female ministers in June 2018. There is still a lot of work ahead for us here in the Iberia market, and it is no longer just about women having a seat at the table, and more about levelling the field.![Iberian Team FOREO](https://assets.foreo.com/files/static/images/wp-text/mysa_work_02-850x477_1.jpg)
![Evan Lai](https://assets.foreo.com/files/static/images/wp-text/mysa_work_01-850x477_1.jpg)
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