Steve Jordan interviews Laura Ganon, the new FIDI president, about the job, the initiatives and her own style of Board management.
Laura Ganon, CEO of Fink Mobility in Brazil, has become the new FIDI president. She’s been on the Board for eight years so she’s no stranger to the FIDI ways. She’s also no stranger to high office having spent ten years on the LACMA Board and being its first ever female president. “That's when working for the industry as a whole appealed to me so much,” Laura explained. “It inspires me.”
Is FIDI different? “It’s very different. It’s a different culture, meetings have very different dynamics, but in both things get done”.
She recalls her first experience of sitting on the FIDI Board in 2014 in Singapore, as an observer. “I was forbidden to talk. It drove me crazy. At one point I think I was purple, because I had an opinion. I wanted to contribute. Eventually they let me talk because I was going to explode.”
The top job
Now she’s at the head of the FIDI Board. How does that make her feel? “It’s very emotional. We give so much of our time and dedication to FIDI. We want so much to do the right thing. I feel extremely grateful and honoured to have the trust of all the Affiliates. It's an opportunity. It's like the crowning of a career.”
I wondered what Laura meant by ‘an opportunity’. Is there a particular agenda she wants to pursue? She said not. “We work so well together as a Board. We have brainstorming sessions to bring different opinions and ideas. But there never an occasion when we did not make a decision based on 100% consensus. So being the president isn't much different from the rest of the Board. It’s very pleasant to work like this, and very productive.” By opportunity, Laura meant, an opportunity for her to learn. “We learn from each other, from the Affiliates and we learn from criticism and suggestions.”
The big issues
But FIDI does have a plan and she was very pleased to see that all the Board’s proposals were passed at the Cannes conference ...
Photo: Laura Ganon.