People first
A woman who looks avidly to the future, she also counts a love of good leaf teas among her enthusiasms. Could that be why she had no difficulty finding her feet in London, where she completed a project that resounded across four continents? Who knows! Her calendar implacably pronounced any chance of interviewing her as completely out of the question. But this is Insights, where we never take ‘no’ for an answer’! Instead, we moved mountains so as to introduce you to… Marta Firlit! And even if some of our readers think they know all about her, we’d say that she might still surprise you!
When did you join MakoLab and what was your job?
I began my MakoJourney in November 2011, as an implementer.
And what road brought you to your current position?
I passed through numerous ‘degrees of initiation’. As I said, I began as an implementer, working on projects for the Renault-Nissan Lead Management Tool. Then I became IT project manager for Renault-Nissan, where my focus was split between the Lead Management Tool, the websites for Renault, Dacia and RCI and the mobile app. The time came when I was made regional project owner and rollout manager for Renault and Dacia projects on the Helios platform… and I guess I should mention that it was all carried out in London and I implemented solutions for countries on four continents. The next step took me to being IT project manager in our Project Office, where I ran projects for Polish clients. And, here and now, I’m a line manager for our Connected Car department. So, to sum up, the road so far has included four posts and three areas… Renault-Nissan, the Project Office and Connected Car… and countless projects during nearly eleven years with MakoLab.
What kind of challenges do you face every day as the leader of a team?
Looking after the team, I’d say. It consists of almost forty people and it’s divided up between various projects and clients. And we’re not in daily contact, either. Then there’s the fact that, during the day, I have to switch between a mass of topics and meetings… and hand in hand with that comes the problem of finding a free slot on my calendar while I’m making everything function within the challenges of remote working. (she becomes very emphatic) Seeing various topics I’m involved with through to the end via direct, ‘real life’ conversations with the people concerned would be easier. (relaxing again) So I’m quite a player of the icons on Teams’… I’m fluent at flipping between the red and the green! No holds barred!
What do you like most about your job?
Contact with people (she smiles warmly) and the satisfaction of supporting my team. Right behind that comes the exchange of experience and development of skills that are part of collaborating with other managers. And the challenges… and I say that in all sincerity! There’s no boredom in this job and you develop in terms of subject matter and gain new skills because every day brings something new.
How do you unwind? What do you most enjoy doing in your free time?
Well, now, if this were a point on a CV, I’d put books, music, getting together with family and friends, dancing, yoga, meditating and, last but not least, contact with nature.
Working with people like Marta is an out-and-out pleasure! Here at Insights, we’re convinced that her MakoJourney is destined to go far beyond four posts. May she continue to spread her wings and enjoy many more outstanding collaborations. What will the next challenge be? Who knows! One thing is certain, though… Marta’s bound to surprise us more than once in the future!
Ewelina Buchta
Employer Branding Specialist
