SOPHIA TANNIS: THE EUROPEAN TRANSFER

Introduction

First day of job, Sophia moved to the companies’ headquarters in Switzerland, she was
supposed to replace Antonio Vella. She was intimidated since she was compared to him.

Corporate context

CPA Solutions, chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services global leading company.
Facilities in many countries. The company faced the challenge of balancing the need for a
strong, consisting global corporate brand with the imperative of being locally relevant to
customers and stakeholders. These presented in R&D products, mkt, sales and service, HR and
IT. Sophia Tannis was supposed to change the way of doing things.

Tannis’s task

CPA become an “old boys’ club”, attraction and retention of women and minorities was a
growing issue.

- Create and stablish a more collaborative way to develop and implement consistent
strategies, policies and lobbying efforts globally.

The culture didn’t encourage information sharing, brainstorming, transparency or garnering

buy-in to ensure consistency of positions and messages across businesses.

Information was shared only among European leaders, but in other locations worked
essentially independently.

Be early 2000, the company realized that they need one to work across boundaries, physical
and culturally, to deliver solutions to enable a one-company voice.

Why Tannis?

11 years in the company. Had the skills and the ability to take on complex and challenging
assignments across a variety of functions, businesses and geographies. She was being told to
use influence and persuasion to have her colleagues realize their jobs were reductant and
need a complete change. She was recognized to inspire people to go above and beyond. She
demonstrated strategic business acumen even through downsizings and business
restructurings. Got a reputation as a relationship builder gained after working in 3 countries.
She was able to manage gender, culture, nationality and religion barriers when working in
southern states in the US, and being recognized for her efforts in crisis situations.

Handpicked but not the obvious choice

Because of her skills, vice-presidents decide she was suitable for the position, and if she
performs well a director’s position would be her reward. Some people wanted her to succeed,
others to fail and others were curious about her performance. She was female, not-European
and she was seen as “corporate”.

Eyes wide open

For her 32 years and her family, job transition was usual. But she knows that the potential
rewards would be accompanied by risks and stress. She had been exposed to many social and
economic realities around the world, and was felt comfortable among a variety of cultures,
organizations, languages and religions.

She realized that succeed of failure in Europe would affect also others, she would influence the
organization to provide more geographic opportunities to women.

Understanding the game

A lifetime opportunity comes with a lot more going on around that people tell you. She needs
to deal with:

- Report to three different leaders. Functional, geographic and business vice president.
- Was expected to get everyone working together to develop and play the same
strategy.
- Changing the status quo in regards of decision making, information sharing and power
recalibration. Loss autonomy, more collaboration and changed accountability.
- Face internal opposition. Was seen as an outsider taking one the valued leadership
roles in Europe as a non-European.
- Needed to establish trust and credibility with external stakeholders.

The real deal

Richard Markus and Nico Zinkweg, geographic and business vice presidents, committed to
support her but set the expectation to maintain their autonomy and the ability to influence
any decision that could affect their areas of responsibility.

Markus told her not to Americanize Europe, they want the better for Europe and not four
bottom line or the US.

Zinkweg to maintain independent authority over his business.

Day one: staff

Her staff knew about her. She studied the business but also the people and stakeholders. But
instead talking about plans and priorities, they asked about credibility with businessmen, how
she feels about being the only woman, issues about attraction and retention of women, and if
she would force its team to become corporate.

Day one: a long day

After talking with her team, she was preparing to talk to the director of energy whom
leadership and extensive relationships inside the business could make the difference in terms
of constructing and working through key business-related arguments and messaging. With his
support, she hoped to accomplish the goals. His office was fancy and modern, totally different
to the offices in southern US. He was trying to intimidate her.

The power of being present

She put in practice the advice, begin by listening more than talk. She demonstrated interest in
understanding others’ perspective and passions, she opened herself to learn. Others want
from her to be frank and candid, and not politically correct, as Canadians. Others appreciated
her answering without mincing words, addressing stereotypes and misinformation and being
open to criticism. Hot topics were nationality and culture.
Common sense: “Corporate doesn’t trust us”. The corporate way was interpreted as the
“right” way, which meant their way was “wrong”.

The silver-haired fox

Antonio Vella was sophisticated, gracious and charming. He knew that Tannis’s work will be
change those things that he created and worked with. He worked for 30 years in the company,
and felt that she was a slight of sorts. He was persuasive.

Brussels at last

Tannis and Vella met in Brussels. Vella supported her, and this was the door for further
constructive conversations with Andre van het Hof and her geographic and business vice-
presidents. But she was still seen as an outsider. On their way to the office from the airport,
Vella provided Tannis insights about individuals and their positions since he knew each person
at a personal level. When entering the conference room, he introduced Tannis politely and
disinterested eyes fell upon. Before he explained that she was his replace, someone grateful
her for being part of the meetings and getting coffee for everyone, then she said “I’m happy to
do so, as long you promise to get mine at our next meeting”. Vella clarified that he meant to
proudly introduced her as his replace, no one expected that.

Class