Were latitudes synonymous with wealth, Lara would have a fortune. A true citizen of the world who has clearly been enriched by a full life experience. Today, live from New York, the city that never sleeps, this Mozambican tells us what it is like to be a Negotiations specialist in Bloomberg’s Legal department.
Lara’s first memory of living beyond the Pearl of the Indian Ocean is the view of the British capital and its thousands of lights as she landed in Her Majesty’s land 24 years ago. She would live there for about a year and a half. From London she headed to Madrid, and from there to Leeds, in the north of England, until she crossed the Atlantic to the American continent, where she has been for 13 years.
“It is exciting to solve difficult problems as part of a large team of talented, hardworking professionals” – Lara Gonzalez Fortes
Through a few words exchanged by email and on social media, Lara’s serenity can be sensed, probably in contrast to her work environment, which is very fast-paced. Working at one of the world’s most prestigious financial news companies means spending the day answering client questions and negotiating licensing agreements across a vast range of financial solutions products and services.
To the outside observer, the demands of this field are plain. In Lara’s eyes, her work is extremely rewarding and collaborative. “It is exciting to solve difficult problems as part of a large team of talented, hardworking professionals. Also, about my work, one of my favourite things is that my company, and my department in particular, encourage their staff and support us in volunteering at as many philanthropic and pro bono opportunities as possible. This brings a great deal of balance to the profession,” shares Gonzalez. This balance has allowed her to grow professionally, given that developing in her field means paying attention not only to the knowledge of her peers but also to the wide range of training courses the company provides. "The way I keep growing and developing in my role is by working closely with my colleagues and learning from them, while taking ownership of my responsibilities. I also keep up to date with business and product sales strategies and work with other departments in the company to streamline processes. My company also offers numerous courses and invaluable training to support our professional growth, which I appreciate and enjoy taking part in."
Amid the numbers and the energy of living in the Big Apple (the nickname of the city of New York), at what moment does Lara feel the shine of her Mozambican pearl? “I have a small community of Mozambicans in the USA who are my family. They are very important to me because I feel closer to home. We spend many holidays together, eat well (peanut curry, samosas, salt cod, even malambe sweets) and dance. We always have to dance a little. At the last Christmas we spent together, we invented a new expression: ‘The Mozambican goodbye’. It comes from the ‘Irish goodbye’, which means ‘leaving a party without saying goodbye’, but the ‘Mozambican goodbye’ means saying goodbye, putting on your coats (it is very cold here), and then dancing to at least three songs before leaving. There is nothing more rewarding than being in Mozambique and visiting my family and friends, but having this community here helps to ease the longing and to maintain my relationship with my country, which I admire so much,” Lara tells us.
In reality, the idea of returning to her homeland is always present. So much so that Lara Gonzalez says it would be a great opportunity to expand her knowledge in the area of contract negotiation on the African continent.
