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Leader by vocation

Yara ArguetaYara Argueta is the head of the main business group of paintings in Central America. She is no older than 35 and is already considered one of the most influential women in the region.

by Vanesa Restrepo
 

The paint industry, especially managerial positions, is traditionally held by men who have years of experience in the industrial sector. But there is one particular case that shows that good ideas and proper management are elements independent of age or gender; this is Yara Argueta, who at 32 years old is the head of the paint company with the largest share in the Central American market.

Since 2005 Yara is the CEO of The Solid Group, an organization with more than 1,000 employees that has a presence in six Latin American countries, mainly in the Central American axis. His life history is marked by the effort and dedication that have earned him countless social and academic recognitions.

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Always in charge
Since she was a child, Yara showed her interest in work and independence by establishing small businesses that allowed her to finance her studies without having to affect academic performance.

His main mentor is his mother, Carmen Castañeda, who "raised me to succeed", according to our Professional of the Month. From her she inherited the spirit of leadership that emerged from very early on and became evident in the university, where she was elected as a representative of more than 11,000 students before the academic directives.

Yara is also an example of academic excellence. His first recognition was a scholarship granted by the American College and the Universidad del Valle to study an advanced baccalaureate. That recognition was given to the top 30 students from a group of 600 young people evaluated.

Once she finished her basic studies, Yara Argueta entered the industrial engineering program of the Rafael Landívar University, from where she graduated as a first engineer and was recognized as Summa Laude. Later she studied a master's degree in business administration where she obtained the best average and was awarded the High Distinction Valevictorium.

Work with dedication
After having small ventures in her adolescence, Yara became the coordinator of the Board of Directors of the Association of Publicists of Guatemala, a position that alternated with undergraduate studies.

In 1999, when she was already in the last semesters of her career, she applied for a vacancy in Grupo Solid and was selected among several candidates to be part of the team of assistants of the then president of the company, Michael Ascoli. It was then that Yara's career began a journey on the path of success.

The work at Solid allowed her to finish her studies and thanks to her dedication she was selected as Ascoli's main assistant when she barely completed two years of work in the firm.

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That was the opportunity to make himself known. Hand in hand with Ascoli, Yara began to get involved in the company's management affairs, knew the processes, managers and employees, and participated in making important decisions.

In recognition of her good results, she was appointed director of La Paleta, one of the most important architectural paint brands in Guatemala that had a plant of 200 employees, almost all older than her, who was just 23 years old.

During her work as head of La Paleta, Yara took charge of the marketing strategy, which led her to visit all the departments of Guatemala to renovate the stores, improve customer service and establish service parameters. As a result, the company's sales grew 89% in four years.

Two years later the opportunity of a lifetime would come. Group President Michael Ascoli decided to retire from the company's management and appointed a group of three vice presidents who would be responsible for running the company in his absence. From them, according to the performance, the new CEO of the company would come out.

In 2005 the decision became official: the young engineer who had already completed several years in the service of the company would be the new one in charge of corporate affairs and the general guidelines of the Group.
 


Taking on challenges
Under the leadership of Yara Argueta, the Solid Group has gained share in the Central American markets with all its brands, and is the undisputed leader in sales of products from the architectural and industrial segments.

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Sales tripled over a three-year period and profits also benefited employees thanks to an initiative by our Professional of the Month, who managed to get the firm to distribute a portion of its profits among employees.

His work has alternated with teaching, an activity that he develops in the short time he has left free. He confesses that he loves this profession because it allows him to interact with young people, learn from their experiences and transmit valuable knowledge.

All these tasks are accompanied by a social work that plays from several fronts: the first is the Central American Leadership Initiative (CALI), an organization of successful professionals who understood that the world goes beyond their individual triumphs and decided to contribute knowledge so that this success is reflected in society and multiplied throughout the region.

The second initiative is Vital Voices, a project that seeks to provide support to women and motivate them to achieve personal achievements and have an outstanding professional or technical development.

Recognitions in droves
Yara Argueta's work is not only recognized in the company she leads and the universities where she was trained, but she has also been deserving of recognition for good management and outstanding career.

To her credit is the inclusion in the list of the five most influential women in Central America in 2009, recognition given by the magazine Estrategia & Negocios after conducting a survey among the 73 main corporate directors in the region.

She has participated as a speaker in the Congress of Women Leaders of Guatemala and her employees recognize her as a leader with a vocation, who understands her needs and opens her ears to the suggestions of other people.

"The key to success within the Group was to get the whole team to come together and work together in search of the same goal, a common goal. I was blessed to have fighting people, who got on this boat with me, and working hard we have achieved it, "explains our Professional of the month.

To highlight
Women in power

Contrary to what many might think, Yara assures that she has not felt discriminated against or belittled in the environment for being a woman, although many have doubted her abilities because she is one of the youngest directors in the region.

However, his work has managed to be recognized throughout the continent and the company's figures support his work: sales grow, investments multiply and in the sights is the opening of new markets, especially in Mexico and South America.

He considers that discipline is the key that opens all doors: "I think that each individual must decide what he wants and get ahead. Disciplined people will achieve their goal."


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