Meet Casai Mexico's General Manager Elisa Rebolledo
Without further ado, we introduce to you our newest leadership team member: Elisa Rebolledo! We sat down with the new Casai General Manager to see how she keeps Casai’s daily business activities running smoothly. Elisa shared details about her background and the challenges and accomplishments she’s faced in her new role at Casai so far.
Elisa started working with Casai in November of 2019. She was the head of operations for about one and a half years and has recently switched to her new role as General Manager. Before Casai, Elisa spent four years at PRADA (2015-2019), five years at Louis Vuitton (2010-2015) and after that she spent three years at Monsanto (2007-2010). Elisa is from Mexico City, where she currently lives with her family. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her two babies and husband and exercising when she can find the time (usually at 5:45am!).
So let’s take a deeper look into what a general manager, or GM, does. To borrow a metaphor from Harvard Business Review, great general managers are like great coaches. In both roles, the individual stresses the basic skills and plays that make a collective team a consistent winner.
Of course these fundamentals include sweeping improvements for instance, restructuring and cost reductions. However, the goal is to be proactive, not reactionary. That is to say the GM looks for opportunities to make long-lasting improvements to key operational areas for example, the work environment and personnel development.
Read the following Q&A to learn more about Elisa, what a general manager at Casai does, and her impact in this role.
Why did you decide to work at Casai?
The concept is AMAZING. Casai is transforming the hospitality industry with technology. The entire team brings passion and excitement to work every single day (there is never a boring day at Casai). I love the company culture and values, but above all, I love the people that I get to work with every day.
What role in Casai did you have before this one? Can you tell us about your Casai journey?
I first started at Casai as the Warehouse and Logistics Manager for three months. After that, I was promoted to Head of Operations and I served in this role for one year.
What does it mean to you to take on the role of General Manager at Casai? How does it differ from your last role as head of Operations?
Well, it certainly comes with a lot more responsibility. I need to ensure we are using our resources efficiently and correctly, I try to improve processes, and I coordinate and monitor efforts between teams. And most importantly, I make sure every guest that stays with us feels at home.
What skills did you learn as the head of operations that you will take into this new role?
As head of operations, I had to deal a lot with ambiguity. No matter what the position, head of operations at Casai or any other position, you need to enjoy solving problems.
What is it about Casai’s team culture that resonates with you the most?
Inclusion above everything else! It doesn’t matter where you come from, what you do or what you believe in － at Casai you are valued for your work and effort. I feel this has certainly been true for me.
What are the biggest challenges of being the GM at Casai?
The biggest challenge has been reducing operational costs while ensuring we don’t sacrifice quality. A close second would be internal communication and coordinating efforts between teams. And of course, we are very concerned with keeping everyone safe amidst COVID-19.
What has been your biggest accomplishment at Casai?
My biggest accomplishment is shared with my team. Together, my team and I have improved and restructured so many processes: we have identified the right suppliers, negotiated better deals, and found cost savings opportunities. On a personal level, I love managing my amazing team.
Where do you envision Casai in three years?
I see us transforming hospitality, expanding to several countries and definitely being one of the biggest hospitality companies in LATAM.
Want to work with Elisa and the rest of our incredible team at Casai? Check out our careers page to see what positions are available!