Mary Avellaneda

Hi! My name is Mary Avellaneda. I am Colombian and 32 years old. I joined Foundever in 2017 as an Agent in Bogotá, Colombia, for a financial campaign. Foundever was my first BPO experience, so I had zero knowledge of the call center industry. I graduated as a professional in Finance and International Trade in 2015, but the opportunities and salaries in that field were not the best. I saw a Facebook advertisement and decided to apply. To be honest, I initially thought of this opportunity as a temporary job, but as time passed, I realized that there were many growth options in the company.

After ten months of tenure, a coach position opened up, and without hesitation, I applied. I didn’t think I would be selected on my first attempt, but I was. This is how my coaching journey started. I enjoyed this phase a lot, as I love working with people, helping them become better skilled, and watching them succeed. I also learned about the operational environment. In 2019, I was certified by the company in Lean Six Sigma White Belt (this was my first introduction to this type of methodology), and two months later, a new team dedicated to Continuous Improvement emerged in Colombia, with a CI Analyst position opening. I applied more out of curiosity than knowledge about the role, as this was brand new in the country. I got the position and embarked on this amazing phase of my life. I served as a CI Analyst for almost a year and a half while I obtained my Yellow Belt certification and learned about different departments and processes within the company. I developed various improvement projects, helping different accounts succeed with their performance.

After this, I was promoted to CI Manager TT, as our success as a team helped us increase our headcount. In mid-2021, there was an opening for a shared service CI Manager for North America. I applied and got the opportunity to work within a different culture. I was there for six months before facing the biggest challenge of my Foundever journey. In 2022, after the merger was completed, our new two countries (Mexico and Costa Rica) did not have any CI department supporting them, and I was selected to start building one from scratch to add value and facilitate the difficult transition they were facing. That is how I ended up being the head of CI for MX and CR, starting to hire and develop my team, obtaining my Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification, getting certified in COPC, and establishing a Continuous Improvement mindset in the region. Once CR was set up, I handed it over to a new CI Manager (who I developed in 2022) and focused on the Mexico operation. I moved from Bogotá to Mexico City in 2023 and was promoted in 2024 to Senior Continuous Improvement Manager, handling Mexico and some LATAM accounts. Now, I am part of the Mexico Executive Leadership Team as the head of CI. I am very proud and grateful for my entire journey at Foundever, a company that trusts me, encourages me, and gives me the continuous opportunity to challenge myself and my capabilities every day. I know there will be more successes to come!