Matty Dimaano

I always recall with deep gratitude and appreciation the day when my former boss took a leap of faith and assigned me a position that opened a pathway to a career in the IFM industry.

At the time, I was into the second year of my tenure as a Therapeutic Dietitian at Sodexo – my first formal job. Honestly, I didn’t see myself staying in this post for too long. I was impatient for career growth and new opportunities – much like a caterpillar eager to evolve into a butterfly and soar to new heights!

Now in my fifth year in Sodexo, I can look back with great satisfaction with how speedy and rewarding my career growth has been. Starting out as a humble dietitian, I soon found myself venturing into the IFM space as a Soft Services Supervisor. The promotions came at fairly rapid intervals thereafter. I was elevated to Country Soft Services Lead and I’m now gearing up as Key Account Manager to take charge of a prestigious account – Monde Nissin Corporation.

But the journey over the past five years, while ultimately fruitful, has not been a cakewalk, so to speak. I found myself in an environment dominated by males – as colleagues, clients, and staff – many of whom were way more experienced than I was at the time.  Yes, it took patience, perseverance, courage, and a willingness to take all the stresses and strains in my stride.

Of course, there were loads of times when I was beset with self-doubt and weighed down by what seemed to be my onerous duties.  In such times, I turned to my bosses for guidance, and they always counseled me to embrace my potential and forge ahead. This is something about Sodexo that I love – your seniors look out for you; they have your back. This is also a core Sodexo value that I have since learnt to embrace: When faced with challenges, respond with an affirmative ‘Yes, I can do it!’ and move ahead.  

As a Key Account Manager, my role is to help expand Sodexo’s services in my designated account, by understanding the client’s key needs and requirements, and anticipating and providing solutions as their partner in IFM transformation.  Working with operations team has been such a challenging yet fulfilling journey.

As a people organization, Sodexo’s Operations is called upon to be client centric. The team has to satisfactorily meet the client’s requirements. This is possible only if the leaders work hand in hand with the employees, who are at the core of our service delivery.

Further, by providing equal opportunities and investing time to build the capabilities of their people to their optimum potential, can we succeed in surpassing the expectations of our clients.

I am happy that Sodexo’s inclusive culture has indeed given me the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone, allowing me to do what I am capable of doing.  I have been privileged to lead a balanced team with talented women in the organization.

In celebration of the International Women’s Day, my message to other women is: We can do better if we aspire to have positive change, break the stereotype in the workplace and work hard with passion. We should never feel anything other than equal, fulfilled, respected and recognized."