Written by Julieta Maya Zuniga. Illustration courtesy of Halle Garrett.
MEXICO CITY (Nov. 2) — “One of my first memories is from when I was in kindergarten and I was part of the color guard for some important school assembly,” Adriana tells me. “Parents came, the whole school was there. And the teachers put us in this tiny room with the flags to wait and get into formation while people got settled in. I was in there with a bunch of girls. And I just grabbed the flag and got situated in order to carry it. One of the girls immediately started yelling at me about how she wanted to be the one to carry it, and I didn’t even deign to answer her. That’s an image I have burned into my brain. Of just grabbing the flag like it was mine and not listening to what anybody else said.”
Adriana Berrocal seems to have always known what she wanted. As the current Lead Partner for Valuation & Modeling at Deloitte for the region of Latin America and an active member of several organizations for gender equality no one would question that she works hard. From a distance, however, it’s hard to tell what drives such dedication.
“It might have something to do with being the oldest sibling,” she jokes. “It makes you try harder. I’ve always liked doing things right. It definitely started from a young age. I learned to read very, very young, so I was always a bookworm. I would read anything. It was a challenge to read and learn things. I was definitely a nerd.”
In the world of grind culture and capitalism, the pressure to be constantly productive feels like a common ailment. Work and school are treated like a competition and ambition is rewarded with stronger cups of coffee. In an article for ‘Psychology Today,’ Dr. Brian Robinson writes, “You unwittingly relinquish your personal power and become a slave to internal and external pressures such as deadlines, work demands, or pleasing friends and loved ones.”
Meaning, it’s fair to say, it’s not sustainable. And it might feel even more so for women. Who under traditional gender roles, if they work, are expected to take care of the home as well. But unexpectedly, Adriana doesn’t seem to have this problem.
“A lot of that external pressure that people feel has to do a lot with how you’re brought up,” says Adriana. “In my family we were all happy as long as you were independent and responsible. Nobody expected you to be extraordinary,” she says. “And I think that takes a lot of pressure off. Everyone can do what they want to do, at their own pace, as long as you’re happy and healthy, it’s all good.”
Adriana received an exceptional education in mathematics, which led her to her engineering major. In Mexico you can choose a focus area for your studies during your last year of high school: Physics, Mathematics and Engineering, Biology and Health Sciences, Social Sciences, or Arts and Humanities. She chose math.
“So when I was deciding what I wanted to major in at my local college in Mexicali I immediately looked at Engineering. There were a few different types, but I also remember that there was architecture. And my father really wanted me to go into that,” she laughs. “He said that architecture was a better major for a woman.”
Adriana, unphased, pursued and completed her engineering major. Right after graduation she started working with a real-estate appraiser, who basically estimates the value of a property.
While working in this particular area of appraisals Adriana lived in three cities: Mexicali, Guadalajara and Mexico City. It was at the last one, some twenty years ago, where she realized she didn’t like what she was doing anymore.
She explained to me how much more complicated and competitive the field is in Mexico City, compared to any other place in the country. “In order to appraise a real estate property you have to visit it and in the capital I couldn’t travel as much as I needed to, as quickly as I needed to. It wasn’t the same. So I left because of that and also because I got an offer to work for the federal government, for the Commission of Appraisal of National Assets.”
While at this government job Adriana had the opportunity to travel to the U.S. to get her license from the American Society of Appraisers. When she received it, she became the first Latin American to attain the Intangible Asset Specialty.
Hoping to start appraising businesses Adriana quit her job with the Mexican government. She wanted to ease into this new area of her field–where past and present company operations are analyzed and future ones are forecasted, in order to estimate the business’s value as a whole. She tells me she was even considering working for free to build her résumé.
It almost seemed too good to be true when she met a partner at Deloitte, one of the Big Four accounting firms in the world, and they offered her a job.
“It felt like it landed in my lap at precisely the right time,” she says. “I’d been part of several groups for professionals in my field for a while and that’s the only reason I connected with that person that eventually led to the job I have today as a business and intangible assets appraiser.”
After talking with Adriana about her career and the choices she made, how everything seemed to fall into place eventually, the conclusion I made is that it all comes down to self-worth and a little bit of luck.
There are aspects of life that we do not get to control, like the circumstances and family we are born into. But the decisions we make about what we can control showcases how much we value ourselves.
“I’m going to use the subject of intangible assets,” she laughs. “You are the most valuable intangible asset that you can invest in.”
Her professional life certainly holds priority, but Adriana doesn’t think it comes before her mental health or her peace of mind.
“I know it doesn’t make sense, but I’m actually a pretty relaxed person. Even though I’m involved in so many things,” she says. “I don’t know if you believe in astrology but I’m a Taurus and we like the nice things in life. I love to relax and eat great food and travel. My personal and professional achievements have always moved along in parallel paths and they don’t mess with each other. Right now, working in a big firm where there’s a whole infrastructure behind and around me, I worry less. I’m more relaxed. Especially compared to before when I was working on my own. Ever since I started working and specializing in the fields that I wanted, putting time and money into my professional development, I got used to investing in myself.”
One of her elementary school friends recently reminded her how she used to push her desk away from everyone in order to work on her own.
“I couldn’t remember that,” she admits, “but it sounded very much in character for me. I loved working alone. I think after some time, if you allow yourself to get there, we all go back to how we were as children. It’s peaceful and secure in who you are and what you’re capable of. Right now, I feel much closer to that little girl of 8 or 9 years old than to who I was as a teenager or a young adult.”
Outside of her major role at Deloitte, Adriana feels very passionately about the issue of gender equality. When I ask her if this comes from her experience as a woman in a man-dominated field she says yes, but not in the way I think.
“Of course I’ve experienced sexism throughout my career, but for the most part it’s been in micro-doses,” she says. “Networking and mentorships between men all happen through activities like golf, football games, and as a woman you’re not included.”
She talked about how sad and frustrating it is to see women not have the time or interest to form work relationships amongst themselves because women don’t prioritize their professional life above all else, the way men are taught to do. So they often don’t move up the ladder within a company.
By being a part of organizations like Women Corporate Directors, Adriana is trying her best to get more women professional opportunities, so that they can have equal possibilities of advancing their career.
Right now, Adriana is mainly looking forward to a family vacation next year.
“I’m super busy so I don’t think I’ll be jumping into anything new but I love helping other people in their projects, it brings great experiences and opportunities for connection. And they have a tendency to pop up when you least expect them.”
