Spotlight: Yanina Faour
One of the benefits of participating in the Global Ambassadors Program is access to a broad international network of businesswomen. This is particularly useful for our mentees who are looking to expand their businesses to other countries. Yanina Faour, owner of Oleana in Argentina, is a jewelry designer who came to the Global Ambassadors Program in Mexico seeking guidance on how to expand her customer base.
This particular program was regional, bringing together mentees from Mexico, Argentina, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Colombia and Jamaica; and Global Ambassadors from the United States, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. Yanina’s mentor María Fernanda Villamarin, regional manager of the Andean Region and general manager for Colombia at Galderma, helped her fulfill her professional goals. Yanina left the program not only with a new strategic plan, but with connections that have already helped her grow her business internationally.
Yanina and her mentor María Fernanda Villamarin
Yanina’s vision for Oleana was to be able to expand to new markets remotely while keeping costs low. After attending GAP, she immediately executed her strategic plan, evaluating potential markets for distribution. Since her participation, she has been supported by several GAP Global Ambassadors, including Karen Fang of Bank of America, who hosted a trunk show for her in New York.
Supporting Yanina in Mexico are fellow GAP participants Gema Moreno, Lupita Castañeda, Margarita Robles Martinez and Yemy Zonana. Lupita, a Global Ambassador who works at EY in Mexico City, hosted a trunk show for Yanina at her office and invited contacts in the fashion industry with whom Yanina is already forging relationships.