The Powerful Women Project: Interviews with Inspiring Entrepreneurs. Part 2: Ronit Gottfried Nissani

What does it take to be a female Vice President of Marketing for a leading fashion retail chain for the past 7 years? That’s what we’re discussing in this edition of our Powerful Women Project with Ronit Gottfried Nissani, VP Marketing at H&M Israel.

Before hopping on the H&M venture, Ronit spent 8 years working in senior marketing positions for some of Israel’s leading fashion brands, including Honigman and Renuar. Apart from her obvious love of fashion, Ronit is a qualified lawyer, wife, and mother of two daughters.

So how does Ronit roll her worlds of fashion, marketing, management, home and family into one entrepreneurial ball of success? We asked and she answered!

Powerful Woman #2: Ronit Gottfried Nissani, VP Marketing, H&M Israel

How do you manage your work/life balance?

It’s not easy to keep it balanced. If you are an ambitious woman who wants to grow and develop a career, you cannot do it alone – you need a lot of help and support from your family.

I try to keep up with the challenge but it’s not simple.

At the end of the day, combining motherhood and a career is a constant inner struggle.

But I think that the key to creating the right balance is to consistently find the time for small family moments and important daily events when you can be with your family no matter what. Most importantly, find peace within yourself. When you accept that nothing is perfect, then you will find that you can do both!

What’s been your greatest challenge and your greatest reward in your professional career?

I think that every woman’s ultimate challenge is combining work with family life. The best reward is seeing that my family is proud of me, together with the appreciation I get from my colleagues and the organization I work for.

What are the unique qualities or characteristics that you have brought to your career and workplace?

I think that my strongest side is creativity. I am not really familiar with the phrase “no can do.” I bring a “can do” attitude into every aspect of my work, and I really do believe that anything is possible.

I also have strong management skills that help me delegate different tasks to my team and encourage them to excel in everything they do and – most importantly – to smile while they are doing it.

What’s the one piece of advice you would give to a young woman just starting out in her career?

I would advise her to work hard, be patient and follow her instincts. To do everything with love! If you do not wake up in the morning with a smile thinking about your job, then don’t do it. It’s also very important to not be afraid to make mistakes. You will learn something from every mistake you make – it’s the way to grow and develop.