With a tenure of seven years at Nissan in leadership positions in Europe, Latin America and, in her last role, serving as Vice President of Communications for Asia & Oceania, followed by a year at Fisker as Director of Communications for Europe, she transitioned into her current role as Global Chief Communications Officer at Dronamics. Here, she spearheads branding, marketing, and communications for the world’s first cargo drone airline.
We are eager to engage in dialogue with this distinguished female executive, whose extensive global experience uniquely positions her to discuss breaking the glass ceiling, navigating the dynamics of being the sole woman in corporate settings, and the intersection of spirituality with professional leadership.
Ladies Drive: So, first things first, what’s the scent of your childhood?
Blanca Garcia: The scent of my childhood is probably the outdoors, you know, from playing outside. So, it’s not so much as a specific scent as it is more of a feeling.
Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Mexico City, where I lived until I was 18 before going to study in Switzerland. Back in the 1970s, it was still safe and normal for kids to play outside on the streets of Mexico City. It was a completely different way of upbringing. So, if I were to describe the scent of my childhood, it would probably be “freedom”. I had a very Latin American childhood in that sense.
How did you end up studying in Switzerland?
My father was a huge believer in education and the power of being exposed to different cultures. Although I was accepted at a very prestigious university in the US, MIT, I chose to study hotel management in Crans-Montana instead. That decision marked the beginning of my international career.
Can we talk a little bit about the rights of women and the challenges that women in Mexico face nowadays?
There are a lot of challenges. Unfortunately, in the last five years, about 17,000 women have been murdered in Mexico. And the salary gap is over 40%. While the country is moving forward, there are still many obstacles for women. Pursuing a career can still be a challenge. I see women from my generation, with whom I studied in high school, and I believe that probably 80% of them did not pursue their careers. They all studied at good universities and, at some point, they stopped. Combining family and career was still, until very recently, not feasible. This is changing, but there’s still a very big gap. It’s part of the Latin American culture, the Mexican culture, where masculine energy dominates.
So, you need to be a stay-at-home mum?
It used to be like that. But this is changing, it is transforming. My mother married at a very young age and had not yet finished university. However, she went back to complete her studies when I started elementary school and became an actuary – a mathematician – despite my father being pretty conservative in many ways. So, I think that also helped shape my belief in the importance of education and of challenging the status quo.
You have quite a spectacular CV…
Well, if I had to define my life in one word, it would be: change, or transformation. Life is change, and change is life. Not only have I lived in seven different countries, but I’ve also moved houses about 35 times, and I’ve worked in many different industries. Earlier on, I was in the hotel industry, but then I moved into technology, financial services, automotive, and now the aerospace sector. So, predominantly male-dominated environments.
You have a true global career. Did you ever feel the need to kind of suppress your femininity?
I love that question. There are a lot of studies proving that having female leaders is good for business. It increases profitability and margins; it’s a known fact. But once women arrive in executive positions, we tend to minimise our feminine qualities and maximise our masculine ones. Why? Because men usually dominate these environments, and they don’t tap into their feminine qualities. So, we need to learn the language of men. We have to adapt to the language of men. But if we do that, then there’s no balance. There’s no harmony between masculine and feminine qualities. As a result, you bring in women, but women who act like men. Is that positive? It’s probably useful to navigate these environments initially. But it’s not the best approach for women who want to promote equality and for the rest of the women in the organisation.
A lot of women tell me – off the record – that they have been bullied during board meetings and other men were really pushing their buttons. It’s a huge power play.
It is. But there are ways to navigate this.
How can you stay in your femininity when others play hardball with you?
Well, there are many ways. But the first and most important is based on trust. Trust is the foundation of any relationship, and the most important relationship is the one you have with yourself. You have to trust yourself.
How can you do that? Do you have practical tips for us?
A very practical, hands-on tip is to focus on one thing at a time. There are traits that we, as women, have that are just awesome. For example, listening. Women listen, whereas men tend not to. It’s not bad or good; it’s a fact. Men are more assertive, they don’t listen, they usually just hear. So, focus on one trait that you want to bring into a male-dominated environment at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Another thing that has helped me a lot is finding champions. Right now, for example, I sit on an executive team where we’re ten people, and I’m the only woman. That has been the story of my life for many years. You find a champion – someone you have an open conversation with and who understands and supports that this is part of who you are. This is what you are bringing to the table.
So, you need an ally?
A champion of femininity. Yes, an ally. So, it’s about focusing on one thing at a time, not overwhelming yourself, finding an ally or a champion, and leading by example. Show what this means in your microcosm. You are part of a big organisation, but you might lead just a part of that organisation. Show what that type of leadership creates for your people. For example, when you’re more focused on their growth than your growth, it starts to show. You need to be authentic. Otherwise, you’re not being wholesome. We need to remember that we are the sum of all our parts. We possess both feminine and masculine. It is about finding that balance and making sure we’re using both and become compassionate, assertive persons.
And don’t pretend to be someone you’re not.
Exactly. I mean, I’m not a man. We were born with these amazing qualities, and they’re needed in the world. Just look at the state of the world today.
It’s challenging. Some would even say: it’s a mess.
Well, I completely agree. It’s a mess. And one of the things that has created this mess is an imbalanced society, an imbalanced delivery of who we are, that lack of authenticity. We’re not being ourselves. We’re not acknowledging that we have two sides. And focusing on only one side, it’s an imbalance. It’s not that one side is better than the other – I want to emphasise that, as it is important. Also going back to the topic of trust. Trusting that you have everything you need to create a great life for yourself. Trust yourself and trust the process of life – that’s spiritual, right? I trust that when I’m having what might seem like the most horrible experience in the world, if I tap into my consciousness and my feminine side, and stop analysing and feel it, I can go through it and use it as an experience for growth, not for drama. So, if we all trust that we have everything within ourselves, then things start to flow. For me, trust is a manifestation of gratitude, which in turn fuels abundance. It’s all connected. You’re grateful for what you have, and it’s not about having more. It’s about being the best you can with what you have, creating the best version of yourself. That has always been my mantra.
What are your feminine qualities that you bring to the table in your global leadership role?
Let me just step back a little bit to give you the whole picture. Working in corporate, leading teams, being on an executive team, being a Chief Communications Officer, is what I do. It’s not the same as who I am. That’s a role I’m playing. I’m playing the role of an executive. But who I am is rooted in my purpose and my values, which are very feminine. My purpose is what guides me: “Leaving this world better than how you found it”, which is basically making a positive impact. Values are guiding behaviours. They are those traits that you tap into every time you have to make a decision or just be your authentic self. And my values are very clear: integrity, passion, and compassion. And integrity is all about…
…truthfulness, connectedness, trust.
Exactly. Integrity, for me, is doing the right thing, even when nobody’s watching. It means doing what I know is right, not hurting anyone, being truthful with my words, and acting from my heart. Passion is about being authentic. It’s doing something that fuels my heart and putting all of myself into what I’m doing. And compassion, which is a very feminine trait, is actually empathy in action. I also act upon my feelings, balancing heart and brain and tap into my intuitive side, my sixth sense. You can analyse, meditate, reflect on what it is that drives you. Tap into it. Bring it forward. It’s like downloading it from your heart drive.
I love that, the heart drive.
Computers have hard drives, and we have heart drives. Your purpose is what makes you feel connected with your higher self. It’s the answer to the question: what are you here for?
But how can you find that? Do you need help to find your true purpose?
You have to find it yourself. It’s there. It’s the reason for your existence. Some people believe that before you come to this world, you already decide what you’re coming for. It depends on what you believe. There are techniques that can help. When you manage to quiet all that external noise – all this war, all this social media – it can be through meditation, running a marathon, for some people it’s painting, for others it’s singing, or writing, or journaling. When you find your channel, it will come to you. When you’re open to listening to yourself, it will come to you. There is a saying in Spanish: “When you take one step towards life, life takes a hundred steps towards you”.
We also need to be particularly kind to others, radically generous with others, and with ourselves. It sounds like a cliché, but you must start by being kind to yourself. And it’s fair to ask, how can you be kind to people when things are not going right? For me, that’s when I tap into my values: my integrity and my compassion. If I’m not being kind to myself, I will not see a lot of kindness outside. This is how you will find out if you’re creating a world full of abundance and kindness – or not.
Are you a Superwoman?
Being a “super” woman implies superiority over others and, in my view, the only person we should compare ourselves to is who we were yesterday.
So, no, I’m not a Superwoman. I’m an “excellent woman” based on my definition of excellence. Being excellent is not about perfection, or superiority. Perfection is subjective. Superiority is subjective. For me, excellence is doing the best you can with what you have. Yes, I’m excellent. I take what I have, I take lemons, and I make lemonade. And not only that, but I also make a margarita, and I make a lemon pie. I squeeze it all. I squeeze life. So, at the end of every day when I reflect: did I do the best I can with what life brought me and what I brought into myself today? Yes, I did. For me, that’s excellence. And, by the way, this image of heroes – that comes from rather patriarchal old comic books. Is Superman a caring and kind person? No. He just fights the bad guys.
