My background is in humanities and education. I worked as a teacher for 14 years in Brazil and Germany, specializing in adult education. I moved to Human Resources because I was looking for different opportunities in a related field. While I was living in Germany, I got a job at the German Federal Employment Agency as a Recruiter. And although I was a newcomer to Human Resources, they entrusted me with the management of the programme; within one year I was recruiting German experts for all of Latin America.

My love for the United Nations began when I was 19 years old and an exchange student in the United States. I think my main incentive is my love of foreign languages and cultures, for people, and my deep belief in what people can achieve together when they put their minds to making a contribution to the world.

When I applied to the UN, the recruitment process was not automated, that is, applications were sent via fax. On an average day the Human Resources Office would receive 400 applications a day. Although I was ready to serve in any capacity in Human Resources, I was very interested in recruitment. I received a phone call one day asking if I was interested in peacekeeping and whether I would consider going to the field. I said yes.

I was initially assigned to the United Nations Mission in Angola where I spent two years. From there, I was selected as a Staffing Officer for New York Headquarters where I stayed for almost three years. During that period, I was sent on a short-term assignment as Chief of Personnel for the United Nations Mission in East Timor where the team I led recruited 5,000 local staff to work on the Popular Consultation over a period of three and a half months. That consultation was held on 30 August 1999 and was a mechanism that allowed the East Timorese people to vote by means of direct, secret and universal ballot to begin a democratic process; today the former East Timor, now Timor-Leste, is an independent nation and a UN Member State.

I then moved to a specialized Agency - the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO – in Rome, as the Chief of Recruitment and Classification. From there I moved on to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna as Chief, Staff Administration.

In January 2008, I took up my current position and was thrilled to be able to come back to the Department where I started my career in the United Nations. My typical day is very diverse. I could be making recommendations on the reassignment of staff, responding to career opportunity questions, planning our participation in job fairs or coordinating the frequently evolving staffing requirements for field missions. I constantly prioritize and delegate, otherwise, I would not be able deliver results or provide support to our 32 operations across all time zones. What I find unique about working at the United Nations is the diverse social fabric of my colleagues, the chance to see the world from another perspective and the opportunity to make a difference.