Powerhouse Mexican Mom Champions "Soft" Skills Development in Global PM Office

Editor’s Note: Although movie theater construction is not categorized as infrastructure-related, Ana Lucia’s construction and project management journey is powerful and deeply relatable across sectors.

I grew up around construction sites, projects, and a lot of engineers. My father is a civil engineer and a scholar in steel structural design. He was my greatest supporter while I was studying and a huge source of inspiration to commit to doing my best in every challenge or task I faced. He always said to me, “If you are going to do something, do it right — otherwise don’t do it.”

Growing up in Mexico, though, not everyone was as supportive of my decision to become an architect and go for my MBA. I did face some criticism for doing things differently from previous generations in my family.

I remember my mother was super worried about me for not getting married as soon as some of my friends did at the age of 23 (I didn’t marry until I was 31).

Close friends told me, “You don’t stop, do you? Always studying!” “What for do you study that much ?” “Is it not enough to have created a family to feel achieved?”

Fifteen years ago when I started in movie theater construction, it was rare to see a woman who was there to provide anything other than administrative or janitorial services. Several years later, I am very pleased to find women architects and engineers in positions of greater responsibility, from supervision to the execution of general contracts. That makes me truly happy, considering the construction industry has historically been a sector led by men.

I am convinced that diversity enriches the quality of the processes and the finished product.

Currently, I am deputy director of the global project management office at Cinépolis, where I oversee the construction of all the cinemas in Mexico and direct a team of 15 people, who in turn coordinate work teams of about 100 people per project. Annually we open around 25-50 locations globally, with Mexico posting the highest expansion.

In 2017, I became the first certified PMP in the company. Thanks to this program, I changed my perspective on gender equity and complementarity. One of my greatest passions in life is contributing to the development of people, with special emphasis on women, to close the equality gap in the corporate world. For the past two years, I have been a mentor in Cinépolis’ high-potential program, working with employees from underrepresented groups.

I cannot say that doing all of this has been easy while being a mother — childbirth alone is rough, as is breastfeeding night after night but still arriving fresh to the office as if I had slept very well.

I have been fortunate to share this life with a husband who more than pulls his weight. My male supervisors have been pro-woman in every way, giving me the flexibility to manage my schedule to meet my goals in life. I am certain that when children arrive, we women learn to manage our time more efficiently to meet all the requirements of this demanding stage of life.

About the Author: Ana Lucia Moreno Calderon is Deputy Director, Project Management Office, at Mexican theater chain company Cinépolis. She earned her degree in architecture at the University of Michoacán Mexico and her Executive MBA from Arizona State University (2022). In 2019, Ana Lucia was part of the IESE Women and Leadership Program.