The Beery Exec

Full Transcript - Episode 14

Episode 14 - Transcript: Image

Alien invaders, another record breaker, coronavirus boate protocol and when not to put your finger in the pie...

Plus global IT executive, Ana Rizzo talks about what it's like to be a female at the top of a leading multinational.

J: Good morning São Paulo!!

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G: Good afternoon São Paulo! Hello, and welcome to yet another edition of The Samba Buzz!

J: The Samba Buzz, São Paulo, Corona 3!

G: Still in the lockdown of Coronavirus, here in our bunkers in São Paulo.

J: Yes, we’re still in the grips of this nasty pandemic.

G: So, how are you holding up, Jay?

J: I’m ok. I’ve returned to São Paulo. I was out in the countryside for a few weeks.

G: Ah, very nice. Where did you go?

J: I went to Boituva. I saw a couple of parachuters, not very many but a couple. But the nicest thing is that you’re out in the countryside and you get fresh air and you can walk around. No masks. You can ride bicycle, go to the lake and see the fish. There was just lots of...lots of nice things in the interior to do.

G: I bet special agent Elle must have loved that, actually.

J: Oh, she did. She really loved it.

G: So, what have we got today?

J: Well, we have...er...some special things on the pod. Of course, we’ve got the...the normal things that we always do. We’ve got some stories – What Caught My Eye this week. We have Ana Rizzo. She’s going to be talking to us about her work and at ABI – that’s Ambev, for those of you, so the beer company. That’s a...that’s...

G: Can she...can she bring some beer? Is that possible?

J: I’ll ask her. I dunno.

G: I think...I think it’s only fair we try her samples.

J: I’ll...

G: Great.

J: We have a little bit of grammar Guru.

G: Ok. Sounds good.

J: It’s nice to imagine freedom again. We don’t have any freedom anymore!

G: Exactly, the days when we didn’t have to wear a mask every time we stepped out the front door.

J: Ok, so let’s get on with it. Let’s get on with some ‘What Caught My Eye’.

G: Let’s do it. Let’s do some ‘What Caught My Eye’.

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J: (er, ok...) I have some stories about Russian cooks and restaurant owners that are...er...protesting the Coronavirus by posting naked photos on social media. I guess that Putin closed down Russia, especially in Moscow and...er...the restaurant owners there are protesting that...that lockdown by posting naked photos because they think that everything’s been stripped from them, so they are going to strip as well!

G: So, this is a load of naked photos of hairy old chefs, is it – that decided to bare all?

J: Yeah, it’s actually not even worth mentioning but I...I thought I...I’d just bring it out there. There’s another story. This is also one of those silly stories. It’s a stupid American story. There was this girl. She’d just become engaged...

G: Ok.

J: ...and she was on one of those fast trains and they were just zipping down the...the road and suddenly these...these two nefarious characters kind of appeared next to her.

G: You don’t want nefarious characters, do you? That’s never good.

J: No. They obviously wanted to steal all of their money. The only thing she could do was to swallow her ring. And then she woke up, and it turns out that her ring was gone and she really did swallow her ring.

G: She swallowed her ring in her sleep?

J: She had to go to the...the doctor and get an operation on...

G: Where was this? This was Russia too? No, where was this?

J: No, this was a stupid American story. But that’s also not really what I wanted to focus on. The story that...

G: Ok. So...so far, we got naked Russian chefs and we got a lady who swallowed her ring. Ok. Good.

J: Yes.

G: Carry on.

J: That’s not really what I really wanted to focus on today. What I thought was, like, really, really important is I have some information here from the...the US Department of Defense. The person that’s in charge to...er...investigated unidentified aerial threats for the office of Secretary of Defense. Ok?

G: This is UFO’s, I guess?

J: Exactly. And he confirms...he confirms that UFOs exist.

G: Fantastic.

J: So, what those people were saying before. Do you remember all those stories before about people that were abducted...and...and they had strange encounters with aliens and what-not? It appears that that actually might be true – according to this official, Luis Elizondo.

G: Well, there’s been some theories for a while now, that they are trying to prepare the world for the reality of the existence of UFOs, and that they are trying to drip-feed us slowly with evidence, so that we get used to the idea rather than having the big shock of seeing one on television, or seeing one land out the sky. And, um, there’s been quite a lot of instances recently of...um...footage of UFOs.

J: Yes, yes.

G: I don’t know if you saw the ones that were released by the US department of defense recently?

J: He was responsible for releasing those things to The Press! That was the guy...he was the one who ordered the release of it.

G: Ah.

J: Because, exactly what you said. They...they....it seems that they gradually want to...er...let, let the public (in) on the fact that we’re not alone in this universe.

G: Well, I do hope we get to see these guys in our own life-time. It...it would be a terrible shame if...if they appeared after we were gone.

J: That was my news for the week. Er, what else do you have, Gee? What...what caught your eye?

G: Well, actually...um...it’s one of your compatriots, once again. You may remember in the last pod, we had...er...a couple of record holders. We had the Brazilian skateboarder...

J: Gooey!

G: ...and, um, Gooey, yes we had Gooey! The lady who caught my eye this week was a lady called Jessi Combs. Have you ever heard of Jessi Combs?

J: No, I don’t know Jessi Combs.

G: Well, she has been a TV presenter and a professional racing driver.

J: Ok.

G: And she held...has held a number of...um...land speed records for...in a car.

J: So, the fastest woman on the road!

G: Exactly. And recently, The Guinness Book of Records announced that she had broken the land spped record for a woman in a car, with a speed of 522 miles-per-hour.

J: That’s pretty fast.

G: And she now holds The Guinness Book of Records for the fastest woman in a car.

J: Wow.

G: So, why is this interesting? Well, the interesting thing is that sh...she died in the attempt.

J: She died?

G: She died in the attempt. And my thinking is, well, surely to be in the Guinness Book of Records you actually have to walk away at the end of it, don’t you?

J: I would think so. You have to have a successful attempt. This...I would say this is unsuccessful.

G: Otherwise, anybody who wants to commit suicide could...um...you know, just crank it up to whatever speed anything can do...a rocket will do and, you know, officially you’re going to get the record, aren’t you?

J: Do what you must, I guess.

G: So, obviously, she wasn’t...d...didn’t intend to die. Unfortunately, her...her car hit a rock and the wheel broke, and that, unfortunately was the end of her.

J: 522 miles an hour – you...you’re history.

G: Well, she was actually doing 550 at the time of the accident, apparently, so...er...

J: My goodness!

G: But anyhow, I...I guess, you know, in recognition of her attempts, and the fact that she’s a good egg, and they want to acknowledge the fact that she did actually beat the record – even though it killed her in the attempt, um, they have awarded her, officially, the Guinness World Record for land by a woman.

J: Interesting.

G: Puts a whole new perspective on other world records, doesn’t it? Really, because, you know, who...you could break any world record and you don’t have to live at the end of it. So, what else, um, have you seen this week, Jay?

J: Well I...the other story that I wanted to focus on is...comes all the way from Japan. So, of course, this Covid crisis is going all around the world and is affecting all different kinds of businesses. And one of the businesses that...that it’s also affecting is it’s affecting the brothels in Tokyo in kind of a negative way.

G: Ok. Well, I think most...most brothels around the world have been impacted in a negative way, probably.

J: For...for people in that kind of work it...it’s probably the worst thing that can happen, really, because all the...all the clients are disappearing. Anyway, in Tokyo, the mayor there has threatened to shut...shut down all night clubs unless they start adhering on strict...er...Covid protocols. One of the things is that they have to give Q&A sessions, so question and answer sessions...er...via video to all potential customers. The...

G: Interesting.

J: Yeah, so they need to inform the people...the gentlemen before they go into the night clubs....before they go into the brothels....before they go into the...er...what do you say – puteiros – that this is what is going to happen here. This is what you need to do...this is the protocol...da-ta-da-ta-da. And, one of the things is they have to watch a video session wherein all kinds of questions are answered: ‘What are medical costs like? How often should we sanitize our hands?’ Now, I think if you go to a brothel, you might not necessarily need to sanitize just your hand... – those were some of the questions that were asked. In addition...

G: Yes.

J: Now I have...I don’t know if this happens in São Paulo because I...I just don’t know, here in São Paulo!

G: Well, if you know, you’re not telling!

J: Before you go into a brothel in Tokyo they check your temperature, so they do a temperature check. The seating arrangements, you have to have more space between, er, the customers, so, you know, a lap dance or a pole dance there, there’s going to be a little bit further distance than you might be used to.

G: You need a very big lap! Everybody needs to be basketball players!

J: You know they say...they say it’s a very high risk for the majority of the customers and they have a profile of the customers they are targeting. They say people...the majority of those infected by their brothels are in their twenties or their thirties and they have almost no symptoms. So they are asymptomatic, they go to the brothels and they pass it on. So that’s why they, you know...they’re...they’re trying to target those kinds of...er...businesses.

G: Excellent. Well, I’m glad they’re so enterprising.

J: Yes.

G: I have no idea what the arrangements are here. I...I have actually been to a bar, I can say, in São Paulo, and it was extremely well organized.

J: Yeah?

G: We sat down. We had at least 3 minutes...3 meters, I should say, distance between us. The waiters came. They were wearing a professional mask – the top quality ones – and a full face visor, like a welder or somebody, and they were wearing gloves, and it was all very, very well controlled.

J: Nice.

G: And I felt very safe there. How you could do all that in a brothel I don’t know though! If they...if they were dressed like that in a brothel, I think it might lose some of its allure.

J: Well, I think the whole idea about a brothel is you...you don’t have much protection on. Right? That’s...that’s what’s attractive about it, right?

G: If...if the young lady comes in a face mask and a...and a metal-worker’s visor, it’s probably not going to be much of a turn on, really.

J: No, I don’t think she’s going to earn a lot of money like that but - who knows? Anyway, that was my other story that I...that I thought was interesting. Wh...what else do you have for us?

G: Well, I have been searching the Brazilian news, actually. And, obviously, most of it is either about politics or it’s about the Coronavirus and the number of people who are sick and dying, which is kind of depressing. And then I came across a story, erm, a very recent story from last Saturday, in the north of São Paulo. And it’s about a family who decided they fancied Arabian food. So they ordered some esfihas and things like that. And the food was delivered, and one of the family, he’s enjoying his es...esfiha – a 14 year-old boy – and he feels something in his mouth that’s a bit strange.

J: And it was a finger!

G: And it was half a finger, actually.

J: Oh, seriously? Oh my God.

G: It was actually half of a finger, yes, in his mouth, and...

J: Oh, my...God...

G: ...he was not, not very happy about this. And apparently the poor chef who lost his finger, er, had only just started back at work. He’s a 55 year-old chap, and...um...he was quite distraught to lose half of his finger, so...um...he was cutting calabresa at the time, apparently. And I...I...I just can’t figure out how – having lost his finger – the process managed to continue all the way into the esfiha, all the way into the delivery bag and all the way to the poor young boy’s mouth. I mean it seems...

J: I...I don’t know...

G: ...seems incomprehensible to me, actually.

J: I don’t know but I...I tell you there’s one Arabian restaurant that I’m never gonna go to and that’s the one!

G: In other news, of course...um...you’ll be delighted to know our dear friend, Tom Moore, has been knighted by The Queen.

J: Tom? Oh, wow!

G: Tom. He...he’s now...he’s now Sir Tom to you.

J: That...that comes...that’s a...actually kind of a good situation for The Queen because, er, Prince Andrew is involved in this whole royal scandal, so he’s like...

G: Ah, yes.

J: ...I don’t know if he’s been demoted from being a prince but maybe he’ll...Tom will be elevated to...er...a different level?

G: Elevated to The Queen’s son?

J: I...yeah, I don’t know. Son-to-be because the other one was...er... such a disgrace. My goodness.

G: So, the prince...the prince gets relegated to the old people’s home and the hundred-year-old Sir gets promoted to 5th in line to the throne, or whatever, yes?

J: Well, I think he’d probably do a better job of representing the royal family in...in matters...certain matters...the...than Prince Andrew, at this moment.

G: Um, so, that’s...that’s, um...that’s my gruesome story. So, I’ve got a death and a finger chewing, so it’s a bit...it’s not even Halloween, either.

End of Part 1

Episode 14 - Transcript: Text

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J: The...the current global HR representative for ABI – that’s Ambev for those who...so the beer company. Ana – welcome to The Samba Buzz!

G: Yes, welcome! Thanks for joining us today.

J: This...this is a...another virtual interview. Unfortunately Ana couldn’t be here in...in person. Well, I’ll let you explain what your position is because it’s...it’s a little bit complicated!

A: So, I am, erm, the...the global vice-president, solution vice-president for employee experience. Erm, in summary, I can say that I am responsible for all of the systems that are related with employees.

J: About how many employees globally are...are...work for - in this concern?

A: In ABI, we have 160,000 employees.

G: Wow. 160,000.

A: And I have in my team around 60-70 people.

G: Wow. That’s a lot of people. Is that... those are based here in Brazil, are they?

A: They, no, they are based in India. Most of them are in India.

G: Er, ok.

A: Er...and I have a small team here in Brazil and a small team in the US.

J: So, you...you basically have to travel the world to...to...to see all of your team?

A: Oh, I used to. I miss my trans...I miss my plane. You know, I cannot expect the times that I can say – ‘Guys, we can fly again.’ But, I think that the pandemic, really, that’s a new reality. Erm, on top of those problems, because ok, we were – I...I really believe that we will fix this problem when we have the vaccine. But...er...I think that most of company (sic) took this opportunity to understand...er...and to create a new ways of working. So, that if you work, you face a new reality. So it’s possible. I am now delivering a project – a global project. I have more than...er...45 people involved in this project, only reporting to me, because of the project. We also have all of those ones in Covid, and we are delivering the project since the pandemic started because the project started at exactly the same time as the pandemic. We are keeping the project not on the schedule anymore but...it’s impossible to...to keep a global project like this one on schedule but so far, so good. All things is running.

J: So, I...I...I have a question kind of...er...a little bit more...let’s say...er...direct. You are working for a beer company, basically. But you’re a...you’re a...you’re a female working in a beer company. What’s that dynamic like? Because your client base, I would assume, is mostly male? Are your...are your colleagues also mostly male?

A: Yes. In fact, they are. It’s a fact, so, today we have...er...a problem in the company. Diversity is something that we need to work on. I am the only woman in my team. For example, my peers, I have more than ten other VP’s in solutions. I am the first and...er...and the only one, and while I think that I am the first, I hope that we have more after – women in solutions. So, I’m the first woman working in technology as a VP in ABI in the world. So...

G: So, how...how did you get into this line of work, then? Wh...what made you interested in the technology side? How did you get into this?

A: Good question! So, it’s...er...I am...I am not a tech woman. Er...I am...er...really in...in business and I worked in...I came from Accenture, from a consulting company, I used to implement systems in the past but I’m...I’m not a technology woman. So, I don’t have...I am not a tech major, also. I’m not a digital native because I am 47 years old, you know, so... But I think that when they invited me to...to get this position the argument that...it...it was very funny because, at the end of the process, I realized that they are...they are trying to convince me more than I convince them that I am the right person to assume the position, you know?! It’s the first time that something like that happened with me but...but I think that it’s exactly because I’m a woman and my...er...

G: Your perspective is different, no?

A: Yeah, then my boss asked me, ‘Ana, I have a problem to divide with you. You will be the only woman. And I told him – ‘For me, it’s not a problem. For me, it’s a good opportunity to change the scenario. No, I don’t see this as a problem and I was not intimidated because I really saw that I had the opportunity to...to change the scenario, to be someone that can add more value and can leave a legacy.

J: Uh-huh. Now...now that’s a very interesting point, because we have had a headhunter actually sit in the chair where you are currently ‘virtually sitting’ and she’s in a...she does executive search, and she told us that she has had companies come to her, as an executive search specialist, and say – ‘We do not...we want....we need an executive for this position, but please don’t give us females.’ And then I hear your situation, which is almost completely the opposite – a male dominated company, for years Am...ABI was...was noticed as, let’s say, high testosterone type of workplace, and they ask you there for...because you’re a female. H-how does that work? What’s...?

A: I am surprised with your...with what you are talking about because, for me, today the situation is the opposite. Most companies are looking for women because leaders needs (sic) to grow diversity in the company because of that. And that is something that I concern about because sometimes diversity grows if it has a woman leading. So that’s something that we need to reach. For example, I need to have 50% of women in the company but nobody is thinking about how I will provide the same opportunities for them. Nobody stops to thinking (sic) about if the leadership, if the actual board is prepared to support the career of these women. So, er, I think that today that most of head...headhunters is having a hard time to find women in a leadership position.

G: So, changing the subject slightly, what’s the secret to survival as a woman in a very male-dominated environment?

A: Erm...when we talk about this, I would like to divide, also, the topic in two pieces, right? When we talk about diversity and how we can be prepared to face the problem and blah-blah-blah. I think there is two things to think about. The first one is – ‘what we can do to change the scenario’ – what we can do now to change the future scenario. The responsibility is ours. And the second part is – ‘how companies should be prepared to give the same opportunities for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race...’

J: Right.

A: The first thing that I mentioned, it is something that I have the control. The second one I don’t have. I can support the corporation’s program, whatever diversity program inside...inside of the company but I don’t have the control. It’s a reason, thinking that, we can do something alone.

G: Do you find your colleagues treat you differently than they treat the...their male colleagues?

A: Sometimes it happens. I cannot say that it never happen (sic), but I think that it also depends on us. We know the most important thing that women, or that the most important skills that a leader should present to be recognized as a leader. So, the most important thing is authenticity. Ok, and how to be authentic, and how to be a woman is an example that we had in the past with only...only men. Only males. We don’t have women as examples. So, and we used to repeat what we live and what we learn, right?

J: Right.

A: So...er...along this...er...thinking in the same way, change the gender, so how men can respect our space if they were created to disrespect or if they grew up watching their mothers at home taking care of kids. Normally we grow up learning to respect the similarities and not the differences. So, I don’t think that when a man talk (sic) to me in a different way – probably it could be something unconscious because he always learned to...to...to treat a woman like this. So what is...what we can do to change this? I can tell him – ‘See, I don’t like the way that you are treating (me). I don’t like that you are interrupting me at all times when I start to talk in a meeting.’ So, we need to put voice on our actions, you know. It’s easy to do a kind of...er...erm. It’s easy when you say – ‘Oh my God, the guys are not treating me very well. I am a woman.’ Erm, but in the end, what are you doing to...to change this? So, I...I like to push the responsibility to the woman. What I did to protect myself, to protect my space, is – ‘Please, could you have a coffee? Could you talk a little bit?’ I think then try to tell them – ‘I didn’t like what you did. You didn’t give me space.’ But we need to take care because when you do something like this you have to have a lot of – how can I say? – background. You have to be a lot of certain of what you want to say, you know, like...um... and in this way, what I think, you need to be always prepared for the next level. So, don’t transfer the responsibility of your development, of your career, to the company.

J: Y...you’re saying that it’s something you can take control of. Do you limit this...this...um...let’s say, taking control of the situation... do you limit that to the workplace only or are...do you think there are things that...er...women can do in other places to effectuate change?

A: I...I used to give a lot of speeches to women, younger than I, of course, that is (sic) starting their careers in HR and I always challen...challenge...

J: Challenge.

A: ...challenge them, because how could we ask for more opportunity at the company if we don’t have a situation...a good situation...good relationship at your house? So, what kind of relationship do you have with your husband or your partner regarding house jobs, for example? Your husband - how does your husband divide with you the...the tasks...the home tasks that you have to do? So, you transfer to the company your pain. I saw my mother at home taking care of kids. So, what is my...the value is...is important so, unconscious I have this because at home I need to take care of kids, I need to clean the house, I need to take care of kids and also I need to work.

J: Yeah, th...that makes it almost impossible because then you’re doing everything.

A: Yes, it’s impossible. It’s impossible to manage all the...the plates in the air, you know. Er...also I think that a good reflection to do is – ‘How I am...how is my situation, not in the company but, what kind of relationship do I have with my family? What kind of relationship do I have with my...my brothers, with my colleagues? What kind of...er...comments I can support? What kind of comments I cannot support?’

J: Right.

A: And then I need to take care. So, the way that life will be in the future depends of (sic) what we are doing now.

G: So, it’s about establishing boundaries at home, which helps you establish boundaries at work.

A: Exactly. If you can protect yourself at home, you can protect yourself at...at work.

G: Very good. I like that.

J: Yeah, it’s good. Do you have any more questions, Gee?

G: I...I have one last question, very short one. It’s probably a very long answer but I’ve been dying to ask you this. How are the Americans who work for Anheuser-Busch reacting to being managed and owned by Brazilians?

A: Very good. Your questions today is... I can say that the same problem that you have regarding gender, you have regarding nationality and you have regarding race, for example. Today you have. But I...I think that there is a lot of prejudice because we...we are Latin. And if we...if you are a Latin but speak good English, it’s hard. If you are a Latin but don’t speak English forget it.

J: It’s almost impossible.

A: Thank you guys!

G: See you! Take care!

J: Ciao-ciao.

End of Part 2

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G: So, Jay, I believe you’re up for Guru this week. What have you got?

J: I have something regarding modal verbs.

G: Modal verbs, ok.

J: Ok? After...so, after modals. So after will or would or can or could or any of the other modals that we have, you will use the base form of the verb. Ok?

G: What’s the base form of the verb?

J: The base form of the verb is going to be the...the verb that’s not with ing and not with ed, so, for example, if you have...

G: Is that...is that like the infinitive or something different?

J: It’s like the infinitive but it’s not... The infinitive is...would be with ‘to’. So, it’s...it’s root form, so without ‘to’. So, basically if you have...

G: Ok.

J: If you have the verb, imagine, ‘to leave’, you’d just use ‘leave’. If you have the verb ‘to stop’ you just use ‘stop’. So, for example, here we have one sentence. Er, the professor cannot return the papers until tomorrow. Correct or incorrect?

G: Er, that sounds ok to me.

J: Ok. Good. The tour guide may preferring to leave within an hour.

G: That would be incorrect.

J: Ok, so it should be?

G: May prefer.

J: May prefer. There you go. Good. The next step in the process will depends on the results of the medical test.

G: That sounds horrible, doesn’t it?

J: Yes.

G: Um, well you’re not going to use the present tense in the third form for that one, no. So, it will be ‘will depend’.

J: Will depend. Exactly. So, you go back to the root form.

G: Right.

J: Now, that’s actually like a pegadinho ...er...because we always say, for third person singular, the verb is going to have an ‘s’ in present tense. However, in this case it is preceded by a modal – will – and then you do not use it. You go to the base form of the verb. Ok? Ok, here’s another one. He asked if you might be coming to the party. Correct or incorrect?

G: Well, he asked if you will come, would be what I would say, or if you are coming to the party.

J: Ok. But if you have to use ‘might’?

G: Er, if you have to use might. He asked if you might come to the party, yes.

J: There you go. Not ‘be coming’ there, exactly. Ok?

G: Right.

J: Three more.

G: The first...the first one that you gave me sounded a bit Irish, actually.

J: Irish?

G: He asked if you might be coming. Yes. They...they might use that form. To be sure.

J: Er, I don’t know about that. Ok. Here we go. He was angry because his car would not start this morning.

G: Is correct.

J: Many of the cars on the lot will going on sale this week-end.

G: Er, ‘will go’, is the correct form.

J: There you go. And the last one – When do you think the company might announce its decision?

G: I believe that’s correct, actually. When do you think the company might announce its decision?

J: There you go. That’s fine. Ok, so that’s it for the Guru!

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J: So, Gee, I think that pretty much wraps up another pod.

G: Yes it does. Probably wraps it up for this week, no?

J: I think so. So, thanks everybody for listening.

G: And, don’t forget, if you want to access the site, it is www.thesambabuzz.com

J: Yes. Please...please have a look at the site. There’s a lot of useful information on that, and if you have any questions, please write in to us and...and give us all your questions regarding grammar, Life, or travel plans, and we will answer them as best as we can.