Spotlight on BWBW Success: In conversation with Jelena Nikolic

It’s our pleasure to introduce Jelena Nikolic , who successfully completed the Bring Women Back to Work (BWBW) program in 2023.?

Jelena had an extremely successful marketing career in FMCG in Central & Eastern Europe before taking a career break to raise her three children. When Jelena decided to return to work, she used BWBW as the vehicle for change. Jelena now works as a Business Consultant for Attention CRM Consulting in Hungary.

Let’s find out more.

BWBW: Jelena, can you tell us about your early life and your career before you joined the BWBW program?

Jelena Nikolic (JN): I was born and grew up in a small town called Senta, situated in the northern part of Serbia, known as the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, in a small family with one older brother. My parents are Serbian, but they encouraged me to learn Hungarian from an early age, so I was practically bilingual. Since I loved speaking foreign languages, I felt lucky to have the opportunity to learn English and German at school. As a child, I also had a silly dream - to move to France one day. My family had friends who lived in France, and I loved hearing them speak French, but sadly, I did not have the opportunity to study French in my hometown.

When I graduated high school, I went to study at the International Faculty of Management in Belgrade. However,?with the outbreak of the Yugoslav Wars, I had to move to Hungary when I was 19 years old to continue my studies at Oxford Brookes International Business School in Budapest. Here, I finally fulfilled my dream of studying French, still imagining I would live there one day.?

As part of my studies in Budapest, I had the opportunity to spend my third year doing a one-year internship in industry. I landed at Colgate-Palmolive in Budapest and worked in the Marketing Department alongside amazing professionals. When it was time to return to university to complete my final year, I was offered a part-time role at the company, which I accepted, so my career took off really early. Within a couple of years of graduating, I was working for SSL International (now Reckitt) in the role of Regional Brand Manager for Eastern Europe for Durex, and I went on to become their Marketing Manager for the Czech and Slovak Republics living and working in Prague, Czechia. Throughout this time, I worked with diverse teams and got to know different cultures. I was so lucky to have had so much fun on that entire journey.

After my studies in Budapest, personal circumstances led me to build my life in Hungary, where I made many new friends and met my future husband, ákos. After my move to Prague with SSL International, I went onto L’Oréal as a Group Product Manager. When I found out I was going to become a mother for the first time, we decided to move back to Hungary, and being the kind of person who enjoys focusing on projects to the maximum, I knew I would want to dedicate myself to my children. I decided that I would not rush back to my career. I knew even when I made the decision that it would be more than difficult to come back after an extended break and likely impossible to pick up where I left off. But, I was determined to do it and knew that it would work out in the end. As I had succeeded once, I knew I could do it again one day.

I now have three children -? two girls and a boy aged 13, 10 and 6. We have two cats, Lynx and Pont, and live in a very, very tiny village on the Hungarian border with Slovenia. My children are growing up in a multilingual environment, just like me. They started with Hungarian and Serbian and added Slovenian, English and German to the palette. We love the family life we have created here.

BW: Jelena after your career break, what prompted you to want to return to work and how did you plan your return?

JN: During my career break, aside from the obvious role of parenting, there was always something keeping me busy, and professionally, I continued to learn many new skills. During those years, I worked with many entrepreneurs and small businesses, helping them improve their efficiency, plan their processes and organize themselves. I was gaining skills in consultancy and when my youngest child was settled in Kindergarten, I felt like there was room for taking on more in terms of work related projects. I began to plan my return. The first and most important question I had to answer was:? “Return? Or return to something new?”

Given that so many years had passed since my last marketing-related job, I knew that I did not want to go back to being a marketing manager, so I was looking for a new path - I just was not sure what it would be.

My dear friend Imola Cerulli had just finished her year with BWBW in Switzerland and we got to talking. She said that BWBW was expanding to CEE and I should look into this opportunity. At that time, the program was announced only for Poland and Czechia. This did not deter me from applying and just a couple of days after my application, I was the first and only participant from Hungary to be accepted. I was over the moon and determined to bring out the maximum from this chapter of my life. And so I did!

BW: Tell us about your experiences on the program and how it helped you in your return to work.

JN: For me, a huge part of the BWBW experience was being in a cohort of women with similar experiences. We helped and supported each other in overcoming obstacles and acquiring our first Salesforce certifications.

For all of us, the biggest challenge was managing digital class attendance while having little children running around, inevitably with some kind of virus! It was a real wake-up call and actually a great proof of what we as mothers are capable of. It was really empowering for me. As mothers, we did not have to feel bad for having our kids at our side, as this was totally normal. Finally!

I already suspected I had extraordinary logistical skills, but as soon as the program took off, I realized how powerful these skills really are. I focused on setting priorities and targets while organizing my three little ones, the household and all the usual chores that come with it. I was not the only one in that situation, which again felt extraordinarily empowering and motivating. Along the way, each success story helped the women in my cohort feel more confident and self-aware.

BWBW: As well as the hard skills and soft skills you developed during your time with the program you also had access to one-on-one mentoring and coaching. How was that for you?

My mentor was Laura Goci , and I have to say she did a perfect job in recognizing at our very first meeting the areas I needed to focus on. Laura encouraged me every step of the way and knew exactly when I needed to take a more robust approach. For example, thanks to her,? I finally sent my first job application. I had been looking at it for a couple of weeks and did not feel ready to apply but, she made sure I took action and applied. She helped me take the leap.

I had already landed a role and was on the right track when I first met with Tom Handley , my coach. I remember clearly on our first call that he said he was unsure what he could offer me as I had already begun my new role and had a clear vision of what I would like to achieve, but we discovered plenty of topics to discuss. I truly appreciated his expertise. He helped me develop my own personal approach to customer success and change management. Our time together proved really valuable.

BWBW: Jelena, you secured your new role within four months of joining the BWBW program. What can you tell us about your new company and your role?

JN: I joined Attention CRM Consulting as a Salesforce Consultant in May 2023, within just four months of being on the program and the two weeks of intensive digital classes with K2 University . Given that I was the only participant from Hungary and hiring partners in Hungary were not yet active, I was encouraged to apply to any position I found interesting. I knew that Attention CRM Consulting was where I would want to be, as they are a Salesforce Summit Platinum Consulting Partner and AppExchange Partner, so my first application landed there.

Just minutes before my interview, I had completed the “Brush up your Interviewing Skills” workshop with Mason Frank. The interview went really well, I had the contract in my hands in less than a week. I believe it was “love at first sight” if we can use that cliché when discussing a job!

On my first day at work I was very excited and, of course, scared to the moon and back, but after just a couple of minutes with my new colleagues, I simply felt like I belonged and was able to immediately contribute and bring value to the company.

During the BWBW program, I acquired two Salesforce certifications, and with my experience on the job, I have gone on to achieve a further 7, bringing my total to 9 Salesforce certifications. I don’t think I’ll stop there - I enjoy learning new things every single day.

Currently, I am working in the Evolution Business Unit, working with clients that are already using Salesforce. My role is never boring as there is always room for improvement, and with the new developments emerging, this practically never ends. We have to stay really up to date in order to be able to advise our clients on what they should be doing next in order to achieve their goals.

Initially, I worked on change requests and fixed bugs, but as time passed, I started managing smaller projects and eventually evolved into the role of Business Consultant. This is a role I am very comfortable in as for me customer success comes first. I am? happy only when my client sees the added value.

At a recent CRM Conference in Budapest, organized by Attention CRM Consulting, and the largest CRM Conference in Hungary, I had the opportunity to present a success story with one of our clients. The panel focused on what happens after implementation and how we can improve efficiency and the company’s overall performance with Salesforce.

Last month, I was promoted to the position of Consultant Team Leader. I am proud of this achievement as it was a target of mine to return to people management, having really enjoyed it before stepping back to focus on my family.

I am unquestionably encouraged and supported in continuous learning at Attention CRM Consulting, not only in terms of Salesforce certifications. As the company looks to expand to the DACH region, I am currently reviving my German language skills with an intensive course at the company. This is yet another dream come true, as I have always loved working in a multinational environment.

BWBW: Jelena, you are the new BWBW Mentoring Lead role for CEE.? Can you tell us why you decided to become part of the BWBW Leadership Team?

JN: I am really thankful for this fantastic opportunity and for the tremendous amount of work all the volunteers put into the program. My way of saying thank you is to now give back to the community. And I could not be doing this if not for the support of my employer - which is another gesture I appreciate.

I am excited to lead the mentoring program in CEE because, as I have just recently experienced myself, getting back to your career after a longer break can be really overwhelming. There are so many doubts and so much fear of rejection. To me, having the right mentor at the right moment is key. It enables you to overcome all of the obstacles in your way and truly focus on what is critical for your success.

BWBW: Considering all your success with the program, do you have any final advice to pass onto our current or future participants?

JN: Without question, the BWBW program helped me start believing in myself again. It also equipped me with new skills that are highly valued on the market. Plus, through peer-to-peer coaching, we not only helped each other but also grew in ways that I did not expect. I learned how to manage my own expectations and how to challenge myself. I had to ask myself very difficult questions about where I wanted to be and use the answers to progress in the right direction.

The BWBW program is a fantastic opportunity and I want to emphasize that it should not be taken for granted. It’s up to you, the participants, to decide what you will do with it. When this opportunity is given, the doors will start to open but, it’s your responsibility to invest the time and the effort to truly make the most of it. This is the key to achieving success.

Jelena, your journey back to work is an inspiration for women returners. Congratulations on your huge success with the Bring Women Back to Work program. You truly embraced all it had to offer. We wish you continued success in your career with Attention CRM Consulting and thank you for your dedication to giving back to BWBW in your new role as Mentoring Lead for CEE.

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