An amazing woman.
She moved to different places in the world, faced multiple cultures and adapted to new environments.
She had ways to cope when missing home.
She learned. She grew. She is an example to follow, as a person and as a professional. She is also an example of someone who made a country that was once foreign to her, a home.
Funny thing, she is my aunt, and, I did not know half of the things she did before I had the opportunity to interview her. (She is admirable)
I thank her for giving me that chance to tell her story and trusting me to publish it. I hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I introduce you to Jeannine Haaker.
“People who see where I am today say ‘how lucky’, they don’t see the sacrifices I had to make”, said Jeannine Haaker, Senior Communications Manager at 3M.
Jeannine Haaker was bornin Arequipa, Peru and raised in the capital, Lima. Because unemployment was high during the military presidency, herfather could not always afford a house. So at times, the family lived separately with different relatives. Home care aide and sister Lizzy Haaker, said Jeannine pushed her and her other sister to succeed.
Uncommon for the time, Haaker wanted a career, she did her undergraduate studies in Business administration at, “Universidad del Pacífico”, a recognized university in Lima. “She was entrepreneurial, she accomplished objectives” Said former classmate Ana Hartley, “she helped others, she always helped me organizing projects” Sophomore year, Haaker’s parents could not longer afford her undergraduate studies. Determined to continue her studies, she talked to the dean about her options. She got a scholarship that covered 80% of tuition. She afforded the rest of the tuition by sewing clothes and teaching English and math to kids.
After graduating, Haaker continued her studies in Spain. She applied and got a scholarship in IE Business School in the University of Navarra, Spainto do her MBA. The scholarship covered tuition and approximately 500 euros to live. After growing up in a close family, being apart was challenging. She saved some of the scholarship money to call her family every Sunday. Communicating internationally was not fast or cheap, according to Lizzy Haaker, “we did not have much time to talk, you said you were okay and happy and that was it”. Jeannine also sent cassettes, pictures and faxes. When feeling sad, she went to sleep. Until today, she listens to music or watches TV to avoid feeling lonely.
Missing family, Haaker returned Peru at the peak of terrorism. People were leaving and she was coming back. “Returning was as hard as leaving.” She worked at Procter and Gamble, and Reckitt Benckiser. In 1992, 3M hired her.
“The company was almost losing 50% of its business. I fired and hired people, I did what I needed to do to turn the business around” Haaker said many coworkers strived for individual success, but for a company to grow, it requires teamwork. After her positive results, 3M send her to Argentina for 2 years. Then she was appointed responsible for Latin America. Executive banker and sister, Ursula Haaker, said, “she analyzed complex things no one else did… wherever she went, she shined” After a year, 3M transferred Jeannineto its headquarters in St. Paul, US. She said being a Latin American woman taught her to be resourceful, work harder for her work to be respected and seen as equal or more than men.“You have to have something pushing you, to me it was my economic security.”
Haaker has been communications manager in different divisions, overseeing one brand or multiple, nationally and/or globally. She started the company’s eMarketing programand managed communications strategies for brands such as Post-it®, Scotch®, Command®, and Filtrete®. She has won various 3M and industry awards. Today she focuses on recruiting, hiring, promotions and retention plans. In LinkedIn, 96 people endorse Haaker’s strategy, product marketing and advertising skills.
If there is an opportunity to change something, she wants to do it. Her husband, John Currie, graphic designer said “she is not about building an empire…she is interested in helping the company be and do better…she is doing it by helping all the people at 3M feel included”
She advises people to know themselves, their strengths and weaknesses to complement with-experts. “I am the one who brings the new,…when it’s settled” She said, “people start joining” Then, she wants the next project where she needs to apply her creativity and problem-solving skills.
Haaker found defining and differentiating success from happiness key to balance balancework, outside activities and relationships. Something that became more challenging when she married Currie. Her husband said, rather than making time to spend with each other, remembering to do so is hard. A religious person, Haaker thanks God for her lifeand the opportunities she had. In a few years, she will retire. She wants to sew, travel and do volunteer work, “Now it’s time to give back”
VICI by RT 