Hello Jocy!
After the founding of hearts and brains, Elke hired you as the first official employee. That’s almost 4 years ago now. Tell us, who are you, and how did you come to be part of hearts and brains?
It all started in the hotel industry. At that time, I was working as a Hotel Manager in Zurich at the age of 25. Elke was the CEO of this hotel chain, and our close collaboration turned into a deep friendship.
Years passed, our career paths temporarily diverged – but suddenly, we were not just roommates, but also co-founders and owners of our online shop “Ilmio.”
Five years ago, I became a mom, and since then, my new focus has been my family and my daughter Emily. Then Elke decided to establish hearts and brains, and I joined her as the Backoffice and CRM Manager. It’s an ideal balance for me, thanks to the autonomy and flexibility that allows me to juggle everything with family life.
As the fairy godmother and Office Manager, what are your responsibilities and challenges?
I’m in charge of the entire back office. I manage candidate data, ensure proper filing of all documents, organize appointments, and facilitate communication between interfaces.
I continuously strive to optimize all processes, support Elke and Matthias with search mandates, evaluate new tools for hearts and brains, test them, and implement them if we all agree they’re good. 😉 I also get to plan and organize our events and “get togethers” ♥!
The biggest challenge is to design processes so individually and efficiently that they work for Elke, Matthias, as well as the candidates and clients. Structured and data protection-compliant filing is crucial, but tailored solutions and flexibility are also essential.
hearts and brains is your job, but who are you outside of your job?
Clearly, a family person! (she says with shining eyes and becomes thoughtful…). It was different before. Work was always my only focus, which is also my passion to this day. However, now I’m a part-time workaholic 😉 and have another focal point – my family.
I enjoy family outings, leisurely breakfasts on weekends with my daughter, partner, and mother-in-law – it brings me a lot of joy and means a lot to me.
And is there a top-secret that nobody knows and you could reveal it to us now?
There are reasons why some things are unknown and kept as secrets (laughs mischievously! And considers…). I’m also a bit of an IT freak and love everything related to technology.
Does that mean you’re also a gamer?
Yes! 😀 Recently, Dani, my partner, and I got a Nintendo game console just for fun. In just three months, we completed the entire game “The Legend of Zelda” – ooops. We played until three in the morning at times. Now that I think about it… definitely not normal, considering we have a toddler at home and already don’t get much sleep. But that’s just how we are – a bit crazy! However, we’ve since taken a little gaming break.
I know you’re a foodie, do you prefer savory or sweet?
Definitely savory! As a native Brazilian, I love rice and black beans. If I had to choose something to take to a deserted island, it would be this simple dish.
Spontaneous or planned?
It depends – mostly spontaneous.
Bookworm or movies?
I find joy in both worlds. Sometimes, my partner even reads to me, and we enjoy a Stephen King thriller together. But there’s nothing like cozy nights with series, right?
Ocean or mountains?
You might already guess… the ocean!
I lived in Fortaleza, Brazil, during my youth. I miss the smell, the sound, and the vastness of the sea so much – it’s something very special for me!
Thank you very much, dear Jocy, for letting us learn more about you today!
On our website we have consciously decided against gendering. We see no reason whatsoever to emphasise differences when it is actually about recognising everyone as equal. We see and value everyone as an individual, regardless of gender and for us everyone is equal and equally welcome.