After having worked in business process management industries, where she gained strong management skills, Muriel Sefta joined Trafigura over 11 years ago. She is the Head of the Commercial & Finance Corporate Company Secretarial Division. Muriel is decisive, extremely efficient, and adaptable, with a “can do” attitude. Her multi-disciplinary and transversal trading business knowledge makes her a key player.

muriel

What is the best moment you can remember in your career?

There are too many to narrow it down. I would answer by, the best feeling in my career, having found a job and employer with the same degree of energy that I have.

 

 

If you had to give just one piece of advice to a junior starting his/her career, what would it be?

I’m a firm believer that nothing you ever do is a waste of time. You pick up skills, experience and a better understanding of yourself and what motivates you every time you do a job. Knowing yourself very clearly and what you enjoy is a pre requisite for career planning.

 

Do you have a Motto/Lucky charm?

Determined and passionate but not impatient, and never forget to follow my instinct. To learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know.

 

What do you enjoy the most in your day to day job?

The Finance & Commercial corporate company secretarial department is a multi-disciplinary department, providing routine and non-routine Finance (CF, TF, STF, Treasury, Credit, … departments) and Commercial (trading/operations/chartering, shipping… departments) corporate company secretarial information to relevant businesses, and performing a variety of law-related tasks, working towards a paralegal designation. This is the department who produce, communicate and keeps the official records and minutes of the corporation, through various enterprise documents management databases. Hence, I enjoy the cross-department interactions.

 

What is the biggest challenge for a woman in the trading industry?

There is still an existing male-dominated workforce and organizational culture, making it more difficult for women wanting to gain more exposure. Personally, I’m happy to work in the shadow. You need to have a strong personality to work in this sector and the key is to accept your role within the company. One of the biggest challenge is to find the right balance between work and family.

I’m happy to work in the shadow

How could you qualify your relationship with Ampersand World?

Ampersand World very quickly understood my requirements, submitting relevant candidates. The team drive and energy, as well as innovating and different approach are much needed as it was lacking on the Geneva market.