On the Importance of Transferable Skills in Fashion, with Pedro Bennasar of Vestiaire Collective

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Pedro Bennasar started his studies in Business with marketing in mind and a general disinterest in finance. Yet, following his first internship in banking in London and achieving a Master’s in International Management from IE Business School, his understanding of finance grew and opened new doors. Today Bennasar works as the Head of Payment for Paris-based, second-hand e-tailer Vestiaire Collective. 

Having worked in London, Spain and Paris, and going from banking to luxury e-commerce, Bennasar faced a set of unique challenges that taught him invaluable lessons. 

Here are the key takes from the interview with Pedro Bennasar.

What skills are required to obtain finance roles in fashion? 

“Because [payments and risk assessment] is very niche… you need to have passion for what you do. You need to have very strong communication with management and peers to make sure that they understand what you are doing and [encourage them to] get inquisitive about it.

“Be persistent and patient about how things are moving in payments because you have a lot of dependencies from different departments, so if you want to do something you might need [the help of] credit or engineering, who can support you in the direction you want to go.”

What do you look for in candidates?

“Learning any job, for example in operations, is pretty straightforward. But the attitude is really what drives the success in this type of role. What I also value is how these new hires could fit with the team… because if you don’t fit in with the team, then it’s not going to be fun for you, nor for the members who are already there.”

What advice do you have for interviewees?

“In my first job interview… I answered all the questions, [and then I was able to] relax and be myself. I think that, in a way, hooked the [interviewers in]. Of course, it’s very normal to be nervous, and be prepared for that, but [don’t be afraid to show your personality].”

“Also, be prepared to receive a no. At the time you’re going to be disappointed, but maybe it’s because the job wasn’t for you and you still have to learn new things.”

What challenges have you had to overcome that helped you reach where you are today? 

“If you want to grow in a company, you need to be prepared to face challenges, otherwise you will keep doing the same thing and not grow in yourself.”

“My challenges when I started were first and foremost the language. When I started, I was hired because I was able to speak Spanish, but I had to work in a fully English team. I remember going into weekly meetings with a manager who had a very strong accent and not being able to understand a thing, thinking I’m going to be fired. But [you won’t, because], you are bringing something that they don’t have which is your language, your passion for work, or your knowledge about things, therefore think about what are you bringing [rather than fear] what’s going to happen.”

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