There's a quiet pressure many women in leadership know well - the feeling that at some point, career ambition and motherhood will pull in opposite directions. That one will have to give way to the other. Francesca Bandelli has lived on both sides of that question, and her answer is clear: the tension is real, but the trade-off is a myth.
With a career spanning FMCG and B2B across multiple countries and cultures, Francesca Bandelli has led brand relaunches, built international teams, and driven major innovation projects, most recently at Plzeňský Prazdroj. She is also a mother. And in her own words, becoming one made her a significantly better leader.
We sat down with Francesca to talk about international career moves, the mindset shifts that came with parenthood, and what it really looks like to support working parents on your team, not just in policy, but in practice.
Living in different countries, adapting to new markets, new cultures, and different ways of doing business was probably the biggest accelerant in my career and shaped who I am today.
Every move has taught me something new. Not only about consumers and brands, but also about people, leadership, and myself. I realised very quickly that what works in one place doesn’t automatically work somewhere else. It taught me humility, to listen more, and to become comfortable being uncomfortable.
Professionally, I have always looked for opportunities that stretched me: taking on bigger challenges, entering unfamiliar markets, building brands, launching innovations, leading larger teams.
At the same time, some things have always stayed constant. Family, integrity, honesty, developing people, and feeling that what I do creates something positive beyond business results. Those things have always been my anchor.
I really can say that becoming a mother made me a significantly better leader.
When you have a child waiting for you at home, you stop tolerating waste very quickly. You realise time is finite and energy matters. It made me much sharper about priorities. I started to evaluate what genuinely needs my attention and what simply doesn't.
I learned to delegate more effectively, trust my teams more, and accept that excellence does not require perfection.
Motherhood also strengthened my empathy. I became more focused on people. Contemplating what motivates them, what challenges they are carrying, and how different life situations influence performance.
And in terms of decision-making, I became more decisive. When you balance a demanding career and family life, you learn quickly that not everything can be equally important. You make choices faster. You become clearer on what matters.
Concretely, I do a few things.
First, I try to make flexibility structurally normal. It´s not a favour people feel they need to ask for with an apology. If someone needs to reorganise their day around school pickup or family commitments, we find a way. We don't make it bigger than it needs to be. Normalising it for one person often normalises it for everyone.
I also try to lead based on outcomes rather than visibility. Sitting in every meeting or staying online late does not automatically create impact. Great work can happen in different ways and different rhythms.
I encourage open conversations too. Life happens. If someone is struggling because things are particularly demanding at home, I would rather know early and solve it together than have people carrying pressure silently.
And importantly - development doesn´t stop because someone becomes a parent. I actively think about stretch assignments, visibility, and career opportunities. Parenthood should not automatically mean stepping off the growth path.
The idea that motherhood and ambition are in conflict is something many of us inherited. It is not necessarily true.
My practical advice: build your support system before you desperately need it. Whether it is a partner who genuinely shares responsibilities, family support, childcare, or trusted people around you. You need to build it without guilt.
You cannot fully focus on work if you are constantly worried about what is happening at home. And equally, you cannot enjoy time at home if work feels constantly out of control.
Also, do not underestimate how much motherhood develops leadership skills. Resilience, prioritisation, adaptability, empathy, patience, negotiation, decision-making under pressure. These are leadership capabilities.
And finally: give yourself permission not to do everything perfectly.
You will not be the perfect mother and the perfect director every single day. Nobody is. But you can be very good at both, over time, in your own way. That is enough.
Prefer to listen? Catch Francesca's conversation on career, motherhood, and wellbeing going hand in hand.
