PUBLISHED May 22, 2023

by Rachel Smith

4 min read time

Celebrating Our Diverse Team – Meet Ricardo Giacovazzi

celebrating-diversity-at-codex-meet-ricardo-giacovazzi celebrating-diversity-at-codex-meet-ricardo-giacovazzi

EU Diversity Month aims to raise awareness of the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and across society. In recognition of this, we want to celebrate our diverse culture at Codex by highlighting some of our outstanding Codex colleagues, who come from an astounding 13 different nations around the world.

Last week, we commenced our workplace diversity series with Marketing and Advertising Manager Bárbara Dominguez, which gave us an insight into Brazilian culture and how her background and experiences have helped shape her daily life.

This week, we are delving into the cultural experiences of South Africa and Italy with Codex’s eCommerce Manager, Ricardo Giacovazzi. Ricardo originates from Johannesburg in South Africa and moved to Ireland in 2021. 

Continue reading to discover how Ricardo’s cultural upbringing has influenced his personal and professional life as a seasoned digital marketer and tech enthusiast.

 

Celebrating Diversity at Codex

 

1. Can you describe some unique aspects of your cultural background that you think people might find interesting or surprising?

 

"My unique heritage has given me a rich culture and experience throughout my life. I was born and raised in South Africa, but my parents are Italian. I had the incredible privilege of growing up with my grandparents, who taught me all the Italian traditions they learnt while growing up in Italy. This direct experience shaped my culture and exposed me directly to my heritage.

Growing up in South Africa also brought exposure to many people and cultures. South Africa has 11 official languages, and this is reflective of the diverse cultures that are native to the country. With this diversity South Africa also welcomes cultures from all over Africa and the World, earning it the title 'The Rainbow Nation'.”

 

Johannesburg South Africa - Home to Ricardo Giacovazzi Codex eCommerce Manager

 

2. How do you incorporate your cultural background into your daily life, both at work and outside of work?

 

"Having a cultural background that mixes strong traditions and diversity helps me relate to and understand the people I work with and interact with daily. Having recently moved to Ireland, my background has helped make it easier to assimilate into Irish society."

 

3. What values or beliefs from your cultural background do you feel have influenced your personal and professional growth?

 

"Respect is a primary value that has been instilled in me, and this comes due to my cultural background. Growing up in a diverse and rich society helped me to understand and respect other cultures. This has helped me to grow immensely as a person and professional."

 

4. How has your cultural background shaped how you view and approach challenges in the workplace?

 

"My cultural background has shaped my views and approach by making me understand that many ways exist to solve a challenge. If you respect your team member’s unique cultures and experiences, you quickly realise they have creative, innovative, and diverse ways of seeing and solving challenges. These may differ from your own and open possibilities to overcome challenges."

 

Famous Streets in Johannesburg

 

5. What are some common misconceptions or stereotypes about your cultural background, and how do you address them?

 

"Having two significant cultural backgrounds, I do face a unique challenge with them. The biggest challenge living in Europe now is that some people see me as either Italian OR South African, but I am both. I overcame this challenge by being open to questions, talking about my culture and heritage, and listening to people's opinions.

Fortunately, I have not encountered any real misconceptions or stereotypes regarding my culture. The people I have met and the teams I have worked with have been amazing. I have felt the warmth and have been welcomed by everyone."

 

6. What would you like people to know or appreciate about your cultural background, and why is it important to you?

 

"My background is complex and a little tricky for people to understand at times, so I have a more general view of what I want people to know and appreciate. I come from a culture of respect, inclusivity, diversity and understanding, and I would love people to learn and enjoy that about people like me. This is important as these values are a cornerstone to a healthy society, workplace, team, and overall relationship with others."

 

The series concludes next week with Codex Head of Marketing and Vancouver native Emily McKenzie. Be sure to check out how her Canadian roots have helped Emily settle into life in Ireland and become a leader in marketing and workplace best practices.

 

---

 

At Codex, we fervently believe diversity is invaluable to our organisation. We constantly work to enhance the workplace and significantly impact the lives of those around us. To promote a culture of diversity and inclusion, we have implemented several initiatives and projects that actively create a legacy for Codex and the communities in which we live.

We regularly run workshops and training sessions to promote cultural awareness and sensitivity. Our recruitment process is also designed to attract and retain diverse candidates, and we ensure that our hiring practices are fair and unbiased. We embrace diversity in all forms and are committed to creating a welcoming, equitable, inclusive workplace that supports all our employees.

 

RELATED ARTICLES:

How We Created a Great Workplace Culture

Celebrating Our Diverse Team – Meet Bárbara Dominguez

STAY CONNECTED

SEARCH ×