SANTO DOMINGO – Laura Ileana Pérez has established herself as one of the most influential leaders in the Dominican Republic's construction sector, defying stereotypes and earning the respect of her colleagues in a traditionally male-dominated field. Her career is a testament to resilience, consistency, and integrity—values that have been key to her professional success.
This formidable woman is a civil engineer specializing in composite concrete and steel structures, special foundations, rock mechanics, highways, ground treatment, earth structures, and dams. She currently serves as Director of Operations at Noval.
His professional career has focused on the organization and administration of engineering projects, with his responsibility being to plan, schedule, control and optimize projects from their inception to their completion.
Pérez leads the implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology at Noval, an innovative model that is revolutionizing construction processes. “We are in the 3D phase of BIM and will soon advance to 4D, where scheduling is integrated to visualize the development of buildings based on budgets and timelines,” he explains, emphasizing that it will allow for higher quality projects in the country.
His inclination towards engineering stemmed from the influence of his father, an electromechanical engineer. “My dad always instilled in me a love of logic and mathematics. I followed his example out of admiration and because he guided me.” His mother, on the other hand, instilled in him a sensitivity to art and aesthetics, which he now integrates into his creative approach to construction.
Leadership
“I don’t agree that men are inherently sexist; I think we women underestimate ourselves first, and that’s why they tend to underestimate us,” she says.
According to Pérez, men feel “admiration and respect” when they understand that a woman is “on par with or above them.” “They feel proud,” she asserts, noting that her team is composed mostly of men.
She emphasizes that she has earned respect "through consistency in her actions, her ability, being empathetic, having a lot of emotional intelligence, not taking things personally, and respecting them.".
For the engineer, the key to success lies in education and integrity. “People should focus on training, preparation, and setting clear goals. Meritocracy is achieved through effort and dedication,” she maintains. Furthermore, she emphasizes the importance of being a person of integrity in one's professional practice: “You can have great technical skills, but if you're not a good person, you won't get far.”.
Originally published in the magazine Mujer de Concreto.
Photo: External source.
