Mercedes Victoria returns to Evolution Europe: Feels like home

A long-awaited reunion

Some returns carry something special. Not only because of what they mean professionally, but also because of what they reveal about a company, its culture, and the people behind it. Mercedes Victoria’s return to Evolution Europe is one of them.

Today, we celebrate the return of Mercedes Victoria, a Grant Manager with years of experience in European and national funding, who rejoins our team after two years of new challenges, large-scale projects, and professional growth that she now brings back to serve our clients.

We sat down with her to talk about her return to Evolution Europe, the skills and perspectives she brings, and why sometimes, to truly appreciate what we have, we need to step away from it.

Some returns are planned months in advance. Others simply fall into place. Mercedes’ return clearly belongs to the latter: maternity, reflection, a call at just the right moment, and the certainty that there was something at Evolution no other company had been able to offer her.

If we had to sum it up in one word, she already has it clear: excitement.

1. The Reunion

If you had to define your return in one word, what would it be?

“Excitement.”

What was the first thing you thought when you walked into the office on your first day back?

“That despite the time that had passed, I felt right at home.”

Of all the things you left behind, what did you miss the most?

“My colleagues, without a doubt! (Although, as a fun fact, I’ll tell you that we have a WhatsApp group called ‘Evolution Grants’ that I’ve stayed in these past two years, haha.)”

2. The Journey

During your time away, what new skills or perspectives do you bring that you think will add value to the team today?

“On one hand, in my role at my previous company, I had the opportunity to be involved in all stages of the client lifecycle: sales, contract signing, execution, invoicing… This gave me a more comprehensive view of the different challenges in this business. On the other hand, I worked on funding calls I had never worked on before, both European and national, some very complex and for large-scale projects. This experience has made me more ‘brave’ when facing new challenges and has given me a broader perspective of the ecosystem.”

Was there a moment when you thought: ‘I wish we did things here the way we did at Evolution’?

“Yes. At Evolution, we have a very collaborative team of highly experienced people. That means there is a lot of knowledge sharing between us. For example, after each deadline, we sit down to exchange experiences and lessons learned to see how we can improve. In my previous company, however, the team was very new and quite hierarchical, so we were still far from establishing those kinds of dynamics.”

3. The Reason: Why come back?

What made you say ‘it’s time to come back’?

“There were several factors. On one hand, the type of clients and projects (large companies and more industrial projects) meant that, although very challenging, they were not as exciting as the ones we work on here at Evolution (start-ups with cutting-edge innovations). While reflecting on all of this during my maternity leave with my third daughter, Víctor reached out and told me that my previous position at Evolution had become available… everything just aligned!”

What excites you the most about this new chapter with us?

“I’m excited to work again with start-ups across Europe that are developing highly disruptive technologies, and to contribute in a small way to their journey to market, where they can have a real impact.”

4. A Message to the Team

For those who have been here a long time: what would you say to help them value even more what we have?

“Consulting is a people business, we sell knowledge. And the collective knowledge we have at Evolution is probably among the highest in the market – and we should truly believe that. Not many companies bring together the level of experience we have here, and even fewer the level of teamwork, which is one of Evolution’s greatest strengths.”

Mercedes’ return is not just good news for the team, it reflects what Evolution Europe stands for as an organisation. An environment where knowledge is shared, experience accumulates, and people choose to return. Because there are places you come back to knowing you can keep growing. And there are teams that simply continue to feel like home.

In a highly specialised sector like innovation funding, retaining and welcoming back talent is a sign of something deeper: a culture that works. And at Evolution Europe, that is no coincidence.

Welcome back, Mercedes.

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