Tomás Platovsky: From Rugby to the Retail Pitch

It is no surprise in the company that Tomás Platovsky Mingo (43), commercial director of Falabella Retail, was chosen to assume the general management of Falabella Retail Chile from September 1, when Juan Luis Mingo −with who he is a distant relative − left the possibility of devoting himself to personal projects.

In fact, his name had already been mentioned, along with Mingo’s, when in early 2021 the investment company recruited Francisco Irarrázaval from Ripley for general management of the company. “He was one of the validated natural successors, he has enough scrolls,” says a manager who has been in the business for 20 years. retailer . The investment company applies rigorous internal talent management processes, with annual evaluations, in which they constantly identify possible successors for the various positions, which does not prevent the use of the crane or the opening of external competitions.

According to inside sources, Platovsky maintains close relationships with the company’s leaders, who trust him and recognize his spirit of innovation. In his current role, he promoted the omnichannel strategy and together with his team researched technologies among vendors in different countries. He was also one of the developers of the new Falabella store in Parque Arauco, which the company claims is the most innovative and largest in South America. “As in 15 years in the company he went through different purchasing areas and was area manager, he knows the job well with the customer; he knows that it is essential to detect demand, to innovate constantly and to be attentive to the direction of the markets which set the trend”, explains a colleague.

Tommy, as his friends call him, is a business engineer from the Catholic University of Chile and completed a advanced management program at Harvard Business School. His first job was at Banco Security, where he worked for 10 months in the administration of electronic banking products and services, new product development and portfolio management. In 2005, he joined the recently created Lounge SA company as product and commercial manager, where he spent almost two years because he was enthusiastic about the Francisco Hughes project (later Lounge joined the brand portfolio with an exclusive contract with Falabella). It was his first approach to detailwhere he tested his skills in building collections, buying products in Asian markets, logistics, pricing strategies and marketing campaigns. marketing.

Of course, he already knew the world of commerce very well because he was born into a family linked to this activity: his grandfather, the Chilean-Czech businessman of Jewish origin, survivor of the Holocaust, Milan Platovsky Stein (1922-2012), was a partner in Mellafe and Salas, a company dedicated to the assembly of transistor radios, record players, televisions and household appliances, which represented brands such as Panasonic in Chile, which was then run by his father, Daniel Platovsky Turek, and ceased operations in the middle of the last decade. His mother, Ana Mingo Marinetti, is a food technologist and is now the receptionist at the Termas de Chillán hotel.

However, never worked in family businesses. After going through Lounge, he joined Falabella in 2007 as brand manager of Diadora then promoted Product manager from the athletic department.

His next steps were managing Stand Alone; the management of Falabella Zona Oriente de Santiago, the commercial management of Falabella Retail and in 2017 he became the commercial director of Falabella Retail. When he has been in charge of the stores, he usually visits them on weekends. He also represented Falabella at the Chilean-Colombian Chamber of Commerce for four years.

Those who interact with him say he is outgoing and direct, which generates trust. “He is very resistant, an attribute he inherited from his grandfather, whom he greatly admires and whose life experience marked him,” says a friend. And they add that he is very committed to his work.

In 1984 he entered The Grange School and although he started playing rugby in the third year during sports hours, it was not until 1997 that he put on the jersey of the Old Boys, where he would know a remarkable career until 2007. According to his peers, he was known to be “disciplined, loyal and dedicated”; he had only one ejection in his decade on the courts. He participated in three finals and with this team he was champion in 2005; Although he says he has no merit in this cup, as he was injured in the semi-finals, they consider him a ‘pillar in the history of the club’. He was also selected nationally.

His former teammates testify to his leadership, his commitment, his courage and his memorable tackles . Also that they had little confidence in him because he weighed about 45 kilos. In a lengthy interview on the Legends series of the Old Grangonian Club YouTube show, classmates and classmates in t-shirts laughingly recalled that they nicknamed him Grumpy Elmer, for his bad mood at the time and they agreed to highlight his persistence in building muscle. Over the exercises, weights and jerks he gained 25 kilos to become “one of the best pivots in the history of the club”.

His brothers had to watch his countless matches. His girlfriend since the age of 17 and later his wife, tax lawyer Astrid Hardessen, accompanied him during this decade of intense dedication to the club, during which he got up at 5 a.m. for training. They have three children: Martín (13 years old), Laura (10 years old) and Elena (6 years old).

Since leaving the field, he maintains a daily exercise routine and devotes himself to cycling as well as skiing, which brings the whole family together. But in his daily life, rugby continues to show up, such as in his approach to teamwork, where he often uses rugby games as metaphors to explain how to approach tasks, prioritize and tackle challenges with determination. .

He enjoys family life and doing panoramas with friends, including many former classmates. Fine gourmet and great connoisseur of restaurants in Chile and abroad, a relative describes him as a “mega cook”. On weekends, he prepares roasts, Risotto, Asian and Peruvian cuisine; she makes bread, pizzas and likes to go shopping for ingredients. He inherited this hobby from his mother, an Italian descendant, since pasta and desserts were prepared at home.

Tomas is the eldest of five siblings. She is followed by Caterina, who made a master’s degree in educational policy at Harvard University and served in the Ministry of Education in the two governments of Sebastián Piñera. In the meantime, she was Director of Basic Pedagogical Studies at the Universidad de los Andes. Today he lives in Bogotá.

Matías is a tourist guide and entrepreneur. He has lived in Rapa Nui with his three children and his wife since Easter. Nicolás is an actor, he worked in the La Chimba company and is based in London.

Daniel, the youngest of the family, did his internship at Mellafe & Salas; he then worked at Banco Santander and is now general manager of Plusmedical, a company dedicated to the sale of medical equipment, of which the brothers jointly hold 33% and the rest is in the hands of four other partners.