Maria Moncada Alaoui For Luxury Trending
Maria Moncada Alaoui is the General Manager at BMW of West Houston. Starting in the automotive industry in an administrative role more than 25 years ago, she worked her way up to management and has been with BMW for 15 years. In her current role, she is responsible for the operational and financial oversight of her dealership, as well as customer and associate satisfaction.
A long-time Houstonian, Maria is passionate about giving back to the community and is involved in multiple organizations, including Women Driving Business, the Houston Food Bank, and the Houston Texans Foundation. She serves on the advisory council of Altus Global Network, on the board of the Latino Learning Center, and recently was asked to join the board of KnowAutism. Her favorite charities, the ones closest to her heart, are those focused on children in need. She serves on the board of Houston Children’s Charity, and for the past 15 years, she and her dealership have contributed a brand-new BMW to the HCC auction at the organization’s annual gala.
As part of a tribute to Hispanic women, Maria has been recognized as Executive of the Year by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. She was named one of the Top 30 Most Influential Women in Houston by d-mars and led her dealership in being recognized as the 2021 and 2022 Top BMW Dealership, as well as the “Best of the Best in 2020” by the Houston Chronicle.
Maria has been fortunate to have many positive role models and mentors, but none more influential than her parents. “Certainly, the biggest influencers in my life have been my parents. They set an example of hard work, determination, integrity, strong faith, and encouraged me to always give the best of myself to the world, because the best will always come back.”
Maria attended the Dealer Academy through Sonic Automotive’s Leadership program, which prepared her to be a leader and to operate a large, successful automobile dealership. Attending San Diego University’s fellowship program, Shakti Leadership, was an honor, a challenge, and a high point in Maria’s career. She’s received certificates through several universities, including the MIT-Digital Marketing, Wharton Aresty Institute of Executive Education Leadership Program, and the Disney Academy.
Born in Honduras, Maria’s first language is Spanish and she’s one of seven children. She’s an avid learner, and also plays the clarinet.
Maria is married to Omar, whom she calls her strongest supporter and her constant source of encouragement. She enjoys spending time with her amazing stepson, as well as her extended family and enjoys long road trips with her family, traveling in style in The Ultimate Driving Machine!
One of Maria’s mentors told her, “Excuses are no more than an admission to failure.” It’s a lesson she took to heart and lives by daily. Maria says, “Whenever we begin to make excuses for why something didn’t work, we’ve already admitted defeat. Instead, we should use our energy to focus on what it takes to make it happen.”
The advice Maria shares with others: Dream BIG. Commit to those dreams. Be Bold, Be Brave, Be Daring. Within you is the power to lead and make a positive difference. Don’t play small! Always give the best of yourself, and the success and money will follow. Be willing to do things that are inconvenient and uncomfortable. It’s the only way to grow. Have a relentless commitment to your goals, and don’t quit! Too many people give up too soon. They fail ahead of time. If they had just stuck to their goal a little longer, they would have found success.
If someone were to make a movie about Maria, the lead role would be played by Michelle Rodriguez, someone she’s been told she looks like. And, Maria loves the role Rodriguez plays in “The Fast and the Furious.” It reminds her of what she does when she’s at the performance center driving BMWs!
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