Matías Ali, Customer Service Manager at Bostik Argentina and Volunteer Rescue Worker
Tell us a little about yourself...
Matías Ali: I was born on 2000, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I currently live. I greatly appreciate the environment in which I grew up. Our culture, at least as I experience it, places great importance on human connection and solidarity. It enables me to build relationships easily with others while finding opportunities to shape my future and continue growing, both personally and professionally. I am also fortunate to be part of a large and wonderful family, with the unique distinction of being one of five quintuplets (four sisters and myself), in addition to a younger sister.
What academic path have you followed?
M.A.: I am currently a fourth-year Chemical Engineering student at the National Technological University (UTN), a public Argentine university represented throughout the country by 30 regional faculties. It is a field I have always wanted to pursue because I have always had a natural affinity for science-related subjects and am driven by a strong sense of curiosity. I have a habit of taking things apart and putting them back together (laughs) to understand how they work, to think about and question why things are the way they are. I also continuously nurture my desire to learn by exchanging ideas with engineers around me, attending conferences, and taking part in training courses.
How has your professional career evolved?
M.A.: I started working while I was in my second year of university. For several years, I worked for SKF Argentina, the local subsidiary of the Swedish SKF Group, globally recognized as one of the world's leading bearing manufacturers. I held the position of Production Planner. This experience broadened my understanding of the industrial sector, enabled me to acquire technical knowledge, and helped me grow professionally. I was then given the opportunity to join the chemical industry, a sector closely related to my academic background, which ultimately led me to join Arkema.
How did you join Arkema? Where do you work today, and what are your main responsibilities?
M.A.: A university classmate recommended me for a marketing internship, and I was fortunate enough to be selected. I have now been with the company for nearly three years, half of that time in my current position within Supply Chain, more specifically in Customer Service for Bostik Legacy and Advanza in the Argentine market. My work involves optimizing the department's administrative processes, managing invoices, conducting data analysis and demand forecasting, administering orders, coordinating delivery logistics, resolving issues, and supporting customers. To do so, I use tools such as SAP, Totvs, and other platforms. My objectives are to ensure deliveries meet established deadlines and requirements, comply with company procedures, make the supply chain as efficient as possible, improve communication with our customers, and continuously contribute to improvement projects. I work closely with Planning, International Trade, and Finance teams to achieve these goals.
You mention Bostik Legacy and Advanza in the Argentine market. Can you explain what that means?
M.A.: I am responsible for Customer Service in Argentina, managing activities related both to the historical Bostik environment (Legacy) and the new standardized environment (Advanza). Here in Argentina, we differentiate between them because they serve different markets. Simply put, however, I oversee all Bostik Argentina markets.
At 26 years old, Supply Chain specialist Matías Ali successfully combines his career at Bostik with rescue missions.
Let's talk about your commitment outside of work. Could you introduce the rescue organization where you volunteer and tell us when, why, and how you joined it?
M.A.: The "Cuerpo Argentino de Rescate" was founded around 35 years ago. Its current President and Commander established it with the aim of helping others without expecting anything in return. It is a non-governmental, non-profit organization specializing in search and rescue operations and disaster response in Argentina and, occasionally, abroad. It operates under the Asociación Argentina de Prevención de Catástrofes and works alongside recognized organizations such as the United Nations, Civil Defense, fire departments, and various NGOs. I joined the organization at the beginning of 2021, at a time when I wanted to learn how to respond to high-risk situations and how to support my community. After extensive research and several recommendations, I discovered the organization. I first completed a training program designed to prepare citizens to deal with everyday emergency situations, based on FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) standards. After completing the course, I was given the opportunity to join the team, and over the years I have trained as a rescue worker for different types of operations. I have attended numerous training programs, participated in missions and exercises, all guided by the same motto: “So that others may live.”
What kinds of missions have you taken part in?
M.A.: I have participated in various emergency response operations in public spaces, particularly road traffic accidents and major incidents involving large numbers of casualties. However, most of my deployments have been related to flooding events, including the floods in Bahía Blanca in March 2025, those in Luján in 2022, and the floods that affected Buenos Aires and its suburbs in 2025 and again this year. I also provided logistical support during the recent earthquake response operation in Venezuela.
So that others may live.
What memories stand out from these experiences?
M.A.: I was deeply moved by the gratitude of the people we helped, who thanked us and prayed for us. If I had to choose one memory, I remember an elderly woman who remained in our advanced medical post for more than an hour suffering from hypothermia. She eventually recovered and, just before being transferred to the ambulance, she looked me straight in the eyes and smiled. That simple gesture had a profound impact on me.
You were involved in the mission related to the earthquake in Venezuela. Can you tell us more about that experience?
M.A.: It started as a completely ordinary day. Everyone was busy with their own activities when we received an alert through a specialized disaster management platform. We immediately began gathering information and assessing the scale of the event. It quickly became clear how serious the situation was, especially in a country whose resources were unfortunately limited. Standing by and doing nothing was not an option. As soon as we learned what had happened, we gathered at our operational base to prepare equipment for possible deployment, without even knowing whether we would be able to travel there. We often used to say: “It is better to be prepared for something that may never happen than to face a situation for which we are unprepared.” In the days following the earthquake, with our equipment ready and all volunteers willing to deploy, we started searching for funding, support, and any type of assistance that could help us reach the affected area.
Meanwhile, conditions on the ground continued to worsen and needs kept increasing. We felt that we simply had to be there. After a week, we knew that the chances of survival for those still trapped under the rubble were decreasing every day, but we still had no confirmed air transport. Then, at last, the news we had been waiting for arrived: funding from the United States had been secured to cover airline tickets for our rescue workers as well as Venezuelan doctors. Our joy was immense. We thought we had overcome the greatest obstacle until the airline informed us that there was no capacity available to transport our rescue equipment. With great sadness, we had to acknowledge that a rescue team without the necessary tools would risk hindering operations rather than helping them.
As a result, two weeks after the disaster, the mission was canceled. These were volunteers prepared to travel to a foreign country without life insurance, since no coverage was available to us, willing to take time away from work and leave their families behind simply to help those who needed it most. In my case, I spoke with the management team at Arkema Argentina, who fully supported my decision and gave me all the flexibility I needed. Fortunately, we were able to provide remote support by sharing updated information, maps, assessments of the most affected areas, and priority needs with our fellow rescue workers who had succeeded in reaching the field.
Helping others is one of the most rewarding experiences there is
What lessons have you learned from your experience in rescue work and humanitarian assistance? What are your plans in this field?
M.A.: Every experience, even the painful ones, is an opportunity to learn. One of the lessons I learned is that sometimes, even when we give our very best, we do not achieve our goals because certain factors remain beyond our control. Since joining the organization, I have been taught to always give 100%, to fight relentlessly to save lives, while accepting that sometimes we succeed and sometimes we do not. We do not perform miracles, but I am certain of one thing: we will always do everything within our power to help those in need.
As for my future, I intend to continue training and developing my skills in every area related to rescue operations, improve my techniques, and strengthen my ability to respond to complex situations so that I am ready when the time comes to put them into practice. In addition, following what happened with the Venezuela mission, the NGO's leadership and I decided to actively pursue sponsorships, financial support, and equipment donations that will allow us to strengthen our operational capabilities.
Is there a message you would like to share?
M.A.: Reaching out to those in need is one of the most rewarding experiences there is. To those who have never experienced it, I encourage them to take the leap. There is no greater feeling than knowing you gave the very best of yourself to change someone else's life. We are here today; tomorrow, perhaps not. Do not live with the question: “What if I had tried?”
