“Unashamedly risking it all, jumping in deep when I had no clue at all, just an openness to live, learn, connect & grow took me further than I ever thought possible”
Those were the words that Stephanie Molina y Vedia heard before losing consciousness at the birth of her fourth child. Born prematurely at 27 weeks, nothing could have prepared Stephanie for her and her daughter’s near-death experience.
Not many humans on this planet experience the fear and uncertainty of hearing how many minutes you have left to live. By a miracle, Stephanie and her daughter Abigail survived the event, the latter spending five weeks in intensive care, and a total of 88 days in the children’s hospital. This was followed by years of tenuous medical appointments, endless worry, and sleepless nights.
For Stephanie, the ordeal turned her worldview entirely on its head. Those 8-minutes of suspense brought her one crystal clear realisation—life is all about human connections and emotions, the fragility of time, and the meaning we can create through expressing love and appreciation, while also embracing the undiscovered. Our time is precious, as is our need to love, be loved, and to recognise the gift of our own potential and what each of us can bring to the world.
“I believe that every decade, you will become somebody new. Embrace your continuous evolution and bask in the playground of life’s lessons and learning. This is what those decades looked like for me…”
Before Abby’s birth, Stephanie worked for the Swiss commodities giant Glencore International AG. Responsible for negotiating and securing metal off-take, sales contracts, and finance projects in excess of 50M USD, Stephanie relished the challenges and triumphs inherent in the role.
However, her life-changing experience sparked something inside her, inspiring her to take a step back, reassess the future, and pivot into a new and unfamiliar industry in which she could create more freedom through entrepreneurship : sports management.
Despite entering into one of the more competitive and traditionally masculine industries, Stephanie brought a unique, human mindset.
Transcending industry norms, Stephanie launched Asmantra Sports, an industry-disruptive, female-led boutique football agency.
Stephanie has the unique ability to transcend cultural barriers and connect with others, regardless of cultural background.
Highly experienced and intuitive in building and nurturing relationships—a critical skill for career progression and excelling within a professional setting.
Stephanie seeks to connect with others on multiple levels—personally, professionally, and emotionally to understand and uncover their best, authentic selves.
Through her proven pan-industry success, Stephanie understands what it takes to be a mover and shaker and how to grow a dynamic business.
1966: Born in Houston, Texas, to an Argentinian (surgeon) and American Mother (diplomat) into a large family of seven.
1989: Graduated with a Liberal Arts degree from the University of Texas and began travelling internationally for work and leisure.
1990: Began working at Ferromet, an international Stainless Steel Scrap Metals Trading company,
1991: Moved to Budapest and began working in metals trading as well as investments in Hungary as an emerging market
1993: Moved to Madrid and worked as a Junior Metals Trader in cobalt and copper at the former Marc Rich company (known as the Godfather of Commodiites Trading) eahg focussing on the Central African Markets.
1995: Spiritual awakening, and baptised at 30. Became devoted to Catholicism and later embraced Evangelism.
2000: Moved to Glencore International AG Switzerland head Office and became known as the “Queen of Cobalt” and a “fiery rule-breaker”.
2002: Birth of her first daughter.
2003: Established and directed a Metals Division for Leading Private Swiss Trading Firm, Ameropa AG
2005: Birth of her first son.
2007: Birth of her second son.
2011: Birth of her Second daughter at 27 weeks, followed by three life-changing, earth-shattering months in hospital.
2011: A 5-year career break to be a full-time mother
2015: Introduced to the football industry and dabbled in working for an agency
2017: Founded Asmantra Sports.
2020: Became the first female agent to commit to Common Goal.
2021: Awarded Global Woman’s Top 10 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch.
2022 Launched SMV Brand and founded Legend’s Lounge.
2022: Evolution into the highest version yet!
“People ask me: ‘how did you get ahead in heavily masculine industries?” I tell them that it’s simple: be fearless, frank, and never forget you’re the boss!”
Stephanie was born in Houston, Texas, into a large, international family of Argentine and American parents. As a child, Stephanie travelled the world learning languages and developing a love for classical music, sports, and the arts.
Stephanie graduated from the University of Texas with degrees in Spanish and French and minors in Russian and Soviet Studies. She has lived in Russia, Hungary, Spain, and travelled extensively through Africa and Asia while working in the metals and mining industry.
For over a decade, Stephanie worked as a cobalt and copper trader with Swiss commodities giant Glencore International AG where she was responsible for metal off-take, sales contracts, and finance projects in excess of 50 million USD.
Through a series of world-shaking personal events following the birth of her daughter at 27–weeks, Stephanie was inspired to shift into the professional sports industry, founding Asmantra Sports & Consulting GmbH in 2017. To date, she is the only female football agent in Switzerland and one of only a few in the entire industry.
Beyond global business ventures, Stephanie is a passionate advocate for female entrepreneurship. She was not only the first female agent to join Common Goal but was also nominated for the Global Woman Influencer Award 2020 and recently awarded the Surprise Global Woman Achiever 2021. Stephanie has been named as one of the 10 Most Influential Female Entrepreneurs to Look out for in 2021 by Disrupt Magazine.
A mother of four, you can find Stephanie practising yoga and taking morning hikes at her home in the mountains.She speaks English, Spanish, French, German and Russian and enjoys playing the piano and sports during her downtime.
“Unashamedly risking it all, jumping in deep when I had no clue at all, just an openness to live, learn, connect & grow took me further than I ever thought possible”
