Andreea Stanescu, vice president of Stefanini’s EMEA Delivery Service (Europe, Middle East and Africa), joined the company in Bucharest, Romania in 2011, after 14 years in one of the world’s leading telecommunications companies. She graduated from the Academy of Economic Studies in the capital and began working in the logistics segment as a telesales supervisor before moving on to technology. At Stefanini, the executive is recognized by her colleagues as a dedicated professional with high power management teams across Europe.
Latest in Stefanini, the financial director Eliza Irimia has a degree in Engineering with a PhD in Economics. By transiting these two worlds, the executive recognizes that, despite working with the finance department, the Engineering course has helped to deal with different perspectives, including to better understand people’s behavior. “Every challenge can be solved by thinking of it logically and methodically, as we do in the face of a mathematical problem,” says Irimia.
The two executives of Stefanini Romania are examples about how women’s participation has increased globally in the area of IT. According to Olga Cristina Botusan, director of HR of Stefanini EMEA, the company currently has 1600 employees in the three offices installed in that country. Of this total, 50% are women, and they hold 60% of leadership positions.
“Our policy is to hire and promote professionals based on skills and abilities, regardless of gender. Even so, we are honored to know that our managers have contributed to the company’s growth in the region, “says Mrs. Botusan. Last year, Stefanini Romania had around 40 thousand euros in business – an increase of 14% compared to 2016. “Valuing diversity is a common practice at Stefanini. Today, we have the largest number of women in Romania, which shows that the model works,” adds the HR director.
In the United States and Brazil, female participation is also increasing. Currently, women hold half the positions of the Board of Directors and Vice-Presidency in Brazil and two-thirds (2/3) of the leadership positions in the US.
Heidi Hagle, vice president of human resources at Stefanini North America, began as an HR generalist and was promoted as the first female VP 16 years ago. With the opportunity to succeed at that level with all of her male counterparts, she combined what she learned from them with what makes her unique and successful on her own. “When I look back and think about our executive team today, which is almost 60% female, I believe that maybe I had some small part in showing that we can do it, regardless of gender,” says Hagle. To her own daughter, Heidi passes on the importance of being ambitious and understanding you can balance work and life while supporting other women as they enter the field of technology—leaving a mark on the world.
“While there is still much room for improvement, we are working hard and I am proud of the progress we have achieved, as Stefanini has numbers much higher than the market average,” said Mrs. Hagle. In 2015, women held 25 percent of executive, senior-level and management positions in S&P 500 companies (source: Statista)
Monica Herrero, CEO of Stefanini Brasil, took office in 2012. Graduated in Mathematics and specializing in Business Administration, Monica has been with the company for 20 years. The executive began to work in the field of information technology still young, when she began her career in the Federal Service of Data Processing (Serpro). In 1985, it began to work in small investment banks, such as Multiplic and Garantia. After this experience, the executive migrated to the information technology area once she joined the Stefanini.
Mrs. Herrero, who has extensive experience in leadership and management, uses value-based strategies to assist clients in their quest for operational efficiency and business success. Herrero is committed to the process of inorganic and organic growth and reinforces investment in innovation, based on three pillars: stimulating new ideas within the organization; search for partnerships in universities and partnerships with technology startups.
According her, the balance between men and women in managerial positions passes through the generation of qualification opportunities, regardless of gender. “Men and women are not equal and bring different experiences to the work environment. What is sought is to have diversity of thought, culture, experience. In this process, the organization has an important role in defining strategies and formatting a culture aligned with an equivalence of opportunities between men and women, “says the CEO of Stefanini Brazil.
According to Cintia Bortotto, Stefanini’s HR director in Latin America, the challenge is to encourage them to invest in professions in this area to contribute more and more to technology companies such as ours. “Our position is one of inclusion, giving equal conditions for meritocracy to prevail, regardless of gender,” adds the director of HR.
