Celebrating International Women’s Day

On March 8th, we will celebrate International Women’s Day, and, of course, WISE wants to recognize this extraordinary day. The big question is always how to best do that. This year, with a little ingenuity and the beloved term “creative license”, we decided to feature two amazing women whose professional talent enabled them to move their families from Italy to the US while working for WISE partner member Sofidel.

Meet our international women, Giorgia Giove and Giulia Marcucci. Both women have been instrumental in Sofidel’s entrée into the US market. Sofidel brands are well known in Europe, and the company is one of the world’s largest producers of paper for hygienic and home use. Wanting to access the largest consumer market for its products, Sofidel entered the US market in 2012. To help drive the US expansion, Sofidel enlisted two of its bright, Italian home-office stars to move to the Philadelphia, PA, headquarters operation.

WISE: Hello Giorgia and Giulia! Can you tell us a bit about your history with Sofidel?

Giorgia: I have been with Sofidel for seven years, two years in Italy and five years in the US. I started with a marketing internship in the UK. From that internship, I was hired for the B2B business in charge of the EU market. My manager at that time was moved to the US, and he brought me over with him. We launched the PaperNet brand for B2B, really building that brand awareness from zero. Since I’ve been here, we’ve launched other value-added products like hand towels, toilet paper that sanitizes pipes as they break down, dispensers, and dispensers made with ocean plastic. Sustainability and hygiene will be key focuses in this next year. I’m doing the job I’ve always wanted to do. I like the people; I like the environment. It’s very diverse. The US is like a continent, not a country. Our vision of the US is that everything is like New York, but once you start traveling, you see the differences. Being in the US has always been an ultimate dream for my life, so I feel like I accomplished that.

Giulia: I am an engineer by training, and have been a manager of Production Planning for more than 10 years. I started my career with General Electric Oil & Gas in Italy. An opportunity with Sofidel came up by chance like most good things in life. The office was much closer to my home. Thankfully, my industrial equipment skill set and mindset transferred. After four years of work in Italy, I received an offer to move to the US. Sofidel is committed to making our mark in the US market. I manage the production of finished goods and paper used in finished goods for all six sites in [the] US. It’s a wonderful team of professionals. I have been here for three years as of March 1, 2021. Three days after we arrived in Pennsylvania, there was a very heavy snowstorm. We had to go to a bed and breakfast because the place we were renting lost power. We thought if this is the start of our time in the US, good luck to us! In the beginning months, you kind of look for the differences in the places, and then you start to call it home.

WISE: What are some of the general differences in working in Italy versus the US?

Giorgia: They are very different. First, the US is the country of opportunities. You can become anything you’re capable of becoming. You can grow really starting from zero with some sacrifice. You don’t need a family connection to achieve something. In Italy, it’s much harder to grow professionally. You either have to be super exceptional or really have to have connections. It can keep you stuck. The job market in Italy is not as dynamic either. Once you have a job, people are generally happy with what they have and they stay there. Here, you can start a restaurant in one room for example. Also, in Italy, family and friendships are really important. We are always together. Friends are very different here. I get the impression that the US is much more individualistic. Then, of course, you have the economic difference. The US is a consumption market. In Europe, you have to have savings. We are trained from kids to manage money, and we cut spending in a crisis. Finally, we Italians are very direct. If something is not good, we say it’s not good. Americans are more like “You did a great job, but here’s what I’d change . . ..” We’ve had to learn not to shock people when my boss and I are arguing in Italian!

Giulia: The biggest difference is that the job market in Italy is much slower. It’s very difficult to change jobs or find a lot of opportunities. You have to be an outstanding talent, and you really have to challenge yourself. Here is much faster. In Italy, there are a lot of people who start in a company and stay there for 30 plus years. It seems really rare in the US for someone to do that. As a manager, you always try to motivate your team so they do not leave, but in the back of your mind, you don’t take it too personally because you realize it’s very probable they will move on. For me, it changes the relationships in the workplace. Also, there is a difference in the way women are involved and listened to between the two countries. In Italy, the glass ceiling is much more present in almost every company. For a woman to be at the same level as a man, it takes luck, or it’s very unlikely to happen. Given the same conditions, men are in higher positions. In thinking about my daughters, I would really like them to have the same opportunities as their male peers. Why should we always have to demonstrate going above and beyond? There is a little bit of surprise when you show that you’re as good as your male colleagues.

WISE: What have been your favorite opportunities working in the US environment?

Giorgia: Anything tangible is fun! When I can pull something from a shelf and say “look what I’ve been working on,” I find that exciting. In general, I love working on trade shows. I like organizing and being in charge. I did enjoy working on the product brand launch. I learned that designing a brand campaign is a bit different as people here want things very clearly stated and specific. With some EU campaigns I’ve worked on, we provided a general outline, and then country reps would tailor it to their needs.

Giulia: It might sound a little bit strange, but I think being in a supply chain role during the pandemic has been a great thing from a work perspective. In the supply chains lesson books in the future, they will reference what we did. It’s changing the way companies do business or, at least, it should. We found ourselves in an unbelievable time with everyone buying toilet paper like crazy. We had to be creative. It was super challenging, but inspirational. The way a company manages something like that determines if they are going to be there the next year or closed. As a company, we managed not to lose focus and come together as a team across departments to make sure the company was successful. I’m really proud how we came together as a team to manage the pandemic.

WISE: What differences have you noticed in the roles for women or the kind of support they receive at work in Italy versus here in the US?

Giorgia: In Italy, there is an increase in women in management. What I see as a problem or a barrier for women moving up in their career is maternity leave. The role of mothers is always very important in the lives of the children, and a lot of companies view this as a problem. Here in the US, maternity leave is very short, and society is way more prepared for both parents to be working. In Italy, maternity leave can be much more extended. When I was interviewing for a job, a lot of interviewers would ask me if I had a boyfriend or if I was planning to have a family. They are allowed to ask those questions. Women can be viewed as a problem employee rather than a valued resource. There are more families with two people working. Things will have to change. The US is so far forward on this.

Giulia: Back in Italy, groups have just started to advocate for women in a manner. Here it is much more established. I feel like, in general, across the board, working or nonworking, women have been asking for more presence even with how laws are written. For working moms, there is still some stigma. For example, when a woman has a child, everyone is questioning whether or not she is going to go back to work. You’d never ask a man “Now that you are a dad, are you going to quit working?’’ No one would ever ask that. Or, for example, my husband took three months of parental leave after the birth of our first son. Friends were convinced that he was going to get a worse position because he took time off. I think a person willing to take care of his family is going to take care of his job.

WISE: What kind of advice would you offer to young women for their professional careers?

Giorgia: Be strong. It’s important to take control of specific things that happen and own our reactions. We have to make our place. We need to work harder to do it. Don’t ever let go. Be like a train, always moving forward!

Giulia: Don’t be afraid. Travel as much as you can. Try as much as you can. Follow your thoughts and ideas. It will pay off. Not all ideas go somewhere, but all ideas will make you the person you are meant to be. It takes courage.