IBSA stories

On the occasion of March 8, we give a voice to the women of IBSA, with the #IBSAVoices project

Faces, stories, thoughts and emotions in a single, great story aimed at giving a voice to the many People of IBSA: it’s #IBSAVoices, the digital format we are going to launch on the occasion of International Women’s Day: Alessia, Angela, Elisabetta, Irene, Margherita, Sabina are just some of the collaborators who have joined this project, sending a personal message about their own career at IBSA.

As in a jigsaw, a picture came out, made of words and reflections that tell bits of life: their professional and personal growth, their evolution as professionals, but also as people, as partners and mothers, their pride and satisfaction for the opportunities and the support received, the presence of diversity and differences, which turn into riches. According to the interviewees, flexibility, investments in training, stability and confidence in the future are the most precious elements that IBSA has allowed – and allows – to achieve, both at work and in private life, in a balance that is essential for having People who are always content and gratified.

IBSA FOR PEOPLE

Integration and respect: these are central issues within companies, which are increasingly striving to raise awareness of these issues and enhance female empowerment. However, the road to achieving gender equality in the workplace is still uphill. For example, according to data from the Swiss Federal Statistics Office, in 2020 women earned an average of 18% less than their male counterparts. This salary gap is partly due to structural factors – such as level of education, years of service or seniority – but it also depends on the type of position held (the higher the management position, the sharper the wage gap between women and men).

IBSA has always been committed to promoting a corporate culture which looks to the well-being of People, where every person is valued. Indeed, building a work environment where everyone feels at ease and encouraged to express their uniqueness means creating the conditions for giving one’s very best and contributing to the continuous improvement of the company. At IBSA, the workspaces themselves are designed to offer maximum comfort, following a philosophy that makes of beauty an essential element. “Making good things or bad things costs the same. But when you enter a pleasant environment, where you stay working eight hours a day, beauty makes the difference: it opens your heart and mind”; this is the thought of Arturo Licenziati, President and CEO of IBSA, which inspires the evolution not only of offices, but also of manufacturing plants such as cosmos. In addition to this, there is no shortage of rewarding programmes to encourage the performance of collaborators, nor of training and professional growth projects, as well as many other initiatives aimed at enhancing People.

IBSA’S VOICE

We have collected in a video the messages of all the wonderful women who decided to give their contribution to this first appointment of #IBSAVoices, and we would like to thank them one by one: Angela Amato, Elisabetta Broggini, Margherita Canzani, Emilia Dellea, Giuseppa Fichera, Alessia Forzina, Laura Macchi, Erika Mapelli, Daniela Mariano, Irene Masanti, Laura Mottarella, Mara Pastorella, Sabina Piccininni, Francesca Sisalli, Benedetta Trovato, Giuliana Villa, Rosa Viola.

We leave you with this video, where we collected the messages of our first testimonials; enjoy!

IBSA offers a dynamic environment, one where increasingly more women occupy managerial positions. When I arrived at the company, I was assigned departmental projects; today I develop projects at a corporate level, which involve both the Headquarters and the subsidiaries. For me, working at IBSA means having the opportunity to learn and aspire to continuous growth.

This company has given me a lot of satisfaction. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to be part of it, because I was able to make my private dreams come true. IBSA has given me the opportunity to have a stable job, as well as the joy of coming to work every day in a content and happy environment.”

I am proud to work in this big family that has given me so much and – I hope – will give me more in the future.”

I have been working at IBSA since 1991, that is, 32 years. I joined the packaging lines as a factory worker and now I’m in the overprinting office for the closing and opening of production orders.”

I have been working in IBSA for 15-16 years. I grew up in a sterile ward; I’m a specialised operator, and I really like the job. My role in IBSA has changed a lot: I’ve grown, and I’m still evolving.”

Being a working woman in IBSA means knowing how to deal with new challenges every day. But where there’s a will there’s a way, and if the company believes in your talent it will give you a chance; then it’s up to you to take the challenge. At IBSA, talent is always valued and recognised.

I have been with IBSA for 10 years, 8 of which in Regulatory Affairs. Throughout my career, IBSA has invested and believed in me. In fact, it offered me the opportunity to obtain a master’s degree in regulatory disciplines, and during this experience I was able to improve my skills and acquire new knowledge in this area.”

“In recent years, IBSA has allowed me to grow both professionally and personally. In fact, I became a wife and a mother and along this journey – which is not always easy – IBSA has supported me, understanding my needs; therefore, I feel somehow obliged and encouraged to give back to IBSA as much as I can, while facing my daily challenges.”

I have been working at IBSA for 17 years; I joined as a young girl and today I am a wife, mother of two and Head of the Regulatory Affairs department. IBSA is a dynamic company that invested in me as a woman and as a professional.”

Read the complete interview with Daniela Mariano

I have been working at IBSA for 17 years, and I am proud to work for this company, made of extraordinary people. I joined the company 17 years ago, and I would do it again a million times!"

Working at IBSA was lucky for me: it gave me the opportunity to do a lot of things in my private life and to think about my child’s future.”

"I have been working at IBSA for 5 years: my professional career started after my maternity break. IBSA gave me the opportunity to start a new path, in the role of part-time receptionist, a position I had been looking for for some time, in order to reconcile work and home duties and put my skills to good use. In IBSA, women cover increasingly important roles of responsibility, according to their merit and potential. Being a working woman in IBSA means having opportunities for professional growth in several fields.”

IBSA is a flexible company that supports the well-being of its employees. In particular, it adopts flexibility measures for women. For IBSA, women are a truly precious resource.

I’ve been working at IBSA for almost 5 years, and I’m happy with it: it’s a nice company that differs from many others, because it’s particularly focused on people. Unlike other cases, here you are not just a number.”

“I have been working at IBSA for 17 years, and I am proud of it. I am very happy to be here, because I am content and satisfied with my path. I thank our president and all my colleagues.”

I started at IBSA in March 2007, so I’ve been with the company for 16 years now. In the professional world, in terms of gender equality something is changing, with women increasingly holding top positions. However, there is still a lot to do, because there are yet “obstacles” to be overcome in order to reconcile private and professional life, especially for women. Personally, I have never made any gender differentiation; I have always been passionate about my job, and I have been lucky enough to do what I liked, and with a lot of passion and enthusiasm, at that!"

Read the complete interview with Giuliana Villa

"Today I am a new working mother; this situation still is a great challenge for women. Fortunately, IBSA’s corporate policy allows us to have some support, such as two months of optional maternity leave, flexible hours and, last but not least, the company’s nursery. In this way, the challenge is easier to face!"