A daring manager, a determined woman, an attentive mother. All this is Patrizia Grieco, president and managing director of Olivetti (Telecom Italia group) who took over the reins of the group 4 years ago and raised the company close to bankruptcy. Commitment, study and constancy have marked her work, from when she was Marisa Bellisario's right arm at Italtel, until today. FIRSTonline wanted to celebrate Women's Day with her.
FIRST online – Dr. Grieco, this will be the first 8 March from the entry into force of the new law on women's quotas, which provides for the entry of nearly 500 women on the boards of listed companies. Is it a change of substance or pure appearance?
Greek - Of a major substance change, especially if it will be well interpreted by the companies that will have to apply the law. I do not deny that it would have been better to get there through a different path, with a real assessment of the contributions that women can make to companies. But certainly the female quotas are an important step forward. Furthermore, measures such as this are appreciated at EU level. This was recalled a few days ago by the EU commissioner for justice Viviane Reading, who complained that the percentage of women at the top of European companies is growing too slowly.
FIRST online – Wouldn't it be more meaningful to impose women's quotas at management level rather than on boards?
Greek - I believe that at a managerial level, a company should reward merit and not evaluate gender. The selection of deserving personnel cannot be based on gender. If I look back on my career, significant steps have been taken in the Italian panorama. The glass roof that previously oppressed women from below has now moved higher and trying to break it through the law can only be beneficial. In human beings we need to appreciate skills, commitment, determination and merit. In recent years, women have started very different training courses, adapting to the needs of companies. The fact that they have abandoned more traditional studies to get in line with the needs of companies is certainly the keystone. And not only are there more female graduates than men, but the good graduates are always more girls. And companies take this into account.
FIRST online – How do they reconcile family and career? And how did she do it?
Greek – By now my daughter is 30 years old and the problem is hers. I think it's a very personal fact that depends on the family, on the relationship that she establishes with her husband. Surely the new generations have a completely different approach compared to young people of my generation. Both parents are equal in relation to the duties of the family and this is an important contribution to women's work. Then certainly some more social infrastructure would not be harmful, indeed, today they are too few and scarce.
FIRST online – After the women's quota what are the next steps to be taken in favor of women?
Greek – In Italy the problem is wider and concerns meritocracy in general. A wider category than women, the young, suffers from the lack of appreciation of merit. More than on women's work, we should focus on the dangerous and dramatic situation that the new generations are facing. We women are first of all mothers of children who are struggling to enter the world of work. I believe that today we must all commit ourselves to promoting the inclusion of young men and women in the labor market. Merit is the most democratic tool there is and the only one that must be adopted. This is the real challenge facing Italy today.
