On the occasion of March 8th, our company wants to highlight its commitment to promoting gender equality in a sector where women are still underrepresented. We are dedicated to doing ou part to reverse this trend.
It does this by telling five stories of women with every diverse paths to inspire other women who are at a crossroads in choosing their educational and professional futures.
In the energy sector in Italy, there is a lower presence of women compared to the European average. According to the Eurostat labor force survey in 2023, there are 73,500 women employed in the energy and utilities sector in Italy, accounting for 20.7% of total employement, which is 3.8 percentage points lower than the EU-27 average of 24.5%.
City Green Light recognizes that gender equality is essential for the development of its organization because it brings unique perspectives and contributes to broader innovation and greater business efficiency. The company is committed to promoting a work environment that is open and welcoming to all, regardless of gender.
Among the leading companies in its sector, City Green Light has received from DNV the UNI/PdR 125:2022 certification for gender equality and the ISO 30415 certification for diversity and inclusion. In 2023, City Green Light achieved for the first time the Great Place to Work® certification in Italy, reaffirming itself as a company with an excellent work environment.
These achivements have represented a solid starting point for the company to create a work environment that is truly fair, respectful and open to differences.
In the last two Years (2022-2023) City Green Light has consolidated the growth of its organization: as of December 31, 2023, the company employs 188 people, marking a 29% increase compared to December 31, 2022. Among them, 59 are women, representing over 30% of the workforce. The company’s top management consists of over 40% women.
OUR STORIES
What would you advise a girl who wants to pursue your career path in our industry?
To a girl who wants to pursue this career path, I would advise her to be curious, energetic, and determined. Ours is a young, dynamic, and innovative company, and therefore, we need everyone’s ideas and support.
What do you appreciate most about your job?
I love the fact that in my job there’s the opportunity to learn something new every day. We are always evolving, ready for change and professional growth. Teamwork is essential, and what is satisfying is seeing our ideas come to fruition.
What would you advise a girl who wants to pursue your career path in our industry?
My advice would be to aim to start your career in a rapidly evolving and forward-thinking company like ours, which opens new horizons and continually sets new goals to achieve. Handling the IT aspect of new businesses means acquiring knowledge that goes beyond just using software—it involves a comprehensive know-how that can enable you to gain further experiences in other environments, with a mindset open to innovation. Lastly, you should enjoy working in teams because in such environments, only a cohesive and united group can effectively manage critical and challenging solutions.
What do you appreciate most about your job?
I love the interaction with people and being able to help them when they are in difficulty. I appreciate that it’s a dynamic job, never mundane or repetitive, which presents continuous challenges and allows for increasing one’s knowledge.
What would you advise a girl who wants to pursue your career path in our industry?
If you have an interest in the combination of creativity, technical skills, and environmental awareness, this career path allows you to work on diverse projects ranging from urban lighting to smart city solutions for public spaces. Additionally, project management skills will be crucial for successfully leading multidisciplinary teams and coordinating the various stages of a project, from concept to implementation.
What do you appreciate most about your job?
What you will love about this job is the opportunity to express your creativity and contribute to the development of innovative and sustainable projects, improving the world around us through conscientious energy use.
What would you advise a girl who wants to pursue your career path in our industry?
For those who want to embark on a professional path, the advice is to acquire from their studies the method to become problem solvers and work effectively in teams. I think it’s important for those aiming to work in a company to learn and challenge themselves to discover new skills that will lead to personal growth and enrich their cultural, educational, and professional background.
What do you appreciate most about your job?
The professional experiences I have gained so far have allowed me to develop expertise in architectural lighting project development. Over the past year at the company, I have held various roles, including Design & Technical Services Engineer and Architectural Lighting Designer Specialist.
The know-how acquired through my studies in engineering in the building field and my work experiences has enabled significant professional growth. This growth has allowed me to deepen and implement methods for the realization of architectural lighting projects. Over time, these skills have focused on studying and assessing the impact of lighting design, leading me to my current role as an Architectural Lighting Designer Specialist.
Putting into practice what I have studied is always a source of great satisfaction for me! I love the creativity and teamwork involved in my job, which leads to deepening knowledge and achieving challenging goals.
What would you advise a girl who wants to pursue your career path in our industry?
Women are often raised with the ideological notion that they must choose between being mothers and pursuing a career, as if it were a matter of choosing one and losing the other. It’s as if there is a “right time” or a “wrong time” for these choices.
You might hear expressions like, “Wow, you just changed jobs and now you’re going on maternity leave? That takes courage…” Ignore them! It’s not up to us to bear the weight of these social discriminations. What I would advise all women is to forge ahead on your own path. Despite everything, you should not lose the strength to want to be both mothers and dedicated professionals.
Thanks to my company and my team, maternity has been such a serene, natural, and physiological period for me. I hope that one day, it can become the norm for all women.
What do you appreciate most about your job?
What I love most about my job is definitely problem-solving. Finding and applying solutions to unexpected challenges gives me daily satisfaction. I am always attentive to the smallest details, which makes a significant difference in delivering quality work.
Another important aspect is the different levels of communication and its dynamics. We communicate with various stakeholders and types of clients, as well as with different subcontractors. Internally, I collaborate with designers, salespeople, site managers, and colleagues from diverse backgrounds.
I enjoy the variety within my role; sometimes I need to chair a meeting, manage a budget, and work towards deadlines. No project is ever the same.
City Green Light’s Journey Towards Inclusion and Gender Equality
The company is committed to ensuring pay equity by defining salaries based on national collective labor agreements (CCNL), position qualifications, and experience. Each year, the Human Resources function reviews career advancement proposals and salary increases, which are then approved by the CEO. Of particular interest is the gender pay gap for the year 2023, which shows men’s salaries are 4% higher than women’s, a significantly lower figure compared to industry trends.
City Green Light supports parents with initiatives such as remote working for new parents, parental leave, and paid leave for children’s illness. Additionally, the company provides an online psychological counseling service through the “Mindwork” platform.
To combat gender-based violence, the company supports initiatives by Angels in Run, an association that helps women start a new life through concrete projects.
Our company recognizes that the path to gender equality, especially in technical sectors, is long, but it is determined to do its part to contribute to positive change.