Elisa Colangelo Product Manager Clamping Systems

Elisa is our Product Manager Clamping systems.

As is often the case, the journey starts from further afield, in this case from a degree in International Cooperation and Development Economics in Rome.
After a series of study and work experiences also abroad, in roles and contexts far removed from his current one, he arrived at A+B Industrial Tools Company where he took his first steps as a buyer.
In the space of six years, she moulded her professionalism so much that at a certain point she felt the need to find new stimuli, to experience other things in order to satisfy the ambition that would lead her to grow further.
After a short pause for reflection, Elisa felt the need to return to the spotlight, and the Group decided to invest in her by assigning her the role of Product Manager. After all, you know: ‘you always go back to where you were good’.

Elisa, when did you return to A+B?

I returned in 2019, after a short period important for my personal and professional growth, during which I challenged myself by relating to circumstances different from those I knew and considered as ‘Home’.
To be back in A+B was incredible! The affection and esteem with which I was greeted is something that has given me great impetus to resume my path within the Group, strong in the solid professional and human foundations previously acquired and the new stimuli dictated by a different project and role. A road to be built, very challenging but precisely for this reason motivating!

You have returned as PM. Have you noticed any differences?

Somehow I think this was the logical consequence of my career growth, what I had worked so hard for: I felt ready.
In the early years of my journey I unconsciously felt a pressing need to run, catch up where there were gaps and plug the holes. Having had a totally different background, I had to study really hard to compensate and today, as PM, I feel the need to do so even more. In this sector, as in so many others, you never stop learning and if you aspire to be a reference, an excellent level of preparation is a must.

Was your need to run and want to catch up somehow dictated by the fact that you are a woman among so many men in your opinion?

In all honesty, I can tell you that I initially felt at a loss. Not because I was a woman among many men, but simply because their level of preparation was much higher than mine. Starting from scratch, especially from a technical point of view, I felt like a blank sheet of paper on which I could start writing a long novel.
Surely, over the years, I will have met someone along the way who will have taken my professionalism little seriously because of an initial prejudice. What I can say is that A+B has always provided me with all the tools I needed to be able to stand out, to the extent that even those who initially thought I was not credible have reconsidered.
Personally, I live my ‘femininity’ in a mostly male context with pride and confidence and I feel no discomfort in being considered a white fly in the industry. I believe that the most important thing from a professional point of view is to give one’s best, and in this sense the gender difference makes no difference.
I love being a mother as well as a woman, and I love my job: to this day I consider myself lucky because I have the opportunity to fulfil myself in both, thanks to a company that has given me confidence and support.
The goal, especially in our industry, is for this to become the norm and not an achievement.