Andrada Verdes, Leoni Wiring Systems Romania: “More than 70 percent of our employees are women”

“I joined the automotive industry because I was curious. What I have found here is not only amazing products, but also a family. In Leoni we started a long time ago to create a culture. We are proud to say we are mostly women in Leoni Romania, across all levels. More than 70 percent of our employees are women. Almost 60 percent of those women are managers,” Andrada Verdes, Country Manager, Leoni Wiring Systems Romania said during Women Professionals in the Automotive Industry conference organized by Automotive Today.

“There are 10 people managing 12,000 employees and the 10 plants in Romania. We are talking about a 50-50 share of men and women in this board. This brings us diversity of ideas, balance, and also empathy.

It’s not enough to have an inclusive environment. You have to keep it, maintain it. This means that we have development programs, fairness of calibration meaning everybody gets their chance to move forward as long as they have the motivation. If they want it, they can go forward. We promote freedom of ideas, and our company relies on a team of people.

We have the safety of expressing our ideas. This is very important. You have the right to have your own thoughts, you own development, your own desires. If you have a fear, you can share it.

When talking about work-life balance, it’s important to acknowledge what makes you happy, embrace it and own it.”

Full recording of the conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D70hWlXRgA&t=732s